| Cassius D. Kalb | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Khalil Walton |
| Born | June 6 Bronx, New York, United States |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georigia |
| Genres | Pop, Hip Hop, Alternative |
| Occupations | Songwriter, Musician, Producer |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboards |
| Associated acts | Bruno Mars, Lupe Fiasco, Donnis |
Khalil "Cassius D. Kalb" Walton (born June 6) is an American Grammy Award-winning songwriter, and musician based in Atlanta, Georgia.[1]
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In his short career Cassius has gained notoriety and respect as a songwriter for co-writing and composing the Grammy Award winning single "Just the Way You Are" for Bruno Mars debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans.[2][3]
"Just the Way You Are" was Kalb's first placement and the success of the record exceeded his expectations. The song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 on the chart dated October 2, 2010, ending the two-week reign of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream".[4] By the end of December 2010, the song had sold over 3,280,000 digital copies in the US alone;[5] and as of March 2011, has now sold over 4,000,000 downloads.[6] In the UK, Just the Way You Are hit the number-one spot twice,[7] from sales of 116,000 copies[8] becoming the first song ever to have left the top three before rebounding to the top spot. It sold 766,000 copies during 2010, becoming the third biggest seller of the year.[9] On 2 January 2011 it was revealed that the song is the ninth most downloaded song of all time in the United Kingdom.[10] The song jumped from 7 to 1 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated October 9, 2010. On October 12, 2010, the song hit the Dutch Top 40, and it reached 11 weeks at the number one in the Netherlands on December 20. The song also reached number one in Australia and certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association.[11]
"Just The Way You Are" was an international hit. It was performed by Cory Monteith for the American TV show Glee on episode "Furt", which aired on November 22, 2010.[12] It was also covered by The Saturdays at BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge on October 29, 2010. Matt Cardle, the winner of the seventh series of British TV talent contest The X Factor, performed "Just the Way You Are" in week 2 of the live shows and later recorded his own version of the song as a B-side for his debut single "When We Collide". The song is also a featured single on Kidz Bop 19. Parody rapper Rucka Rucka Ali used the instrumental for his song "Were All Asian". Stefano Langone covered the song on the 10th season of American Idol.
With the Success of "Just the Way You Are", Kalb continued to break records by landing another placement, co-penning, "Til I Get There"[13] for Lupe Fiasco's L.A.S.E.R.S album.[14] On January 27, 2011, "Til I Get There" was featured on ESPN Winter X Games'[15]
In April 2011, Kalb won an ASCAP Pop Award and "Just the Way You Are" received five Billboard Music Awards songwriter nominations.[16][17]
| Year | Song | Contribution | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Just the Way You Are" | Co-write/Production | Bruno Mars | Doo-Wops & Hooligans |
| 2011 | "Til I Get There" | Co-write | Lupe Fiasco | LASERS |
| Year | Event | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Won |
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | Just The Way You Are | Won | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Hot 100 Song "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Digital Song "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Radio Song "Just The Way You Are" | Won | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Streaming Song (Audio) "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Pop Song "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated |