Justin Parker is an English songwriter and record producer best known for his work with female singer-songwriters such as
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
,
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
,
Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haunt ...
, and
Banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
As banks ...
.
Career
Parker began writing music when he was 17, but his career breakthrough came when he started working with
Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
in February 2011. Together they wrote "
Video Games
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
", the song that would launch both of their careers and would lead Parker to win his first
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
for Best Contemporary Song. Although label executives were unimpressed with the song, it became a
viral hit after Del Rey posted the song online with an accompanying lo-fi video which led to
Fearne Cotton
Fearne Cotton (born 3 September 1981) is an English broadcaster and author. She began her career in the late 1990s as a children’s television presenter for GMTV, CITV and CBBC. She went on to present various television shows, including ''To ...
playing the song on
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
; "Video Games" also received critical acclaim and commercial success, charting at number 9 in the United Kingdom and number 91 in the United States. Off the back of the success of "Video Games", Del Rey asked Parker to work in collaboration with her on her first major studio album. The pair wrote twelve songs together, five of which can be heard on ''
Born to Die
''Born to Die'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 27, 2012, through Interscope Records and Polydor Records as her major label debut. A reissue of the album, subtitled '' The Paradis ...
''. The creative relationship continued into 2012, and led to the birth of another iconic ballad, "
Ride
Ride may refer to:
People
* MC Ride, a member of Death Grips
* Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut
* William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Ride'' (1998 film), a comedy film by Millicen ...
", which features on Del Rey's ''
Paradise
In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...
''.
Also in 2012, Parker co-wrote the lead single "
Laura" for
Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haunt ...
' third album, ''
The Haunted Man'', for which he won an Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. On the experience of writing with Parker,
Natasha Kahn of Bat for Lashes said that "the actual process...only took two or three hours" and that in his creative care she was eager for him to take her away from her "more subversive ways of writing music and give me some structure and teach me something about traditional chord progression". simplicity of his collaboration with Del Rey can also be heard on "Laura". Parker also wrote the song "I Know You Care" for
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...
's second album, ''
Halcyon''. He was reported in 2012 to be working with
Lissie and
Eliza Doolittle
Eliza Doolittle is a fictional character and the protagonist in George Bernard Shaw's play '' Pygmalion'' (1913) and its 1956 musical adaptation, ''My Fair Lady''.
Eliza (from Lisson Grove, London) is a Cockney flower seller, who comes to Prof ...
on future projects.
[
Justin then went on to co write "]Stay
Stay may refer to:
Places
* Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US
Law
* Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment
* Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...
" with Mikky Ekko
John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay (Rihanna song), Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his fir ...
and recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
for her seventh studio album, ''Unapologetic
''Unapologetic'' is the seventh studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 19 November 2012 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded between June and November 2012, during promotion of her sixth studio album, '' T ...
'' (2012). It features guest vocals by Mikky Ekko, and was released as the second single from the album on 7 January 2013. The song reached the top five of twenty-four countries worldwide including number four in the UK and number three on the US Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), on ...
, becoming Rihanna's twenty-fourth top ten on the latter chart, thus passing Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's tally of 23 top ten songs. 12Furthermore, it reached number one in Canada, Czech Republic and Denmark, while also topping the US Pop Songs chart. In an interview with MetroLyrics' Amanda Hutchison, Mikky Ekko said of Parker's understanding of songs that 'he really knows how to create a really interesting dynamic with chords that keeps you pleasantly surprised...Justin knows how to give people access to these really heartbreaking chords, and he understands how to push and pull really well with the chords. He knows how to put hurt in the chords'.
Discography
*Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Lana Del Rey discography, Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of Glamour (presentation), glamor and Romanc ...
**"Video Games
A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
"
**"Born to Die
''Born to Die'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 27, 2012, through Interscope Records and Polydor Records as her major label debut. A reissue of the album, subtitled '' The Paradis ...
"
**"National Anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...
"
**"Carmen
''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...
"
**"Radio" (also additional producer)
**"Ride
Ride may refer to:
People
* MC Ride, a member of Death Grips
* Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut
* William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Ride'' (1998 film), a comedy film by Millicen ...
"
**" Burning Desire"
**" Beautiful People Beautiful Problems"
*Bat for Lashes
Natasha Khan (born 25 October 1979), known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: '' Fur and Gold'' (2006), ''Two Suns'' (2009), '' The Haunt ...
**" Laura"
*Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...
**" I Know You Care" (also producer)
*Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
featuring Mikky Ekko
John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay (Rihanna song), Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his fir ...
**"Stay
Stay may refer to:
Places
* Stay, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the US
Law
* Stay of execution, a ruling to temporarily suspend the enforcement of a court judgment
* Stay of proceedings, a ruling halting further legal process in a tr ...
" (also producer)
* Lissie
**" Cold Fish"
* Kristina Train
**" Lose You Tonight"
*Darren Hayes
Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is an Australian singer, songwriter, music producer and composer. He was the singer of the pop duo Savage Garden from their 1993 establishment until their disbandment in 2001. Their 1997 album '' Savage Ga ...
**" Not Even Close" (producer, engineer, and mixer)
*Fallulah
Fallulah (born 6 February 1985) is a Danish-Romanian singer-songwriter and musician. Her given name is Maria Apetri. Following a short dancing career, she entered the music industry and released her debut album in 2010 which peaked at number thr ...
**" 13th Cigarette" (also producer and engineer)
*Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa ( ; born22 August 1995) is an English and Albanian singer, songwriter and actress. List of awards and nominations received by Dua Lipa, Her accolades include seven Brit Awards and three Grammy Awards.
Lipa worked as a model before v ...
**"That Kind Of Woman" (composer, writer, producer)
*Sander van Doorn
Sander Ketelaars (; born 28 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sander van Doorn () or the initials SvD, is a Dutch electro house DJ and record producer from Eindhoven.
Background
Sander van Doorn began his recording career in 20 ...
featuring Mayaeni
Mayaeni (pronounced ''Mah-yay-knee'') is a singer-songwriter.
Early life
Mayaeni was born in Detroit, to a Sierra Leonean mother and a Jewish father. Her father was a guitar player himself, who has worked with Carl Carlton and Jimmy Ruffin amo ...
**"Nothing Inside"
*Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban ( né Urbahn; 26 October 1967) is an Australian and American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Recognised with four Grammy Awards, he has also received 15 Academy of Country Music Awards, including the Jim Reeves Int ...
**"Shame
Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness.
Definition
Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...
"
* Icona Pop
**" Just Another Night" (also producer)
* Sia
**" Straight for the Knife"
* Joji
**" Run" (also producer)
**" Before the Day Is Over"
*Banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
As banks ...
**" You Should Know Where I'm Coming From" (also producer)
*Skrillex
Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...
**"Stranger
A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of ...
"
* Luke Sital-Singh
**" Lilywhite"
*Mikky Ekko
John Stephen Sudduth, known professionally as Mikky Ekko, is an American singer and songwriter from Nashville. He co-wrote and was featured on Rihanna's 2013 single "Stay (Rihanna song), Stay", which charted in multiple countries, becoming his fir ...
**" Comatose" (also producer)
*Seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, also called "true seal"
** Fur seal
** Eared seal
* Seal ( ...
**" Do You Ever"
*Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
**"Invisible
Invisibility is the state of an object that cannot be seen. An object in this state is said to be ''invisible'' (literally, "not visible"). The phenomenon is studied by physics and perceptual psychology.
Since objects can be seen by light fr ...
"
* NewDad
**"Nightmares"
**"Nosebleed"
Awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Justin
Ivor Novello Award winners
English record producers
British record producers
English male songwriters
People from Lincoln, England
Date of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)