Amy Allen (songwriter)
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Amy Rose Allen (born 1992) is an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. She has been credited with songwriting work on commercially successful releases performed by artists including
Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...
,
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
,
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
,
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
,
Tate McRae Tate Rosner McRae (born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer. She first gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality television series ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Th ...
, Halsey,
Rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
, and
Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes ( , ; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian singer. He gained a following in 2013 when he posted song covers on the video-sharing platform Vine (software), Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manage ...
, among others. Allen was nominated for the inaugural Songwriter of the Year award at the
65th Annual Grammy Awards The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year – October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 – as de ...
for her work on releases by
King Princess Mikaela Mullaney Straus (born December 19, 1998), known by her stage name King Princess, is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn, New York. She is signed to Mark Ronson's label Zelig Records, an imprint of Colu ...
,
Alexander 23 Alexander Glantz (born January 23, 1995), known professionally as Alexander 23, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Since releasing his first string of singles and EP in 2019, he has worked with artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, ...
,
Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo (), is an American singer and rapper. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family at the age of ten. After college, she moved to Minn ...
,
Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...
,
Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...
and
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
. At the same ceremony, she won Album of the Year for her contribution to the latter's ''
Harry's House ''Harry's House'' is the third studio album by English singer and songwriter Harry Styles, released on 20 May 2022 by Erskine and Columbia Records. The album was largely written and recorded during 2020 and 2021 and has been noted as Style ...
'' (2022). She received the award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical at the
67th Annual Grammy Awards The 67th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from September 16, 2023, to August 30, 2024, as chosen by the members of the Recording Academy, on February 2, 2025. In its 22nd year at Crypto.com Arena in L ...
for her work on releases by
Leon Bridges Todd Michael "Leon" Bridges (born July 13, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He signed with Columbia Records to release his debut studio album, '' Coming Home'' (2015), which peaked at number six on the ''Billboard'' ...
,
Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...
, Koe Wetzel,
Jessie Murph Jessie Murph (born September 22, 2004) is an American singer and songwriter from Athens, Alabama adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville. She was discovered after uploading vlogs and covers to TikTok and YouTube. Her sound spans multiple gen ...
,
Tate McRae Tate Rosner McRae (born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer. She first gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality television series ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Th ...
,
Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film '' An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success'' (2015). She rose ...
, and
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
.


Early life and education

Amy Allen grew up in
Windham, Maine Windham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 18,434 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of South Windham and North Windham. It is part of the Portland-South Portland-Biddeford metropolitan area. ...
, with her parents and two sisters. While in elementary school, Allen played bass in her sister's band Jerks of Grass, and as a teenager, she played folk and bluegrass music at bars and pubs. Allen attended
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...
and later graduated from
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...
in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. While at Berklee, Allen was taught by singer and producer
Kara DioGuardi Kara Elizabeth DioGuardi ( ; December 9, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, music publisher, A&R executive, and singer. She primarily writes music in the pop rock genre. She has worked with many popular artists; sales of albums ...
.


Career

In 2015, Allen was featured in ''
Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...
'', after releasing two solo EPs. Allen began her career by working on a number of solo projects and formed Amy & The Engine, a four-piece
indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
group, before relocating to
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
for a year. The band released their first single "Last Forever" on February 14, 2015. ''TandeMania'', their debut EP, was released on September 22, 2016. Amy & The Engine announced their EP ''Get Me Outta Here!'' in 2017 and an East Coast tour in the summer of 2017 and a US tour in 2018. Allen described the sound of Get Me Outta Here! as being "a bit darker and heavier than the first". Amy & The Engine released the EP's lead single "Chasing Jenny" in January 2017. Allen relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in November 2017, where she began collaborating with Scott Harris and eventually signed to Artist Publishing Group. Allen subsequently began writing and producing music with other singers, including Glades and JELLO. In 2018, Allen co-wrote " Back to You" with
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
, and " Without Me" with Halsey which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 2019, Allen signed to
Warner Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...
, and it was expected that her debut solo album would be released the following year. That same year, Allen collaborated with
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
on his single " Adore You", and collaborated with Halsey once more on the single "
Graveyard A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...
". Allen also collaborated with
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
band
Pvris Pvris (pronounced "Paris" and stylized PVRIS) is an American pop rock band formed in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2012. Following several lineup changes, the band is now composed solely of frontwoman Lynn Gunn. Pvris has released four studio LPs: ...
on their 2019 EP, ''
Hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...
''. She was named as one of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''s "2019 Hitmakers" for the single "Without Me". In January 2020, Allen was featured in ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 in Music. She has been announced as a panelist for the 2020 ASCAP Experience. On January 22, 2020, it was announced that Allen would be performing at the annual St. Jude Songwriters Showcase to benefit the
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on chi ...
, along with
Gretchen Peters Gretchen Peters is an American singer and songwriter. Early life Peters was born in Bronxville, New York on November 14, 1957. She wrote her first song with her sister at the age of 5. In 1970, her parents broke up, and Peters moved with her ...
. On March 9, 2020, the ASCAP Experience event was cancelled due to concerns over the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
named Allen a "2020 Hitmaker" for co-writing Harry Styles' "Adore You". After signing a recording deal with Warner Records, Allen released five singles over the following two years: "Queen of Silver Linings", "Difficult", "Heaven", "What a Time to Be Alive" and "One". Her debut solo EP, ''AWW!'', was released on November 5, 2021 with singles "A Woman's World" and "End of a Dark Age" having been released in the preceding two months. In 2024, Allen released new singles "Girl with a Problem," "Darkside," "Even Forever," and "To Love Me" from her debut album, ''Amy Allen'', released September 6, 2024. In advance of her album release, she opened for
Bleachers Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports-fields and at other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step enabling access to a ...
on their 2024 European tour. Allen’s successes with
Tate McRae Tate Rosner McRae (born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and dancer. She first gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality television series ''So You Think You Can Dance (American TV series), So You Th ...
(" Greedy") and
Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...
("
Feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an exa ...
," "
Espresso Espresso (, ) is a concentrated form of coffee produced by forcing hot water under high pressure through finely ground coffee beans. Originating in Italy, espresso has become one of the most popular coffee-brewing methods worldwide. It is cha ...
," " Please Please Please") topped the Top 40 Radio charts and "Please Please Please" hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Allen co-wrote every track on Carpenter’s '' Short n' Sweet'' album which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200. In September 2024, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' published a profile of Allen’s success, including quotes from collaborators including
Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Bleachers, and previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop band Fun and the lead vocalist of t ...
and
Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...
. In the same week, Allen claimed the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Songwriters chart, with thirteen songwriting credits on the Billboard Hot 100 (including all twelve tracks from Sabrina Carpenter's number one album ''Short n' Sweet''). With this achievement, Allen became the sixth woman to reach number one on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart in the year 2024. As of the time of publication, Allen had co-written a total of 34 Hot 100 charting songs, seven of which were top 10 chart hits. Six of her songs have also hit number one on the Pop Airplay chart. Allen is only the third woman in the history of the Hot 100 Songwriters chart to capture number one without also being billed as the recording artist. During the 2024 awards season, Allen won the Variety Hitmakers Songwriter of the Year Award. She has also been nominated for the Top Hot 100 Songwriter category in the 2024 Billboard Music Awards. In 2025, Amy Allen received the Grammy Award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical. Allen also received the Songwriter of the Year award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in 2025. During the 67th Annual Grammy Music Awards, Allen was nominated in four categories: Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, Best Song Written for Visual Media ("Better Place" from Trolls Band Together), and for both the Album of the Year (Short n' Sweet) and Song of the Year ("Please Please Please") awards for her work with Sabrina Carpenter. Allen was awarded the Grammy for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical. Allen is one of only two songwriters in history to have been nominated twice in the Songwriter of the Year category at the Grammy Awards, and is the first woman to receive this award.


Style and influences

Allen has cited bands like
The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...
and
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
as influences on Amy & The Engine. In a 2020 interview with ''Variety'', Allen stated that she prefers to write darker, more serious songs and that she felt the single " Adore You" was her first "feel-good song". In a 2024 ''New York Times'' article, Allen also stated that she was inspired by the "'90s" girls -
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She is noted for her Optimism, optimistic and Idealism, idealistic subject matter, and incorporation of genres including Rock music, rock, Po ...
,
Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...
, and
Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her Melissa Etheridge (album), eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billbo ...
- as well as
Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...
and
Edie Brickell Edie Arlisa Brickell (born March 10, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter widely known for 1988's ''Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars'', the debut album by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, which went to No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' albums chart. ...
.


Discography


Studio albums


Extended plays


Songwriting credits


Features


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Amy Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Singers from Maine Songwriters from Maine American women songwriters American women singers Record producers from Maine People from Windham, Maine Berklee College of Music alumni 21st-century American women musicians Grammy Award winners