Amy Allen (songwriter)

Amy Rose Allen is an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. She has been credited with songwriting work on commercially successful releases performed by music industry artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Tate McRae, Halsey, Rosé, and Shawn Mendes, among others.[1]

Amy Allen
Amy Allen in 2024
Amy Allen in 2024
Background information
Birth nameAmy Rose Allen
OriginSouth Portland, Maine, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Songwriter
  • singer
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Bass
  • vocals
  • guitar
Years active2015–present
Labels
Formerly ofAmy & The Engine

Allen was nominated for the inaugural Songwriter of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for her work on releases by King Princess, Alexander 23, Lizzo, Charli XCX and Sabrina Carpenter, and Harry Styles.[2] At the same ceremony, she won Album of the Year for her to contribution to the latter's Harry's House (2022). She was nominated for Songwriter of the Year for a second time at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for her work on releases by Leon Bridges, Sabrina Carpenter, Koe Wetzel, Jessie Murph, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Timberlake.

Early life and education

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Amy Allen grew up in Windham, Maine, 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 and later graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston.[3] While at Berklee, Allen was taught by singer and producer Kara DioGuardi.[4]

Career

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In 2015, Allen was featured in Teen Vogue, after releasing two solo EPs.[5] Allen began her career by working on a number of solo projects and formed Amy & The Engine, a four-piece indie pop rock group, before relocating to New York for a year.[6] The band released their first single "Last Forever" on February 14, 2015. TandeMania, their debut EP, was released on September 22, 2016.[7]

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.[8] Allen described the sound of Get Me Outta Here! as being "a bit darker and heavier than the first".[9] Amy & The Engine released the EP's lead single "Chasing Jenny" in January 2017. Allen relocated to Los Angeles in November 2017, where she began collaborating with Scott Harris and eventually signed to Artist Publishing Group.[3] 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, and "Without Me" with Halsey which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100.[10] In 2019, Allen signed to Warner Records, and it was expected that her debut solo album would be released the following year.[11] That same year, Allen collaborated with Harry Styles on his single "Adore You", and collaborated with Halsey once more on the single "Graveyard". Allen also collaborated with alternative rock band Pvris on their 2019 EP, Hallucinations.[12] She was named as one of Variety's "2019 Hitmakers" for the single "Without Me".[13]

In January 2020, Allen was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music.[14] She has been announced as a panelist for the 2020 ASCAP Experience.[15] 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, along with Gretchen Peters.[16] On March 9, 2020, the ASCAP Experience event was cancelled due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[17] Variety named Allen a "2020 Hitmaker" for co-writing Harry Styles' "Adore You".[18]

After signing a recording deal with Warner Records,[19][20] Allen released five singles over the following two years: "Queen of Silver Linings",[21] "Difficult",[22] "Heaven",[23] "What a Time to Be Alive"[24] and "One".[25] Her debut solo EP, AWW!, was released on November 5, 2021[26] with singles "A Woman's World" and "End of a Dark Age" having been released in the preceding two months.[27][28]

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 on their 2024 European tour.

Allen’s successes with Tate McRae ("Greedy") and Sabrina Carpenter ("Feather," "Espresso," "Please Please Please") topped the Top 40 Radio charts and "Please Please Please" hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.[29] Allen co-wrote every track on Carpenter’s Short n' Sweet album which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200.[30]

In September 2024, The New York Times published a profile of Allen’s success, including quotes from collaborators including Jack Antonoff and Julia Michaels.[31] 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.[32]

During the 2024 awards season, Allen won the Variety Hitmakers Songwriter of the Year Award[33]. She has also been nominated for the Top Hot 100 Songwriter category in the 2024 Billboard Music Awards[34] and has been nominated in four categories at the 67th Annual Grammy Music Awards, including 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[35]. 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.

Style and influences

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Allen has cited bands like The Cranberries and The Cure as influences on Amy & The Engine.[9] 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".[36] In a 2024 New York Times article, Allen also stated that she was inspired by the "'90's" girls - Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, and Melissa Etheridge - as well as Cocteau Twins and Edie Brickell.[31]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums with selected details
Title Details
Amy Allen

Extended plays

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List of extended plays with selected details
Title Details
AWW!

Songwriting credits

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List of singles, showing key details
Year Title Artist Peak Chart Positions Certifications
AUS US CAN
2024 "Number One Girl" Rosé
"Apt." Rosé and Bruno Mars 1 8 2
"Taste" Sabrina Carpenter 1 2 4
"Please Please Please" Sabrina Carpenter 1 1 3
"Espresso" Sabrina Carpenter 1 3 4
"Selfish" Justin Timberlake 82 19 22
"Drown" Justin Timberlake
"High Road" Koe Wetzel 46 22 30
"Sweet Dreams" Koe Wetzel 35 86
"Caught in Your Love" Boys World
"Chrome Cowgirl" Leon Bridges
"Canopy" Charlotte Day Wilson
2023 "Feather" Sabrina Carpenter 23 21 25
"Better Place" NSYNC 24 25 43
"Greedy" Tate McRae 2 3 1
"Run for the Hills" Tate McRae 54 69 34
"Pretty Isn't Pretty" Olivia Rodrigo 28 30 35
"Scared of My Guitar" Olivia Rodrigo 90 83
"Meltdown" Niall Horan
"Strong Enough" Jonas Brothers
"Texas" Maren Morris and Jessie Murph
"Cut Me Down"[39] Blu DeTiger featuring Mallrat
"Cupid" Fifty Fifty featuring Sabrina Carpenter 2 17 6
"Heartbroken" Diplo 64 52
"Forever" Charlotte Day Wilson featuring Snoh Aalegra
2022 "Vicious" Sabrina Carpenter
"Opposite" Sabrina Carpenter
"10:35" Tiesto featuring Tate McRae 13 69 18
"For My Friends" King Princess
"My Mind & Me" Selena Gomez 98 83 63
2021 "Cover Me in Sunshine" Pink 6 60
"On the Ground" Rosé 31 70 35
"Lifestyle" Jason Derulo featuring Adam Levine 71 54
2020 "Be Kind"[41] Marshmello and Halsey 15 33 18
"Forever"[42] Fletcher
2019 "Graveyard" Halsey 24[43] 34[44] 38[44]
"Undrunk" Fletcher 61[48] 83[49]
  • US (RIAA): Gold[50]
  • Canada (Music Canada): Gold[51]
"Adore You" Harry Styles 7[52] 6[53] 10[53]
  • Australia (ARIA): 7× Platinum[54]
  • Canada (Music Canada): 6× Platinum[55]
  • US (RIAA): 5× Platinum[56]
"Hallucinations" Pvris
"The First One" Astrid S
"Long Way To Go" Four of Diamonds
"Stick Around" Rak-Su
"Proud" Aaron Carpenter
"Criminal" Grey (28)
2018 "Without Me" Halsey 2[57] 1[58] 2[44]
  • US (RIAA): 6× Platinum[59]
  • Canada (Music Canada): 7× Platinum[60]
  • Australia (ARIA): 7× Platinum[61]
"Back to You" Selena Gomez 4[62] 18[63] 4[63]
  • US (RIAA): 2× Platinum[59]
  • Australia (ARIA): 2× Platinum[64]
"Jello" PRETTYMUCH
"Do Right" Glades 51
  • Australia (ARIA): Gold[65]

Features

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List of albums showing year, artist and label
Year Title Artist Label Credited as
2024 Short n' Sweet Sabrina Carpenter Island Records Writer
Everything I Thought It Was Justin Timberlake RCA Records
9 Lives Koe Wetzel Columbia Records
2023 Chemistry Kelly Clarkson Atlantic Records
Guts Olivia Rodrigo Geffen Records
Think Later Tate McRae RCA Records
Snow Angel Reneé Rapp Interscope
2022 Emails I Can't Send Sabrina Carpenter Island Records
Girl of My Dreams Fletcher Capitol
Harry's House Harry Styles Columbia, Erskine
Hold On Baby King Princess Zelig
Special Lizzo Nice Life, Atlantic Records
Crash Charli XCX Asylum Records, Atlantic Records, Warner
2021 Justice Justin Bieber Def Jam Producer, writer
Poster Girl Zara Larsson TEN, Epic Writer
Nurture Porter Robinson Mom + Pop
-R- Rosé YG Entertainment
2020 Love Goes Sam Smith Capitol
Heartbreak Weather Niall Horan
Rare Selena Gomez Interscope Records Writer, backing vocals
2019 Fine Line Harry Styles Columbia, Erskine
All the Feels Fitz and the Tantrums Elektra Records Writer
Hallucinations Pvris Warner
It's Your Bed Babe, It's Your Funeral Maisie Peters Atlantic Records UK
You Ruined New York City for Me Fletcher Capitol
Romance Camila Cabello Epic, Syco
2018 13 Reasons Why: Season 2 soundtrack Selena Gomez Interscope
One in a Million Matoma Parlophone, Warner
Only Human Calum Scott Capitol
Shawn Mendes Shawn Mendes Island
2015 Omnipresent Old Soul Vocals

References

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  1. ^ "Maine native Amy Allen signs record deal with Warner Music". WMTW. July 23, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Meet The Nominees For Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical At The 2023 GRAMMYs". Grammy.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Pop Songwriter Amy Allen Co-Writes the Hit 'Back to You' for Selena Gomez and the #1 'Without Me' for Halsey". Songwriter Universe. October 5, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  4. ^ Gibson, Katie. "Amy Allen Scores No. 1 Hit with Halsey's 'Without Me'". Berklee. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  5. ^ Firman, Tehrene (February 2, 2015). "Exclusive! Listen to Amy & the Engine's Brand-New Single "Last Forever"". Teen Vogue. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "This Maine native just got her first No. 1 hit as a songwriter". The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Bialas, Michael (September 1, 2015). "Premiering New Video, Amy and the Engine Want You to Join the 'A' Team". HuffPost. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  8. ^ "Amy Allen: Finding Balance & Forlorn Love". Lemonade Magazine. June 27, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Musicmusingsandsuch (October 29, 2016). "INTERVIEW: Amy Allen of Amy & the Engine". musicmusingsandsuch. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
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