Klaus D
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Klaus Derendorf, also known as Klaus D, is a Los Angeles–based record producer and songwriter with millions of worldwide record sales to his credit including several Number 1 records on the Billboard charts and around the world.


Early years

Klaus is of German descent but was raised in several different countries due to his family living and working abroad. Derendorf is fluent in English, Spanish and German, and credits his musical diversity to different influences from the US, Europe and Latin America. He picked up the guitar at age nine and began playing and writing songs in junior high school bands from age 13, eventually settling in Los Angeles.


Career

After finishing high school, Derendorf started working with producer
Rick Parashar Rakesh "Rick" Parashar (December 13, 1963 – August 14, 2014) was an American record producer, recording engineer and musician. Along with his brother Raj, he founded London Bridge Studio in Seattle, Washington, in 1985. During his career he wo ...
in Seattle, Washington recording rock bands in the 1990s. He spent most of the 90s as a guitarist and songwriter in Los Angeles recording as well as touring with a variety of artists before focusing exclusively on producing and songwriting. Derendorf credits
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
and A&R executive Jaymes Foster for giving him his first production jobs at the Warner Music Group. Derendorf was elected to the board of governors of the L.A. Chapter of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences), and is actively involved in all current industry issues as well as the election process of The Grammys.


Work

He participated in the beginning of the TV-Idol era with the ''
Pop Stars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, ''Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gro ...
'' USA project, which launched the group
Eden's Crush Eden's Crush was an American girl group who were created on the United States, American television series ''Popstars'' which aired on the now defunct The WB Television Network, WB. The group was formed in late 2000 and released the hit song "Get ...
on Warner Music. Derendorf went on to produce
Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
's album ''
Shaman Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
'' which debuted at Number 1. Other notable producing and writing credits include
Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...
's ''Closer'', another Number 1 debut, Australia's
Stephanie McIntosh Stephanie McIntosh (born 5 July 1985) is an Australian actress, singer and songwriter. She played the role of Sky Mangel in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'' from 2003 to 2007. She made a brief appearance for one episode in 2015 as part ...
's ''Tightrope'',
Eden's Crush Eden's Crush was an American girl group who were created on the United States, American television series ''Popstars'' which aired on the now defunct The WB Television Network, WB. The group was formed in late 2000 and released the hit song "Get ...
's ''Popstars'' (feat.
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
) and many others. In 2008, Derendorf was reportedly working on tracks with such stars as
Delta Goodrem Delta Lea Goodrem Order of Australia, AM (born 9 November 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, television personality and actress based in Sydney. Goodrem signed a recording contract with Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut studio album ...
,
Beto Cuevas Luis Alberto Cuevas Olmedo (born September 12, 1967), better known as Beto Cuevas (), is a Chilean-Canadian singer, songwriter, plastic artist, painter, and actor. He is the lead singer for the Chilean band La Ley. In 2008 he launched his solo ...
, British artists Tiffany Page, and Amy Pearson and Australian rockers
Michael Paynter Michael Paynter (born 29 January 1986) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Paynter has released five singles, " Closer", "A Victim Song", " Love the Fall", "How Sweet It Is" and "Weary Stars". Paynter competed in the second season of ''The Voi ...
and
The Androids The Androids are an Australian rock band. Fronted by guitarist Tim Henwood (originally from The Superjesus) with members Sam Grayson, Matt Tomlinson and Marty Grech. While their 2002 single, " Do It with Madonna", was commercially their most s ...
. Recently he has been writing and producing records with
Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...
and
David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
protégé
Charice Jake Zyrus (; born 10 May 1992), formerly known professionally as Charice Pempengco () and under the mononym Charice, is a Filipino singer and television personality. In 2007, after competing in many singing competitions and several appea ...
,
The X Factor (UK) ''The X Factor'' is a British reality television music competition, and part of the global ''X Factor'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Premiering on 4 September 2004, it was produced by Fremantle's British entertainment company, Thames (T ...
judge
Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...
of UK act
Girls Aloud Girls Aloud are a British-Irish pop music, pop girl group that was created through the ITV (TV network), ITV talent show ''Popstars: The Rivals'' in 2002. The line up consisted of members Cheryl (singer), Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, N ...
, Latin stars
Anahí Anahí Giovanna Puente Portilla (born 14 May 1983), known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anahí, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. In 1986, she started her acting career when she was cast on ''Chiquilladas''. After working on man ...
and
Christopher Uckermann Christopher Alexander Luis Casillas von Uckermann (born 21 October 1986) is a Mexican singer and actor. He started his acting career when he was only two years old in TV commercials, and became known worldwide after his roles as Diego Bustaman ...
, formerly of
RBD RBD was a Mexican Latin pop group that gained popularity from Televisa's telenovela ''Rebelde'' (2004–2006). It was composed of Anahí, Dulce María, Maite Perroni, Alfonso Herrera, Christopher von Uckermann and Christian Chávez. The group ac ...
, and several other artists.
Beto Cuevas Luis Alberto Cuevas Olmedo (born September 12, 1967), better known as Beto Cuevas (), is a Chilean-Canadian singer, songwriter, plastic artist, painter, and actor. He is the lead singer for the Chilean band La Ley. In 2008 he launched his solo ...
's debut album featuring two tracks co-written by Derendorf was nominated for a
Latin Grammy The Latin Grammy Awards (stylized as Latin GRAMMYs) are awards presented by the Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from any ...
in 2009.
Cheryl Cole Cheryl Ann Tweedy (born 30 June 1983) is an English singer and television personality. She rose to fame as a member of Girls Aloud, a Pop music, pop girl group created through ITV (TV network), ITV's reality competition show ''Popstars: The R ...
's track "Didn't I", produced by Derendorf, and co-written with Cole and Andrea Remanda was released as the B-Side to Cheryl's solo debut single "
Fight for this Love "Fight for This Love" is the debut solo single by English singer Cheryl Cole, recorded for her debut studio album, '' 3 Words'' (2009). It was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland as the lead single on 2009 by Fascination Records (Polydor ...
" and debuted at Number 1 in the UK and Ireland in October 2009.
Charice Jake Zyrus (; born 10 May 1992), formerly known professionally as Charice Pempengco () and under the mononym Charice, is a Filipino singer and television personality. In 2007, after competing in many singing competitions and several appea ...
's debut album was released by Warner Music on May 11, 2010 and debuted in the Top 10 Billboard 200 album chart. The album also reached Number 1 on the Japanese charts in summer 2010. In November 2010, Derendorf was asked by
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
and ''
X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...
'' producers to write and produce the winner's single for the X Factor Australia finalists. On November 15, 2010 Australian TV network Channel 7 aired a segment with Derendorf and the four finalists. Derendorf produced and co-wrote the winners single "
Somewhere in the world Somewhere may refer to: Music Albums * ''Somewhere'' (Eva Cassidy album) or the title song, 2008 * ''Somewhere'' (Keith Jarrett album), 2013 * ''Somewhere – The Songs of Sondheim and Bernstein'', by Marina Prior, 1994 * ''Somewhere'', or ...
" for X Factor winner
Altiyan Childs Altijan Juric (born 10 June 1975), best known by his stage name Altiyan Childs, is an Australian singer-songwriter. He was the winner of the The X Factor (Australia season 2), second season of ''The X Factor (Australian TV series), The X Facto ...
, which was released on
SyCo Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment and production company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2 ...
/
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
on November 23, 2010 and debuted at Number 1 on iTunes. In February 2011, Derendorf produced and co-wrote the debut single "Heal" by 15-year-old German teen sensation
Andrea Renzullo Andrea Renzullo (born 2 March 1996 in Sundern, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German singer and was a participant who finished fourth in season 4 of Das Supertalent. Biography Early life Andrea Renzullo was born to Italian parents. Andrea became ...
, finalist on another
SyCo Syco Entertainment is a British media entertainment and production company, headquartered in London, founded and owned by British entrepreneur and record executive Simon Cowell. The company focuses on TV production. The company was formed in 2 ...
Television show, Germany's Got Talent ("
Das Supertalent ''Das Supertalent'' (''Germany's Got Talent'', ''Got Talent Germany)'' is a German talent show, part of the internationally successful ''Got Talent franchise'', presented by Victoria Swarovski and Knossi. Just like in all other versions of th ...
"). According to media reports,
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
released the single in March 2011. On October 1, 2011, Derendorf's record " One Thousand Voices", the new theme song of the hit TV show '' The Voice'', debuted at Number 1 in The Netherlands.


References


External links

* Billboard chart linkbr>Derendorf appearing on X-Factor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Derendorf, Klaus American record producers Living people Year of birth missing (living people)