Sam Watters

Samuel Joshua "Sam" Watters is an American songwriter, record producer, singer, and record executive.^[1] Watters was a member of the multi-platinum selling 1990’s R&B group Color Me Badd and co-authored many of their hits including “I Wanna Sex You Up”, “I Adore Mi Amor”, and “All 4 Love”.^[2][3] Watters has also written and produced songs for Grammy winning and nominated artists such as American Idol winners Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks, and other superstars such as Whitney Houston, Leona Lewis, and Anastacia.^[4] Watters is a member of the production/songwriting team The Runaways including fellow hitmakers Rico Love, Wayne Wilkins, Ryan Tedder, and Louis Biancaniello.^[5] Watters has formed his own record label, London Police, along with production partner Louis Biancaniello, and develops new artists. Watters is managed by Darren Gilmore of Watchdog Management.

Music career

Color Me Badd

Watters formed what later would be known as the R&B singing group Color Me Badd in high school along with fellow members Mark Calderon, Kevin Thornton, and Bryan Abrams.^[6] After forming, the group was soon discovered by Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool and the Gang fame.^[6] Bell introduced them to his management team and the group were soon signed to Giant Records in 1990.^[6]

Watters and Color Me Badd sold 8.8 million records over their career and had 9 Top 20 Hits on the Billboard Hot 100 including three number ones with “I Wanna Sex You Up” (No. 1 Billboard R&B, No. 2 Billboard Hot 100)“, I Adore Mi Amor” and “All 4 Love”.^[7][8] Color Me Badd disbanded in 1998 and Watters went onto pursue a career in production and songwriting.^[6]

Production and Songwriting

Watters met record producer and songwriter Louis Biancaniello in 1996 while working on Color Me Badd’s third album Now and Forever.^[9] Watters and Biancaniello soon became production partners and have been writing songs and producing together ever since.^[9]

The partners wrote and produced Jessica Simpson’s hit "I Wanna Love You Forever," released in September 1999.^[10] The platinum single was Simpson’s first top ten hit which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[10][11]

Released in February 1999 the partners produced and co-wrote with Anastacia her debut single "I'm Outta Love,” from her album Not That Kind which went on to platinum and multiplatinum status in 10 countries.^[12][13] The single was a hit internationally going Top 5 in 10 countries.^[13][14] In 2001 he composed too a song called "sacrrificio" for the Spanish singer "^[15]" Monica Naranjo Mónica Naranjo.

Watters and Biancaniello produced and co-wrote with Anastacia another single for the artist, “One Day In Your Life”, released in March 2002.^[16] The single went top 10 in 8 other countries’ singles charts.^[16][17]

Also released in March 2002 was Celine Dion’s multi-platinum album “A New Day Has Come”.^[18][19] Watters and Biancaniello co-wrote the song “I Surrender” on the album that debuted at No. 1 in over 20 countries.^[20][21] The album went on to sell 12 million copies worldwide.^[21]

In June 2004 Watters and Biancaniello co-wrote with Watters’ wife and fellow American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray, “I Believe” released by American Idol Season 3 winner Fantasia.^[22][23] The song debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[24] The single went platinum and won Billboard’s Top Selling Single of the Year and Top Selling R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year for 2004 and Billboard’s American Urban Radio Networks Top Selling R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year for 2005.^[25]

In 2007 Watters formed the production/songwriting team The Runaways along with Biancaniello, Wayne Wilkins, Rico Love, and Ryan Tedder.^[26] Some of the team’s hits have included, Natasha Bedingfield’s “Love Like This”, and Keri Hilson’s “Energy”.^[26]

In April 2007, Watters and Biancaniello wrote and produced^[27] another hit single for Fantasia: “When I See You”, which spent 8 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,^[28] became the No. 8 song of the decade on the chart,^[29] went gold, and was nominated for two Grammys (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song).^[19][30]

The Watters and Biancaniello duo also worked on U.K. pop star Leona Lewis' 2007 debut album, Spirit, which sold seven million units worldwide.^[31][32] The duo co-wrote and co-produced two songs, "Yesterday" and "Take a Bow" and produced a third, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face".^[32]

Watters and Biancaniello wrote three songs for Kelly Clarkson's March 2009 studio album All I Ever Wanted: "Whyyawannabringmedown," "The Day We Fell Apart" and the title track, "All I Ever Wanted", and produced a fourth, entitled "I Want You."^[33] The album sold over 900,000 copies in the US, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s 200 album chart, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album.^[34][35][36]

In May 2009 former American Idol winner Jordin Sparks released the single “Battlefield”.^[37] Watters co-wrote and co-produced the song that reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100.^[38] Outside of the US, it reached number five in Canada and reached the top ten in Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and the top twenty in the United Kingdom. With this song Watters assisted the platinum singer in achieving her third top 10 Billboard Hot 100 single.^[38][39]

Watters had chart success overseas with the multi-platinum British girl group The Saturdays’ “Forever Is Over” which was a No. 2 single on the UK Singles chart.^[40][41] The song was released in October 2009 with Watters co-writing and co-producing the song along with Biancaniello and others.^[42]

Watters followed the success he had overseas with The Saturdays with the multi-million selling Irish pop group Westlife in November 2009.^[43] Westlife’s album “Where We Are” contained two titles co-produced and co-written by Watters.^[44] The album went onto go double platinum in the United Kingdom triple platinum in Ireland, and Gold in New Zealand and Sweden.^[40][45]

In 2010, Watters met the artist Matthew Koma^[46] at a songwriting camp in Vancouver. Watters and Biancaniello began working with Matthew Koma, and eventually signed him to their production company, London Police. Matthew Koma has enjoyed early success with guest vocals on “Spectrum” by Zedd featuring Matthew Koma, and “Years” by Alesso featuring Matthew Koma, both of which reached No. 1 on Beatport. Koma opened for LMFAO on their international tour, and is now opening for Owl City on his international tour. The Watters and Biancaniello-produced song “Parachute” is due this winter as Koma’s official first single.

In 2011, Watters and Biancaniello signed their 2nd artist, Marley Munroe. In January, 2012, they signed her to Epic Records through their London Police imprint. Her debut is scheduled for early 2013.

Awards and Nominations

-2008 Grammy nomination for Best R&B Song for Fantasia’s “When I See U”^[47]

-1992 Grammy nomination for Best R&B Vocal Performance – Duo or Group for Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”^[48]

-1992 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist for Color Me Badd^[48]

-1991 American Music Award for Favorite Single – Soul/R&B for Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”^[49]

-1991 Soul Train Music Award for Best RB/Urban Contemporary Single - Group, Band or Duo for Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”^[49]

-1991 Soul Train Music Award for Best RB/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year for Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”^[49]

-1991 American Music Awards nomination for Favorite New Artist - Pop / Rock for Color Me Badd^[50]

-1991 American Music Awards nomination for Favorite New Artist - Soul / Rhythm & Blues for Color Me Badd^[50]

-1991 American Music Awards nomination for Favorite Single - Pop / Rock for Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up”^[50]

-1991 American Music Awards nomination for Favorite Single - Soul / Rhythm & Blues for Color Me Badd’s “I Adore Mi Amor”^[50]

-1991 American Music Awards nomination for Favorite Band, Duo or Group - Pop / Rock for Color Me Badd^[50]

Singles

Discography

Sam Watters discography

Musical Influences

Watters has cited diverse singer, songwriter, and producer influences such as Ronald Bell, Narada Michael Walden, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, L.A. Reid & Babyface, David Foster, Miles Foster, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, Bootsy Collins, Howie Tee, and Diane Warren.^[6][49]

Ventures

London Police

Watters and Biancaniello formed their own record label, London Police, in 2010.

References