Benny Blanco
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| Benny Blanco | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 8, 1988 |
| Origin | Reston, Virginia, U.S.A |
| Genres | Electro, pop rock, power pop, R&B, hip-hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, musician, songwriter, record producer, remixer |
Benjamin Levin (born March 8, 1988), professionally known as Benny Blanco, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter and record producer. With 14 number-one singles to his name, the 24-year-old producer and songwriter Benny Blanco has already made an indelible mark on the contemporary pop-music scene. He has written and produced songs for artists such as Katy Perry ("California Gurls", "Teenage Dream"), Maroon 5 ("Moves like Jagger, "Payphone"), Britney Spears ("Circus"), Taio Cruz ("Dynamite"), Kesha ("Tik Tok"), Gym Class Heroes ("Stereo Hearts", "Ass Back Home""), Wiz Khalifa ("Work Hard, Play Hard", "Roll Up") and Trey Songz ("Heart Attack").
Blanco was brought into the music world by award-winning producer Dr. Luke, and has also collaborated in the studio with other music heavyweights such as Shellback, Ryan Tedder, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, Dan Wilson, Mike Posner, Max Martin, Sean Paul and Paul Epworth.
Benny’s most recent songs include Ke$ha's "Die Young" and Rihanna's "Diamonds", both of which became #1 records in late 2012. Additionally, Blanco received the Songwriter of the Year Award at the BMI Pop Awards in early 2012.
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Life and career [edit]
The Beginning & Disco D [edit]
Blanco, a Virginia native, began making beats in his bedroom and his first serious exposure to music came in 1994 with the cassette singles: Nas's "The World Is Yours" and "I Swear" by All-4-One. Honing his mic skills for a few years, Blanco eventually earned the attention of The Source and executives at Columbia Records. Once he turned his attention to beat making, Blanco’s success grew, quickly leading to an apprenticeship with producer Disco D (for which Blanco would drive up to New York on weekends between high school classes).
At the studio Blanco met rapper Spank Rock, who came to value Blanco’s opinion highly. In 2007 Blanco and Spank Rock joined forces for Bangers & Cash, a collaborative EP that became an underground hit. Blanco went on to do work with artists such as Amanda Blank and Santigold
2008-present [edit]
Blanco was mentored by songwriter/producer Dr. Luke, who helped him score some of his biggest hits. Blanco says, “That’s when I met Dr. Luke. Luke taught me all the intricacies of how to make a song. He also taught me a lot about interacting with artists. When you’re a producer you’re more than the guy who tells people what to do. You’re like a therapist. You have to know when the artist needs a break—when it’s time to stop working and collect your thoughts."
Blanco has used those lessons to step out on his own over the last two years; not only did he produce and write the #1 hits "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and "Stereo Hearts" by Gym Class Heroes, but he is also responsible for several tracks on Maroon 5's most recent album Overexposed, including the lead single "Payphone" featuring Wiz Khalifa which has already quickly found its way to the top of the Top 40 chart. Blanco simultaneously has tracks at urban and rhythmic radio with Wiz Khalifa's "Work Hard, Play Hard" and Trey Songz's "Heart Attack" respectively.
“I listen to so many different types of music,” he says. “I don’t want to have any boundaries whatsoever. If someone came to me and was like, ‘I want to make a polka album,’ I’m making the best damn polka album ever.” Much of his sonic inspiration, he says, comes from his home base of New York City. “I love that this city isn’t pretty all the time — that it’s dirty and loud. Sometimes when you’re in the studio you can actually hear car horns and fire alarms outside—I love that.”
Even with his reputation on the rise, Blanco retains all the energy that drove his earliest hustles. “Dude, I’m still waiting for the day when someone’s like, ‘All right, Benny, the jig is up—your job at Burger King will be available next weekend,” says the producer, whose extramusical activities include being a frequent guest lecturer at NYU’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music and the Get Well Soon Tour, a charity that Blanco started designed to bring superstar musical performances to sick kids in hospitals. “I always knew I’d do something with music if I just kept at it and was annoying enough. But every day I thank my lucky stars it turned out like this.”
Blanco is currently in the studio working with a number of diverse artists and will have songs on several major releases coming out in 2013. Some of which will see him re-teaming with some of music’s hottest names.
Production discography [edit]
Studio albums [edit]
Singles [edit]
The following singles peaked inside the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 Airplay (Radio Songs) and/or the UK Singles Chart.
- 2008: "I Kissed a Girl" (Katy Perry) #1
- 2008: "Hot n Cold" (Katy Perry) #1
- 2008: "Circus" (Britney Spears)
- 2009: "Don't Trust Me" (3OH!3) #1
- 2009: "Tik Tok" (Ke$ha) #1
- 2010: "Eenie Meenie" (Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber)
- 2010: "Blah Blah Blah" (Ke$ha)
- 2010: "Your Love Is My Drug" (Ke$ha) #1
- 2010: "My First Kiss" (3OH!3 & Ke$ha)
- 2010: "California Gurls" (Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg) #1
- 2010: "Please Don't Go" (Mike Posner)
- 2010: "Dynamite" (Taio Cruz) #1
- 2010: "Teenage Dream" (Katy Perry) #1
- 2010: "We R Who We R" (Ke$ha) #1
- 2011: "Blow" (Ke$ha)
- 2011: "No Sleep" (Wiz Khalifa)
- 2011: "Stereo Hearts" (Gym Class Heroes & Adam Levine) #1
- 2011: "Ass Back Home" (Gym Class Heroes)
- 2011: "Moves Like Jagger" (Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera) #1
- 2012: "Payphone" (Maroon 5 & Wiz Khalifa) #1
- 2012: "Work Hard, Play Hard" (Wiz Khalifa)
- 2012: "Heart Attack" (Trey Songz)
- 2012: "Die Young" (Ke$ha) #1
- 2012: "Diamonds" (Rihanna) #1
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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