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Greg Kurstin
Kurstin in 2013
Kurstin in 2013
Background information
Birth nameGregory Allen Kurstin
Born (1969-05-14) May 14, 1969 (age 55)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresRock, pop, alternative rock
Occupation(s)Producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist
Instrument(s)Keyboards, guitar, bass, drums, vocals
Websitegregkurstin.com

Gregory Allen "Greg" Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Described as "the consummate DIY writer and producer," Kurstin has been associated with releases which have cumulately sold more than 60 million albums worldwide. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe and has won three Ivor Novello Awards.[1][2] [3]

Kurstin co-wrote, produced and played most of the instruments on the record-breaking 2015 Adele single, "Hello." Among others, he has worked Lily Allen, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Ellie Goulding, P!nk, the Shins, Sia, and Tegan & Sara. He often plays guitar, bass, keyboards and drums and engineers and programs the records he produces. [2][4][1]

An "exceptionally accomplished" musician, Kurstin began his career as a jazz pianist and later co-founded Geggy Tah. He has collaborated with Inara George in the bird and the bee since 2004.[5]

Early life and education

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Kurstin was born and grew up in Los Angeles, California. He started playing piano at age 5; soon after, he picked up guitar and bass. Kurstin joined his first band at the age of 11, and co-wrote "Crunchy Water," the b-side to classmate Dweezil Zappa's "My Mother is A Space Cadet" at 12.[6]

In high school, Kurstin focused on jazz piano. After graduation, he moved to New York to study with Charles Mingus' pianist Jaki Byard at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. In addition to coursework, as a student Kurstin played with prominent jazz artists including Bobby Hutcherson, George Coleman, and Charles McPherson.[7] He returned to Los Angeles to finish his degree, and graduated from the California School of the Arts with a BFA in 1992.[6]

In a 2013 interview, Kurstin said that his education in jazz had played a vital role in his pop success. “It’s still something I carry over into my pop music work. It’s really important to me that the notes I’m choosing strike the right emotional chord.” [8][9]

Career

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1994-2004: Geggy Tah, studio and session work

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Kurstin continued to perform with Hutcherson, Coleman, McPherson and others following his graduation. In 1994, he formed Geggy Tah with Tommy Jordan, whom he had met at an LA jam. A friend passed a demo they recorded on to David Byrne, who signed them to his label, Luaka Bop. "They incorporate so many disparate elements into their sound that one senses a new sensibility afoot," Byrne said in 1997.[10]

Geggy Tah released their debut album Grand Opening in 1994; Kurstin played bass, clavinet, guitar, organ, piano, synthesizers and drums, and was credited as a songwriter, producer, programmer, and backup vocalist. In 1996 the band released Sacred Cow. It included the song "Whoever You Are," which became a hit in 2001, after it was used in a television spot for Mercedes Benz. As the song was ascending the charts, Geggy Tah released their final album, Into the Oh. [11][12]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).[13]

Kurstin signed a worldwide publishing deal with EMI (now Sony/ATV) in 2002. While he had consistently written songs since the age of 12, he intensified his efforts, working "day and night, pumping out songs." In addition to writing on his own, he collaborated with songwriters and artists including Sia, whom he met through Beck in 2003.[14][15]

2004-2010: the bird and the bee, Lily Allen, Sia

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In 2004, Kurstin was introduced to singer Inara George by a mutual friend, Mike Andrews. Then producing George's solo debut, Andrews hired Kurstin as a pianist for the album. Kurstin and George clicked musically in the studio and together they formed The Bird and the Bee (stylized as "the bird and the bee"). Shortly thereafter, they were signed by Blue Note Records chairman Bruce Lundvall;[16] their first EP, Again and Again and Again and Again was released in 2006. In 2007 an eponymous album was released, followed by Please Clap Your Hands (2007), Rayguns Are Not Just the Future (2008), and Interpreting the Masters, Vol. 1, a Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates. The bird and the bee released their fourth album, Recreational Love, in 2015. [17] Described by Entertainment Weekly as "space-age pop that cunningly combines bossa nova languidity with Beach Boys-style lushness",[18]

After working on tracks with artists including Peaches, All Saints, P!nk, the Flaming Lips, and Kylie Minogue, Kurstin was introduced to Lily Allen. Along with other musicians, co-writers, producers and engineers, he worked on her 2006 debut, Alright, Still, which went on to achieve platinum status. For her second album It's Not Me, It's You, Allen worked exclusively with Kurstin; he co-wrote every song and played all of the instruments on the record, which he also engineered and produced. The album's first single, "The Fear," spent four weeks at #1 in the UK, and the album hit #5 in the US and charted in the top 10 in eight other countries. With Allen, Kurstin won three Ivor Novello Awards for his work on the double-platinum It's Not Me, It's You. Based in part on the album's success, as well as his work on a bird and the bee record, Kurstin was nominated for his first Producer of the Year Grammy in 2010.[19]

Kurstin's first commercially available collaboration with Sia was released on her 2006 album Death By Chocolate. In 2010, he produced Sia's fifth album, We Are Born. It reached #2 in Australia and #37 in the US. It won ARIA Music Awards for Best Pop Album and Best Independent Release.[20]

2011-present: Kelly Clarkson, the Shins, P!nk, Adele

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In 2012, Kurstin earned his first #1 song in the United States and two Grammy Award nominations for Kelly Clarkson's "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," which he co-wrote and produced. He reunited with Clarkson in 2013 (on Wrapped in Red) and in 2015 (on Piece by Piece). "I think what makes him stand out as a producer is his skill as a musician," Clarkson said. "He can play anything phenomenally. His abilities as a musician give him an advantage, because he doesn’t have to rely on anyone else to interpret his vision."[21] In 2014 Kurstin produced and wrote or co-wrote five songs for the Grammy-nominated Pink album, The Truth About Love, including its first single, "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)." The album was Pink's first #1 in the United States; it charted in the Top 10 in 31 countries, and as of 2016 had been certified seven-times platinum. Later in 2014, he began production on Tegan & Sara's Hearthrob and worked closely with the Shins' James Mercer on Port of Morrow, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts.[22]

In addition to Clarkson, in 2013 and 2014 Kurstin wrote and produced songs which appeared on albums by Lana Del Rey, Foster the People, Ellie Goulding, Lykke Li, Katy Perry, and Charli XCX. He co-wrote and produced Ellie Goulding's "Burn," which was the #1 single in the UK for three consecutive weeks, teamed again with Allen, and collaborated with Sia on1000 Forms of Fear. Her most successful album to date, 1000 Forms of Fear debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and charted at #1 in Australia and Canada and reached the top five charts in Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 1000 Forms of Fear earned three ARIA Music Awards and was selected as one of the best albums of 2014 by several publications, including The Boston Globe and Rolling Stone. Kurstin was nominated for a Record of the Year Grammy for the album's lead single, "Chandelier," and once again nominated as Producer of the Year. [23]

Kurstin scored the 2014 adaptation of the film Annie and served as the soundtrack's executive producer. With Sia, he created new arrangements for the Broadway musical's original tracks and co-wrote several new songs for the film, including "Opportunity," for which he received a Golden Globe nomination. [24][25]

Kurstin began working with Beck on his follow up to the Grammy-winning Morning Phase in 2015. He co-wrote and produced "Dreams," the first single from the as yet untitled album. [26]

Kurstin co-wrote and produced three songs on Adele's 2015 album, 25, including its first single, "Hello." In an interview with Rolling Stone, Adele said: "This song was a massive breakthrough for me with my writing because it'd been pretty slow up to this point, and I felt after I worked with Greg [Kurstin] on this, it all poured right out of me." Kurstin also played bass, guitar, drums, piano and keyboards on "Hello," which reached number one in 28 countries. It was the first record to exceed 1 million in digital sales over a 7 day period. As of January 2016, the album had sold more than 15 million copies worldwide.[27][28][29]

His fourth album with Sia, This Is Acting, was released in January 2016.[30]

Awards and nominations

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  • 2010, Grammy nomination, Producer of the Year, non-classical
  • 2010, Ivor Novello award, Songwriter of the Year, with Lilly Allen
  • 2010, Ivor Novello award, Best Song, with Lilly Allen, for "Fear"
  • 2010, Ivor Novello award, Most Performed Work, with Lilly Allen, for "Fear"
  • 2012, Grammy nomination, Song of the Year as songwriter for "Stronger (Whatever Doesn't Kill You)" (Kelly Clarkson)
  • 2012, Grammy nomination, Record of the Year, as producer for "Stronger (Whatever Doesn't Kill You)" (Kelly Clarkson)
  • 2014, Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for "Opportunity" from Annie
  • 2014, Grammy nomination, Record of the Year as producer for "Chandelier" (Sia)
  • 2014, Grammy nomination, Producer of the Year, non-classical

Discography

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Main article: Greg Kurstin production discography

References

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  1. ^ a b Tingen, Paul (March 20, 2015). "Wigging Out". Audio Technology. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Adele's Producer Greg Kurstin Says it Wasn't Easy Keeping Mum on Adele". Billboard. AP. October 27, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  3. ^ "Billboard Year End Charts 2009-2015". Billboard. January 1, 2009. Adele, Lily Allen, Sia, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, the Shins, Santigold, Lana Del Rey, Britney Spears, Kesha, Tegan & Sarah, Dido, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Ellie Goulding {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  4. ^ Fekadu, Mesfin (February 3, 2015). "Ladies' man: Greg Kurstin on producing for Clarkson, Sia". Associated Press. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  5. ^ Sara, Quinn (February 29, 2012). "Greg Kurstin - Behind the Scenes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Wood, Mikael. "Greg Kurstin is an in-demand songwriter-producer – and not crazy". December 4, 2012. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  7. ^ Gallant, Michael (May 1, 2013). "GREG KURSTIN Blazing his own trail from jazz scholar to pop hit-maker". Music and Musicians. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  8. ^ Harcourt, Nic. "Greg Kurstin: Turn It Up". July 2009. Los Angeles Times Magazine. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  9. ^ "New School Press Release, 2008". Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  10. ^ Harrington, Jim (February 21, 1997). "Going Geggy Over Tah". Palo Alto Weekly. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  11. ^ Sawdey, Evan (July 16, 2015). "The Lovey Dovey Return of the Bird and the Bee". Pop Matters. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  12. ^ Roos, John (January 3, 1997). "Whoever They Are : Geggy Tah's Members Defy Conventional Labels, Yet One of Their Singles Is Climbing the Charts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  13. ^ Henderickson, Ted (July 1, 2001). "Action Figure Party". CMJ. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  14. ^ Unterberger, Andrew. "From Geggy Tah to the Grammys: The Wild Ride of "Pop Impersario" Greg Kurstin". February 8, 2013. Pop Dust. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  15. ^ "Greg Kurstin extends global publishing agreement with EMI Music Publishing". May 11, 2010. EMI Music Publishing. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  16. ^ Chinen, Nate. "At 70, a Legendary Jazz Label Asks, 'Now What?'". February 6, 2009. New York Times. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  17. ^ "bird and the bee at AllMusic". 2013. AllMusic. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  18. ^ Endelman, Michael. "the bird and the bee". January 19, 2007. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  19. ^ Tingen, Paul (May 1, 2009). "Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Greg Kurstin". Sound on Sound. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  20. ^ "ARIA Chart Awards" (PDF). ARIA.
  21. ^ Hits staff, 18, 2016 (January 18, 2016). "Meet the Grammy Class: Kelly Clarkson". Hits. Retrieved January 29, 2016. {{cite news}}: |first1= has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Sisario, Ben (March 16, 2012). "The Second Act Of an Indie Success Story". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
  23. ^ "Greg Kurstin production credits". Allmusic. Allmusic.
  24. ^ Rigby, Sam. "Sia and Beck Join Stars on Annie Movie Soundtrack". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  25. ^ Via RocNation. "ANNIE Soundtrack Press Release". Nuke The Fridge. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  26. ^ Reed, Ryan (June 15, 2015). "Beck Looks to Dance Floor With Funky New Song, 'Dreams'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  27. ^ "Radio on Adele's 'Hello': 'She Can Make You Feel What She Feels'". Billboard.
  28. ^ Searjeant, Jill (November 2, 2015). "Adele's 'Hello' breaks 1 million digital sales in record". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  29. ^ Kreps, Daniel (October 23, 2015). "Adele Talks '25,' 'Hello' Origins and 'Darkness' in New Interviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  30. ^ Gardner, Elysa (January 28, 2016). "Sia hides in plain sight (and big sound) on 'This Is Acting'". USA Today. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
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