Claude Kelly

Claude Kelly (born 1980) is an American singer, songwriter and music producer. He is a four-time Grammy Award nominee, and has written or co-written songs for Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Kesha, Brandy, and One Direction. He and Chuck Harmony make up the R&B duo Louis York, and founded the music collective Weirdo Workshop. 2Early life and education Kelly was born and raised in New York City. His Jamaican-born mother introduced him to a variety of music styles, including jazz, reggae, blues and R&B. Growing up, he studied piano and flute at the Third Street Music School Settlment and sung with the New York Boys Choir. Kelly attended Grace Church School, Riverdale Country School, and then Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating with a degree in music business/management in 2002. 2Career 3Songwriting After graduating from Berklee, Kelly worked as a session singer on the East Coast, before starting to write his own songs. He placed his first song in 2002, when "You're Taking It" was included on a CD compilation for Japanese clothing line A Bathing Ape. He wrote "Daddy's Little Girl" for Frankie J, which was released as a single in 2006, and led to a publishing contract with Warner/Chappell Music. That year, Kelly was introduced to producer RedOne, and began working with him and Lady Gaga, who was at the time working on her first albu