| Dr. Luke | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lukasz Gottwald |
| Born | September 26, 1973 Westerly, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Origin | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, pop rock, dance-pop, electropop, hip pop |
| Occupations | Musician, record producer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, drum kit, vocals, bass guitar, piano, electronic keyboard |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Associated acts | Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Akon, Kesha, Jessie J, Flo Rida, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Taio Cruz |
Lukasz Gottwald (born September 26, 1973), better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs. He was named one of the top ten producers of the decade by Billboard in 2009, was awarded Producer of the Year and Songwriter of the Year awards in 2009 and won the Songwriter of the Year Award at the 2010 and 2011 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Pop Music Awards. Gottwald was also named both the Number One Hot 100 Songwriter of the Year and Number One Producer of the Year by Billboard.[1][2]
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Luke was born in Westerly, Rhode Island[3] to an architect father and an interior-designer mother, but spent much of his formative years in New York City.[3] He had originally wanted to be a drummer, but his parents refused to allow a drum kit in the house.[4] At 13, he picked up his older sister's guitar and taught himself how to play. As a teenager, Luke would "listen to bad music over and over, if there was a guitar part [he] admired, so [he] could figure out what the guitar player was doing right."[4] Gottwald was raised Jewish.[5]
Luke attended the Manhattan School of Music for two years. After he was a student there, he auditioned for the Saturday Night Live Band and won out over 80 applicants, joining Saturday Night Live as the lead guitarist in 1997. Luke performed with the band for ten seasons, leaving at the end of the 2006–2007 season. As a guitarist, Luke performed with Herbie Hancock, Michael Bolton, Phoebe Snow, Jack McDuff and Shabba Ranks, and played with the house band for the TV series Amateur Night at the Apollo.[6]
While working on Saturday Night Live, Luke performed on a number of jingles and advertisements and became a deejay fixture in New York. Luke also became heavily active in the underground hip-hop scene, producing tracks and remixes for various artists, including Mos Def, Black Star, KRS-One, and Zack de la Rocha[7] as well as for artists such as Arrested Development and Nappy Roots.[8] He released the 12" single "Wet Lapse", under the name Kasz, for Rawkus Records, and remixed the theme from the film Mortal Kombat.[6] While deejaying at a house party, Luke met producer Max Martin and subsequently gave Martin a tour of New York clubs when Martin arrived in the city.[4]
Luke currently owns two publishing companies, Kasz Money Publishing for his own songs and Prescription Songs. Prescription Songs employs a network of 17 songwriters, including Ke$ha, Katy Perry and Benny Blanco. As of January 2011, he has garnered 21 Top 40 Billboard Hot 100 singles, becoming the producer with the third most such hits since the charts were created.[9] Luke co-wrote and co-produced the Kelly Clarkson Hot 100 number two song, "Since U Been Gone" with Max Martin,[4] he provided the singer another hit in "Behind These Hazel Eyes". Subsequent songs by Pink, "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand" reached the Hot 100 top ten. He would go on to co-produce a number one for Avril Lavigne with the song "Girlfriend" as well as seven other songs on the Lavigne album. He also achieved a UK number one with the song "About You Now" for the Sugababes. Luke contributed two songs to Katy Perry's debut album, Hot 100 number one, "I Kissed a Girl" and "Hot n Cold", as well as three songs to Britney Spears' 2008 album, Circus, including the title track. Luke also co-produced the US number one song "Right Round" by Flo Rida. His third co-production for Kelly Clarkson, "My Life Would Suck Without You" would reach the top of the Hot 100 as well. In late 2009, his song for Miley Cyrus, "Party in the U.S.A."also written by Jessie J. would reach number two on the chart as well. In December 2009, Billboard named him as one of the top 10 producers of the decade.[10] In 2010, "Tik Tok", recorded by Ke$ha and co-produced by Dr. Luke, became the longest running debut number one single by a female artist since 1977.
On April 21, Luke was named Songwriter of the Year at the 2010 ASCAP Pop Music Awards and received 10 ASCAP Pop Music Awards for the year as the songwriter and publisher.[8] Luke had received ten Pop Music Awards from ASCAP between 2006 and 2009. He was also named to Fast Company's 100 Most Creative People in Business, placing at #33.[11] Luke's co-production for Katy Perry, "California Gurls" debuted at number two on the Hot 100 and later reached number one. Second single, "Teenage Dream" would follow suit. "Dynamite", co-produced by Luke, reached number one in the UK and number two in the US. Luke would contribute to three more top ten songs, "Magic" for B.o.B, "My First Kiss" for 3OH!3 and "Take It Off" for Ke$ha, as well as a top five song, "Your Love is My Drug" by the latter on the Hot 100. In November, Ke$ha's lead single, "We R Who We R", co-produced by Luke, became only the seventeenth song to debut at number one on the Hot 100.
On December 1, 2010 Luke received 2 nominations for the 53rd Grammy Awards in the categories Album Of The Year (Teenage Dream by Katy Perry), and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.[12] He was also named both the Number One Hot 100 Songwriter of the Year and Number One Producer of the Year by Billboard. At the start of 2011, Advertising Age called Luke "the year's most successful producer and songwriter in terms of chart longevity."[13] Britney Spears' single, "Hold It Against Me", co-produced by Luke, became the eighteenth song to debut at the top of the Hot 100 in January. He also produced and co-wrote Jessie J's song, "Price Tag", for which he received credit as "Coconut Man". The song debuted at number one in the UK. He also co-produced "E.T." and "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry, anothers Billboard number one hit. Luke also worked on a song for Rihanna's new album, Talk That Talk, along with Calvin Harris, Cirkut, and Ester Dean.[14]
| Year | Artist | Album | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Black Star | Producer, Remixer, "Respiration" (Dr. Luke Remix) | |
| 2000 | KRS-One, Zack de La Rocha, Last Emperor | Lyricist Lounge, Volume One | Remixer, "C.I.A. (Criminals in Action)" |
| 2001 | A. Skillz & Krafty Kuts | Tricka Technology | Producer, ("Come Alive") |
| B. Rich | 80 Dimes | Producer, ("Nightmares") | |
| 2002 | Kelly Osbourne | Shut Up | Co-writer ("Too Much of You") |
| Mos Def | We Are Hip-Hop, Me, You, Everybody | Producer, remixer ("All My People (The Body Rock Party Break)") | |
| 2003 | Nappy Roots | Wooden Leather | Producer, ("These Walls") |
| 2004 | Kelly Clarkson | Breakaway | Co-producer, co-writer ("Since U Been Gone", "Behind These Hazel Eyes") |
| Arrested Development | Among the Trees | Producer, ("Esmerelda") | |
| 2005 | Backstreet Boys | Never Gone | Co-producer, co-writer ("Just Want You to Know", "Climbing The Walls") |
| Marion Raven | Here I Am | Co-producer, co-writer ("Break You") | |
| The Veronicas | The Secret Life of... | Co-producer, co-writer, ("4ever", "Everything I'm Not") co-producer ("When It All Falls Apart") | |
| Bo Bice | The Real Thing | Co-producer, co-writer ("U Make Me Better", "Lie ... It's All Right") | |
| Ebony Eyez | 7-Day Cycle | Producer, ("Real Life") | |
| 2006 | Pink | I'm Not Dead | Co-producer, co-writer ("Who Knew", "'Cuz I Can", "U + Ur Hand") |
| Ashley Parker Angel | Soundtrack to Your Life | Co-producer, co-writer ("Let U Go", "I'm Better") | |
| Paris Hilton | Paris | Producer, co-writer ("Nothing in This World") | |
| Kelis | Kelis Was Here | Co-producer, co-writer ("I Don't Think So") | |
| Jibbs | Jibbs Featuring Jibbs | Producer, writer ("Firr Az That Thang") | |
| Jeannie Ortega | No Place Like BKLYN | Producer, co-writer ("Can U?") | |
| Lady Sovereign | Public Warning | Producer, co-writer ("Love Me or Hate Me", "Those Were the Days") | |
| Daughtry | Daughtry | Co-written ("Feels Like Tonight") | |
| 2007 | Avril Lavigne | The Best Damn Thing | Producer, co-writer, ("Keep Holding On", "Girlfriend", "I Can Do Better", "I Don't Have to Try, "I Will Be", "Runaway", "Alone") Producer ("Hot") |
| Megan McCauley | Better Than Blood | Co-producer, co-writer ("Tap That") | |
| Sugababes | Change | Producer, co-writer ("About You Now", "Surprise (Goodbye)", "Open the Door") | |
| Santana | Ultimate Santana | Co-producer ("This Boy's Fire") | |
| Leona Lewis | Spirit | Producer, co-writer ("I Will Be") | |
| Miranda Cosgrove | iCarly | Producer, co-writer ("About You Now") | |
| Skye Sweetnam | Sound Soldier | Co-writer ("Girl Like Me") | |
| 2008 | Lil Mama | VYP (Voice of the Young People) | Producer, ("Broken Pieces") producer, co-writer ("G-Slide (Tour Bus)") |
| Katy Perry | One of the Boys | Producer, co-writer ("I Kissed a Girl", "Hot n Cold") | |
| Vanessa Hudgens | Identified | Producer, co-writer ("Identified", "First Bad Habit", "Don't Ask Why", "Amazed", "Set it Off") | |
| Lesley Roy | Unbeautiful | Producer, co-writer ("Slow Goodbye") | |
| Britney Spears | Circus | Co-producer, co-writer, ("Circus", "Shattered Glass") Producer, co-writer ("Lace and Leather") | |
| 2009 | Kelly Clarkson | All I Ever Wanted | Producer, co-writer ("My Life Would Suck Without You") |
| Flo Rida | R.O.O.T.S. | Producer, co-writer, ("Right Round") Co-producer, co-writer ("Touch Me") | |
| Lady Sovereign | Jigsaw | Co-producer ("So Human", "Pennies") | |
| Ciara | Fantasy Ride | Co-producer, co-writer ("Tell Me What Your Name Is") | |
| Jordin Sparks | Battlefield | Co-writer ("Watch You Go") | |
| Pitbull | Rebelution | Co-producer ("Girls") | |
| Miley Cyrus | The Time of Our Lives | Producer, co-writer ("Party in the U.S.A.", "The Time of Our Lives") | |
| Weezer | Raditude | Producer, co-writer, ("I'm Your Daddy"), co-writer ("Get Me Some") | |
| Adam Lambert | For Your Entertainment | Producer, co-writer ("For Your Entertainment") | |
| 2010 | Ke$ha | Animal | Executive producer, producer, co-writer ("Tik Tok", "Your Love Is My Drug", "Take It Off", "Kiss N Tell", "Hungover", "Blind", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", "Animal") |
| Miranda Cosgrove | Sparks Fly | Producer, co-writer ("Kissin' U") | |
| Three 6 Mafia | Laws of Power | Producer, co-writer ("Shots After Shots", "Go To Work") | |
| 3OH!3 | Streets of Gold | Producer, co-writer ("My First Kiss", "Streets of Gold") | |
| B.o.B | B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray | Producer ("Magic") | |
| Lil Jon | Crunk Rock | Co-producer, co-writer ("Hey") | |
| Katy Perry | Teenage Dream | Co-producer, executive producer, co-writer, drums, keyboards, programming ("Teenage Dream", "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", "California Gurls", "E.T.", "The One That Got Away", "Part of Me") | |
| Taio Cruz | Rokstarr | Co-producer ("Dynamite") | |
| Victoria Justice | Victorious | Co-producer, co-writer ("Make It Shine", "Leave It All to Shine") | |
| Ke$ha | Cannibal | Co-producer, co-writer ("We R Who We R", "Sleazy", "Blow", "Crazy Beautiful Life", "Grow a Pear", "Animal (Billboard Remix)") | |
| Flo Rida | Only One Flo (Part 1) | Co-producer, co-writer ("Who Dat Girl") | |
| T.I. Featuring Eminem | No Mercy | Producer, co-writer ("That's All She Wrote") | |
| 2011 | Britney Spears | Femme Fatale | Co-producer ("Till the World Ends", "Hold It Against Me", "Inside Out", "Seal It with a Kiss", "Gasoline") |
| Jessie J | Who You Are | Producer, co-writer ("Abracadabra", "Price Tag") | |
| Pitbull | Planet Pit | Producer, Writer ("Come N Go") | |
| Sabi | Upcoming Debut Album | Producer, ("Wild Heart") | |
| Jessie J | Who You Are (Platinum Edition) | Producer ("Domino")[15] | |
| Marina & the Diamonds | Electra Heart | Producer, ("Blackmail") | |
| Flo Rida | Only One Rida (Part 2) | Co-producer ("Good Feeling") | |
| B.o.B | Strange Clouds | Co-producer ("Strange Clouds") | |
| Taio Cruz | TY.O | Co-producer ("Hangover", "Make It Last Forever", "Tattoo") | |
| Rihanna | Talk That Talk | Producer, writer ("You Da One", "Where Have You Been", "Fool in Love") | |
| T-Pain | rEVOLVEr | Co-producer "Turn All The Lights On (feat. Ne-Yo)" | |
| Adam Lambert | Trespassing | Producer, Co-writer "Better Than I Know Myself" |