Greg Kurstin

Gregory Allen Kurstin (born May 14, 1969) is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. He has been associated with releases which have cumulatively sold more than 85 million albums worldwide. He has won seven Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in 2017 and 2018.[1][2][3]

Greg Kurstin
Kurstin in 2017
Background information
Birth nameGregory Allen Kurstin
Born (1969-05-14) May 14, 1969
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)
Instruments
  • Keyboards
  • guitar
  • bass
  • drums
  • vocals
Associated acts
Websitegregkurstin.com

Kurstin co-wrote, produced and played most of the instruments on the record-breaking 2015 Adele single "Hello". Among others, he has worked with Sia, Halsey, Maren Morris, Beck, Kelly Clarkson, Paul McCartney, Pink, Lily Allen, and the Foo Fighters. He often plays guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, and engineers and programs the records he produces.[2][4]

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

Kurstin was born and raised 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 Institute 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

1994–2004: Geggy Tah, studio and session work

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 ascended the charts, Geggy Tah released their final album, Into the Oh.[11][12][13]

In addition to playing with Geggy Tah, Kurstin did session work, one-offs and tours with artists including Beck, Ben Harper, Jon Hassell[14] and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 2001, he released an album under the name Action Figure Party on the Verve-affiliated label Blue Thumb Records. Mostly instrumental and in a jazz-funk vein, the album featured guests Flea, Sean Lennon, Soul Coughing's Yuval Gabay as well as musicians who performed with Beck, Air, Gil-Scott Heron and Garbage appeared on the record.[15][16]

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.[17][18]

2004–2010: The Bird and the Bee, Lily Allen, Sia

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.[19] Described by Entertainment Weekly as "space-age pop that cunningly combines bossa nova languidity with Beach Boys-style lushness", they have since released four albums and an EP. Kurstin was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album for the Bird and the Bee's 2015 release, Recreational Love.[20] [21][22]

After working on tracks with artists including Peaches, All Saints, Pink, 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 number 1 in the UK, and the album hit number 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.[23]

Kurstin's first commercially available collaboration with Sia was "Death by Chocolate", released on her 2008 album Some People Have Real Problems. In 2010, he produced Sia's fifth album, We Are Born. It reached number 2 in Australia and number 37 in the US. It won ARIA Music Awards for Best Pop Album and Best Independent Release.[24]

2011–2016: Kelly Clarkson, the Shins, Pink, Adele

In 2012, Kurstin earned his first number 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."[25] In 2012 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 number 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 2012, he began production on Tegan & Sara's Heartthrob and worked closely with the Shins' James Mercer on Port of Morrow, which debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200.[26]

Kurstin in 2013

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 number 1 single in the UK for three consecutive weeks, teamed again with Allen, and collaborated with Sia on 1000 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 number 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. 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.[27]

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.[28][29]

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 album Colors.[30]

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 February 2016, the album has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.[31][32][33]

2016–present: Producer of the Year, Foo Fighters, Liam Gallagher, No Expectations, Paul McCartney

Kurstin's fourth album with Sia, This Is Acting, was released in January 2016.[34]

In February 2017, he won four Grammy Awards. He won Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Record of the Year for his work on Adele's 25. He won Producer of the Year (Non-Classical) in recognition of his work with Tegan and Sara, Sia and Ellie Goulding.[35]

In March 2017, the BBC reported that Kurstin was working with Paul McCartney on a new studio album.[36] Kurstin co-produced the song "Love" on Kendrick Lamar's album Damn, released in March 2017.[37] On June 1, 2017, a single by Liam Gallagher entitled "Wall of Glass" was released.[38] It was one of four Kurstin-produced tracks included on Gallagher's debut album As You Were, three of which were co-written with Gallagher.

Kurstin produced the Foo Fighters album Concrete and Gold, which released on September 15, 2017. In an interview with Music Week, Dave Grohl said: “If you want to survive you have to kind of push a little bit. I just imagined the sound moving outwards. Not necessarily alternative instrumentation and shit like that, just sonically to push it out. Greg is a fucking genius. He’s a brilliant producer and he has this sonic intuition that I have never seen in anybody else."[39]

In 2017, Kurstin launched No Expectations, a publishing joint venture with Sony/ATV. The first songwriters signed to No Expectations were Jesse Shatkin and Wendy Wang.[40]

Kurstin produced the Paul McCartney album Egypt Station, recorded over a two year period at studios in Los Angeles and Sussex, England, and mixed at Abbey Road Studios. The album was released in September 2018.[41]

In 2018 and 2019, Kurstin reunited with Liam Gallagher to co-write and produce four tracks for his second solo album Why Me? Why Not., including its lead single "Shockwave". The album was released in September 2019.[42]

Kurstin also co-produced Maren Morris' second album Girl, which won the CMA Album of the Year award in 2019.[43]

He wrote and produced three songs on Halsey's album, Manic, released in January 2020. [44]

Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2010Body of work during eligible yearProducer of the Year, Non-ClassicalNominated
2013"Stronger" (Kelly Clarkson)Song of the YearNominated
Record of the YearNominated
2015"Chandelier" (Sia)Nominated
Body of work during eligible yearProducer of the Year, Non-ClassicalNominated
2016Recreational Love (The Bird and the Bee)Best Engineered Album, Non-ClassicalNominated
201725 (Adele)Album of the YearWon
"Hello" (Adele)Song of the YearWon
Record of the YearWon
Body of work during eligibility yearProducer of the Year, Non-ClassicalWon
2018Won
"Never Give Up" (Sia)Best Song Written for Visual MediaNominated
2019Colors (Beck)Best Engineered album, Non-ClassicalWon
Best Alternative Album, Non-ClassicalWon

[45]

CMA Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2019Girl (Maren Morris)Album of the YearWon

Ivor Novello Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2010Greg Kurstin, Lily AllenSongwriter of the YearWon
"The Fear" (Lily Allen)Best SongWon
Most Performed WorkWon

[46]

Discography
Main article: Greg Kurstin production discography
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References
  1. "Grammys, Complete Winners List". Billboard. February 12, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
  2. "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 (22m a/o2019) Sia, Katy Perry, Rita Ora, the Shins, Santigold, Lana Del Rey, Britney Spears, Tegan & Sarah, Dido, Taylor Swift, Kylie Minogue, Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Ellie Goulding
  4. Fekadu, Mesfin (February 3, 2015). "Ladies' man: Greg Kurstin on producing for Clarkson, Sia". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  5. Sara, Quinn (February 29, 2012). "Greg Kurstin - Behind the Scenes". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  6. 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.
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  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. "Geggy Tah album credits". Allmusic. Allmusic. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  14. Kurstin played piano on Hassell's 1994 album Dressing for Pleasure
  15. Kreikbergs, John (September 6, 2001). "Action Figure Party". The Pitch. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  16. Henderickson, Ted (July 1, 2001). "Action Figure Party". CMJ. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
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  38. "Liam Gallagher Debuts His First Solo Song Wall of Glass - Noise11.com". www.noise11.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
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  45. "Greg Kurstin". GRAMMY.com. June 4, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  46. MacInnes, Paul (May 20, 2010). "Lily Allen scoops three Ivor Novello awards for songwriting". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
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