Łukasz Gottwald

A chart-topping songwriter and producer, Dr. Luke was born Lukasz Gottwald in 1973 in Providence, RI. He grew up in New York City and attended the Manhattan School of Music until 1997, when he landed a gig with the Saturday Night Live television show’s house band. He spent ten years with the band on lead guitar, occasionally moonlighting as producer to underground hip-hop artists like <a href="spotify:artist:67ei8ib6PLT1w3OkhIb4fB">Black Star</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2gINJ8xw86xawPyGvx1bla">KRS-One</a>. The development of a professional relationship with producer <a href="spotify:artist:1rjeVTt9Ra1ldvN7SpeK0G">Max Martin</a> would steer Luke toward the world of pop, and in 2004 the two would co-write and co-produce two huge hits for <a href="spotify:artist:3BmGtnKgCSGYIUhmivXKWX">Kelly Clarkson</a>, "Since U Been Gone" and "Behind These Hazel Eyes." In 2006 his work on the singles "Who Knew" and "U + Ur Hand" would help <a href="spotify:artist:1KCSPY1glIKqW2TotWuXOR">P!nk</a>’s album I’m Not Dead go platinum, while in 2007 his collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:0p4nmQO2msCgU4IF37Wi3j">Avril Lavigne</a> would result in the worldwide number one hit “Girlfriend.” In 2008 he was the man behind massive hits like "About You Now" by <a href="spotify:artist:7rZNSLWMjTbwdLNskFbzFf">the Sugababes</a> and “I Kissed a Girl” and “Hot ‘n’ Cold,” the latter two by <a href="spotify:artist:6jJ0s89eD6GaHleKKya26X">Katy Perry</a>. In 2009 he and rapper <a href="spotify:artist:0jnsk9HBra6NMjO2oANoPY">Flo Rida</a> topped the charts with “Right Round,” while <a href="spotify:artist:3BmGtnKgCSGYIUhmivXKWX">Kelly Clarkson</a> earned her first U.K. number one single with the Dr. Luke co-production “My Life Would Suck Without You.” <a href="spotify:artist:5YGY8feqx7naU7z4HrwZM6">Miley Cyrus</a>’ "Party in the U.S.A." and <a href="spotify:artist:6LqNN22kT3074XbTVUrhzX">Kesha</a>'s "Tik Tok" were other 2009 hits with Dr. Luke’s involvement, while 2010 saw him work on <a href="spotify:artist:6jJ0s89eD6GaHleKKya26X">Katy Perry</a>’s “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream” plus <a href="spotify:artist:6MF9fzBmfXghAz953czmBC">Taio Cruz</a>’s hit "Dynamite." ~ David Jeffries