Hitmaker Benny Blanco hangs out with stars like Ed Sheeran and Kesha

SINGAPORE - American hitmaker Benny Blanco is one of those rare songwriter-producers. He has his name credited next to the singer's in the hits he has created, for artistes like Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran and Halsey.

Blanco and Bieber's latest collaboration, Lonely, was a global pop hit and in the Top 10 charts in Singapore last October and November (2020).

In December, Blanco released a song, Real S***, with rapper Juice Wrld, who died in 2019 from an accidental overdose of painkillers.

Here are five things to know about the 32-year-old, who has also produced hits for pop artistes such as The Weeknd, Ariana Grande and Britney Spears.

Blanco has written songs with Bieber since 2009 and the pair have become close over the years.

Their latest release together, Lonely, is a highly confessional song where Bieber sings about how finding fame at a young age has had a less than positive effect on him.

Speaking to The Straits Times over Zoom, Blanco says: "I'm not sure if we could have written that song if we didn't have this relationship and we didn't have this trust. I've been there from the highs to the lows, the mids."

"When you're writing a song with someone, you're kind of like a therapist so you're having to play many different roles."

Bieber was reluctant to release the song at first, but Blanco convinced him to do it.

"It's like a breath of fresh air, a lot of artistes don't talk about this stuff. He put it all on the table and if one person goes, 'Wow, Justin Bieber is going through everything I'm going through and you know he's the biggest artist in the world, so I guess I can do it', it's a win."

Blanco figures prominently in Songwriter, the 2018 film documentary on popular British singer-songwriter Sheeran. The pair are shown working on songs together while Sheeran was on a worldwide tour for his 2014 album, ×.

"He was bored, he was on tour for a year straight," says Blanco, who describes Sheeran as his "good friend".

"And I said, 'Well, why don't I come out on the road and we'll make some songs?' And then I came out and I never left."

"It was like having a play date with your friend every day."

Blanco says the key to being a good producer is not just by inserting enough of his own sound, but also by listening to the artiste and not letting him lose his identity.

"It's like lifting weights. You know how there's the guy who holds up the weight to make sure you don't drop it? It's my job to be there and spot them when they need help, and notice when they can do it themselves," he says.

Blanco recalls how he wrote Love Yourself, a 2015 No. 1 hit for Bieber after partying with hip-hop star Drake: "I had a night with Ed Sheeran. We stayed up really late after a Drake party, we're so tired and hung over, and then we wrote Love Yourself."

He also fondly remembers working with American singer Kesha.

"I was with Kesha in New York City and we're writing a song, and then she says 'Oh, can we take a break and go get tattoos?' So then we go and get tattoos and then come back."

He believes that songwriters and producers can do more than work in the background for other artistes.

"Before, when you give a song to someone, then it's over, you have no say in the music video, no say in the marketing."

In 2018, he put out a solo album, Friends Keep Secrets, that produced hits such as Eastside, a song with American singers Halsey and Khalid.

"For me, to be able to be involved in all the creative work and pick out the video, the marketing and the way that people are going to see the television performances has been so cool."

He adds: "So if people want to do that, then they should put their name on the songs and do it. It's a lot more work and it's really hard. But it's very gratifying to me."