Starsmith
Starsmith | |
---|---|
Birth name | Finlay Dow-Smith |
Born |
Bromley, England | 8 July 1988
Genres | Pop, electronica, house, synthpop |
Occupation(s) | Record producer, composer, musician |
Instruments | Drums, synthesizer, saxophone, piano, guitar, bass, vocals |
Years active | 2009–present |
Associated acts | Ellie Goulding, Lady Gaga, Jess Glynne, Clean Bandit, Paloma Faith, Jessie Ware, Rae Morris |
Finlay Dow-Smith (born 8 July 1988), known professionally as Starsmith, is a multi-platinum selling British songwriter and producer. He is best known for his writing and production work with artists such as Ellie Goulding, Jess Glynne, Paloma Faith and Clean Bandit. He studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey,[1] majoring in performance on saxophone. He has also received widespread acclaim for the remixes he created early on in his career for Lady Gaga, Robyn, Katy Perry, Passion Pit and Marina and the Diamonds amongst many others.[2] He was nominated for the Music Producers Guild Breakthrough Producer of the Year award in 2011[3] and then again for the Remixer of the Year in 2012.[4]
Career
He is good friends with singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding and in addition to producing the majority of her debut album Lights also co-wrote five songs on the album, which following its release on 1 March 2010, went straight to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart. The album has gone on to sell nearly 2,000,000 copies worldwide. He teamed up again with Goulding on her second number-one album, Halcyon, producing and co-writing three songs on the album,[5] which debuted in the top 10 in both the UK and the US in October 2012.[6] He produced tracks for Diana Vickers' debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree which also went straight to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart in May 2010. He had subsequent UK Number 1 album cuts in 2010 with both Cheryl Cole and Kylie Minogue.[7] He co-wrote and produced the track "Burn" for Clare Maguire's debut album in 2011.
Starsmith toured with Goulding in 2009 and 2010, and also played with her on Later... with Jools Holland in 2009, playing bass guitar. He is a noted instrumentalist, additionally playing piano and guitar, but his main instrument is the saxophone (tenor or alto).
In December 2011, he was the subject of an episode of the Red Bull and Vice documentary series, The Producers.[8] In March 2014, the track "Dead In The Water" that he co-wrote and produced with Ellie Goulding was included in the promotion and soundtrack for the film Divergent,[9] which opened at No.1 at the Worldwide Box Office.[10]
In 2015 he co-wrote and produced 7 songs with Jess Glynne on her number one debut album I Cry When I Laugh, including the single Hold My Hand which spent 4 weeks at number 1 in the UK and sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
In 2017 he collaborated with Paloma Faith on her number one album The Architect cowriting and producing 5 songs. Their first writing session together resulted in the lead single Crybaby. That year he also wrote songs with Jessie Ware for her album Glasshouse and Rae Morris for her album Someone Out There. He worked with Cloves and her longtime writing partner Justin Parker on singles from her upcoming debut album. 'Bringing the House Down', their first collaboration together, was released in early 2018 as the albums lead single.
He co-wrote and produced the lead single I'll Be There for Jess Glynne's second album. The single went to number one in the UK, achieving their second number 1, and third top 3 single together.
He is reportedly currently in the studio working again with Ellie Goulding on her 4th album.[11]
Songwriting and production credits
Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits | Written with | Produced with |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
"Under the Sheets" | 2009 | Ellie Goulding | Under the Sheets EP / Lights | Co-writer/Producer | Elena Goulding | - |
"Fighter Plane" | Under the Sheets EP | Elena Goulding | - | |||
"Hollywood" | 2010 | Marina and the Diamonds | The Family Jewels | Producer | - | Richard Stannard, Ash Howes |
"Hurtful" | Erik Hassle | Pieces | - | Grizzly, Tommy Tysper | ||
"Starry Eyed" | Ellie Goulding | Lights | - | - | ||
"Guns and Horses" | - | - | ||||
"The Writer" | - | - | ||||
"Every Time You Go" | Co-writer/Producer | Elena Goulding, Jonathan Fortis | - | |||
"I'll Hold My Breath" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
"This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
"Salt Skin" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
"You'll Never Get to Heaven" | Diana Vickers | Song from the Tainted Cherry Tree |
Diana Vickers, Cass Lowe | - | ||
"Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" |
Kylie Minogue | Aphrodite | Olivia Nervo, Miriam Nervo | Stuart Price | ||
"Yeah Yeah" (featuring Travie McCoy) |
Cheryl Cole | Messy Little Raindrops | Wayne Hector, Travis McCoy | - | ||
"Human" | Ellie Goulding | Bright Lights | Elena Goulding | - | ||
"Animal" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
"Burn" | 2011 | Clare Maguire | Light After Dark | Clare Maguire | - | |
"Dead in the Water" | 2012 | Ellie Goulding | Halcyon | Elena Goulding | - | |
"Without Your Love" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
"Us and Ours" | 2013 | Mark Owen | The Art of Doing Nothing | Co-writer/Producer | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | Charlie Russell, Bradley Spence |
"S.A.D." (featuring Ren Harvieu) |
Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | Charlie Russell, Bradley Spence | ||||
"End of Everything" | Co-writer | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | |||
"Ghost" | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | ||||
"Morning Belle" | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | ||||
"The Lamb" | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | ||||
"Somebody" | Fenech-Soler | Rituals | Co-writer/Producer | Daniel Fenech-Soler, Andrew Lindsay, Ross Duffy, Benjamn Duffy | Fenech-Soler, Ross Duffy, Ben Duffy | |
"Glow" | - | Fenech-Soler, Ross Duffy, Ben Duffy | ||||
"Better" | 2014 | Betty Who | Take Me When You Go | Co-writer/Producer | Jessica Newham, Scott Hoffman | - |
"Real Love" (with Jess Glynne) |
Clean Bandit | New Eyes / I Cry When I Laugh | Producer | - | Clean Bandit, The Six | |
"Hold My Hand" | 2015 | Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | - | Jack Patterson | |
"Fight for Love" | Kwabs | Love + War | - | Al Shux | ||
"Staring at the Sun" | Mika | No Place in Heaven | Additional producer | - | Martin Terefe | |
"Preach" | M.O | Non-album single | Co-writer/Producer | Fransesca Connolly, Edward Thomas, Joel Compass, Fredrick Gibson, Annie Ashcroft | - | |
"Gave Me Something" | Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | Jessica Glynne, Andrew "Knox" Brown, Janee Bennett | Knox Brown | ||
"Ain't Got Far to Go" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett | Knox Brown | ||||
"You Can Find Me" | Jessica Glynne, Talay Riley | - | ||||
"It Ain't Right" | Jessica Glynne, James Newman | - | ||||
"No Rights No Wrongs" | Jessica Glynne, Andrew "Knox" Brown, Janee Bennett, Jonathan Coffer, James Newman | Knox Brown | ||||
"Don't Follow Me" | Ella Eyre | Feline | Ella McMahon, Natalia Hajjara | Jay Reynolds | ||
"Is it Love" (featuring Yeah Boy) |
2016 | 3LAU | Non-album single | Justin Blau, Jonathan Curtis | 3LAU | |
"Power" | Petite Meller | Lil Empire | Syvan Miller | - | ||
"California Numb" | 2017 | Cloves | One Big Nothing | Kaity Dunstan, Justin Parker | Ian Barter | |
"I Don't Know" | Molly Kate Kestner | TBA | Molly Kate Kestner, Amy Wadge | - | ||
"Crybaby" | Paloma Faith | The Architect | Paloma Faith, Lindy Robbins, Cleo Tighe | - | ||
"Good Times" | Elderbrook | Talking | Alexander Kotz | - | ||
"First Time" | Jessie Ware | Glasshouse | Jessica Ware, James Newman | - | ||
"Evolution" (featuring Samuel L. Jackson) |
Paloma Faith | The Architect | Producer | - | Paloma Faith | |
"I'll Be Gentle" (with John Legend) |
- | Jesse Shatkin | ||||
"Politics of Hope" (featuring Owen Jones) |
- | Paloma Faith | ||||
"Still Around" | - | Klas Ahlund | ||||
"Pawns" (featuring Baby N'Sola, Janelle Martin and Naomi Miller) |
Co-writer/Producer | - | Paloma Faith | |||
"My Body" | Paloma Faith, Andrew "Knox" Brown, Janee Bennett | Knox Brown | ||||
"Bloodstains" | 2018 | Rhys Lewis | Bad Timing EP | Co-writer | Rhys Lewis, Ian Barter, O. Martin | - |
"Family Man" | Lily Allen | No Shame | Additional producer | - | Mark Ronson | |
"Dancing with Character" | Rae Morris | Someone Out There | Co-writer/Producer | Rachel Morris, Benjamin Garrett | - | |
"Bringing the House Down" | Cloves | One Big Nothing | Kaity Dunstan, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Parker | - | ||
"Kiss Me In The Dark" | Kaity Dunstan, Justin Parker | - | ||||
"Hit Me Hard" | Kaity Dunstan, Justin Parker | - | ||||
"I'll Be There" | Jess Glynne | Always in Between | Jessica Glynne, Camille Purcell, Henrik Michelsen, Edvard Erfjord, Jerker Hanssen | Electric | ||
"Won't Say No" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Clarence Coffee Jr. | - | ||||
"Rollin" | Producer | - | Fred Gibson | |||
"Million Reasons" | Co-writer/Producer | Jessica Glynne, Sara Hjellstrom, Nirob Islam | - | |||
"Final Breath" | Paloma Faith | The Architect: Zeitgeist Edition |
Paloma Faith, Stephan Moccio, Clarence Coffee Jr. | Stephan Moccio | ||
"Older" | Paloma Faith, Cleo Tighe | - | ||||
Remixography
Year | Artist | Song Title | Time |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Private | "My Secret Lover" | 4:01 |
2009 | Elviin | "In Colour" | 4:44 |
2009 | Bombay Bicycle Club | "Always Like This" | 4:06 |
2009 | Frankmusik | "3 Little Words" (Starsmith Remix) | 3:29 |
2009 | Marina and the Diamonds | "I Am Not a Robot" (Starsmith 24 Carat Remix) | 5:18 |
2009 | Little Boots | "New in Town" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:30 |
2009 | The Twang | "Barney Rubble" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:24 |
2009 | Girls Can't Catch | "Keep Your Head Up" (Starsmith Club Mix) | 5:18 |
2009 | The Mission District | "So Over You" (Starsmith Remix) | 3:29 |
2009 | Team WaterPolo | "Letting Go" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:29 |
2009 | Frankmusik | "Better Off as Two" (Starsmith Holiday in the Heath Remix) | 4:29 |
2009 | Passion Pit | "Sleepyhead" (Starsmith Remix feat. Ellie Goulding) | 3:19 |
2009 | Animal Kingdom | "Signs and Wonders" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:17 |
2009 | Paloma Faith | "New York" (Starsmith Remix) | 3:36 |
2009 | Lisa Mitchell | "Coin Laundry" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:49 |
2009 | Lady Gaga | "Bad Romance" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:56 |
2010 | Mika | "Blame It on the Girls" (Not on the Starsmith Remix) | 6:17 |
2010 | Timbaland featuring Katy Perry | "If We Ever Meet Again" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:21 |
2010 | N.E.R.D. | "Hot-n-Fun" (Starsmith Club Remix) | 5:35 |
2010 | Beyoncé | "Why Don't You Love Me" (Starsmith Remix – Radio Edit) | 3:34 |
2010 | Robyn | "Hang with Me" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:04 |
2011 | Gypsy & the Cat | "Jona Vark" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:58 |
2011 | Lady Gaga | "Born This Way" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:45 |
2011 | Marina and the Diamonds | "Radioactive" (Starsmith Rework) | 4:37 |
2012 | St. Lucia | "We Got It Wrong" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:03 |
2013 | Ed Drewett | "Drunk Dial" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:37 |
2013 | Matthew Koma | "Parachute" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:18 |
2013 | Hall & Oates | "I Can't Go For That" (Starsmith Rework) | 4:48 |
2013 | Betty Who | "Somebody Loves You" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:24 |
2014 | Joywave | "Tongues" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:39 |
References
- ↑ http://www.surrey.ac.uk/msr/news/stories/2012/93586_updates_on_achievements_in_music_and_sound_recording.htm
- ↑ New band of the day – No 618: Starsmith Guardian.co.uk
- ↑ http://www.mpg.org.uk/mpg-awards/2011-short-lists/
- ↑ http://www.mpg.org.uk/mpg-awards/2012-short-lists/
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/halcyon-mw0002411263
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/474608/macklemore-ryan-lewis-score-top-billboard-200-debut-mumford-still-no-1
- ↑ "Starsmith Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ↑ https://www.vice.com/en_uk/the-producers/episode-5-starsmith
- ↑ http://www.divergentsoundtrack.com/news/divergent-track-listing-revealed
- ↑ http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2014/03/24/Divergent-based-on-young-adult-book-series-is-No-1/stories/201403240028
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/elliegoulding/videos/its-ok-i-can-post-my-solos-always-get-cut-starsmith/10154962459256642/