Benny Blanco | |
|---|---|
 Blanco in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Benjamin Joseph Levin |
| Born | March 8, 1988 Reston, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop[1] |
| Occupations |
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| Discography | Benny Blanco production discography |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | |
| Website | benny-blanco |
Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer, songwriter, record executive and author. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.[2] He also won the BMI Songwriter of the Year Award five non-consecutive times, and won the 2017 iHeartRadio Producer of the Year Award.
Blanco was initially mentored by songwriter and producer Dr. Luke, who signed Blanco to his production company Kasz Money Productions. Under his tutelage, Blanco co-produced and co-wrote a multitude of hit singles in the late 2000s and thereafter. Blanco's work has led to sales of over 500 million album-equivalent units worldwide for artists including Ed Sheeran, BTS, Justin Bieber, Halsey, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Christina Aguilera, Kesha, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Sia, The Weeknd, Kanye West, Avicii, Selena Gomez, Adam Lambert, Charlie Puth, Keith Urban, OneRepublic, Wiz Khalifa, J Balvin, Kali Uchis, Juice Wrld and SZA.
In July 2018, Blanco released his debut single as a lead artist, "Eastside" (with Halsey and Khalid).[3] The song peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100—marking his 27th top-ten song as a writer, a sum which includes seven number one singles on the chart—while peaking the charts in four countries, and reaching the top ten in several others.[4] It was followed by the singles "I Found You" (with Calvin Harris), "Better to Lie" (with Jesse and Swae Lee), "Roses" (with Brendon Urie and Juice Wrld), and "Graduation" (with Juice Wrld). His debut studio album, Friends Keep Secrets was released in December of that year to modest success.[5] A deluxe issue of the album was released in March 2021, a date which coincided with the original receiving platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[6]
Blanco has founded two labels as imprints of Interscope Records—Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets—in 2014, through both of which he has signed artists including Tory Lanez, Jessie Ware, and Cashmere Cat, among others.[7]
After Friends Keep Secrets and Mad Love were dissolved in 2024, Blanco owns an imprint of Interscope, A&M Records (founded by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962).
- ^ "Benny Blanco Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ "Hal David Starlight Award Winner: Benny Blanco". Songhall.org. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Producer Benny Blanco Teases New Track Featuring Halsey & Khalid". Billboard.com. July 11, 2018. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- ^ "Post Malone & Swae Lee's 'Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. January 14, 2019. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- ^ "Calvin Harris Sings and Benny Blanco Gets Help From Friends in 'I Found You': Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
- ^ "Universal Music Group Artists, Distributed Labels Draw Numerous Grammy Nominations..." UniversalMusic.com. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2017.