Claude Kelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claude Kelly
Kelly in 2015
Background information
Born	(1980-12-27) December 27, 1980 (age 44) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Pop R&B soul dance country
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter music producer
Instruments	Vocals piano
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Weirdo Workshop RED Music

Claude Kelly (born December 27, 1980) is an American music maker. He is a record producer, songwriter, and singer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award four times. These awards celebrate amazing achievements in music.

Claude Kelly has helped create many popular songs for famous artists. Some of these artists include Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, and Bruno Mars. In 2015, he started a music group called Louis York with Chuck Harmony. They also started their own record label, Weirdo Workshop, that same year.

Growing Up and Learning Music

Claude Kelly was born and grew up in New York City. His mom, who was from Jamaica, showed him many different kinds of music. These included jazz, reggae, blues, and R&B.

As a child, he learned to play the piano and flute. He studied at the Third Street Music School Settlement. He also sang in the New York Boys Choir. After attending Grace Church School and Riverdale Country School, he went to Berklee College of Music. He graduated in 2002 with a degree in music business and management.

Claude Kelly's Music Career

Writing Hit Songs

After college, Claude Kelly worked as a singer for recording sessions. Then, he started writing his own songs. In 2002, his first song, "You're Taking It," was used on a CD for a Japanese clothing brand.

He wrote "Daddy's Little Girl" for Frankie J in 2006. This song helped him get a contract to write music for Warner/Chappell Music. That same year, he met producer RedOne. He started working with RedOne and Lady Gaga, who was making her first album.

This led to him meeting Akon. Claude Kelly and Akon wrote "Hold My Hand." They first thought of it for Whitney Houston. But Akon liked the song so much that he recorded it as a duet with Michael Jackson. This was one of Michael Jackson's last recordings. It appeared on his album Michael, which came out in 2010 after he passed away.

Claude Kelly is sometimes called the "Studio Beast." This is because he has written many hit songs. He wrote "Circus" for Britney Spears. He also co-wrote "My Life Would Suck Without You" for Kelly Clarkson. This song became a number one hit. He also helped write "Party in the U.S.A." for Miley Cyrus. This song was very popular for a long time.

He also helped write and sang background vocals for "International Love" by Pitbull and Chris Brown. This song also did very well on the music charts.

Claude Kelly has been nominated for four Grammy Awards. These nominations include:

• In 2011, for Best R&B Song for Fantasia's "Bittersweet."
• In 2012, for Song of the Year for Bruno Mars' "Grenade." Also for Best R&B Song for Ledisi's "Pieces of Me."
• In 2013, for Best R&B Song for Tamia's "Beautiful Surprise."

In 2013, The Hollywood Reporter magazine named him one of Music's Top 35 Hitmakers.

Claude Kelly has written songs for many other artists. These include R. Kelly, Olly Murs, Jessie J, Leona Lewis, John Legend, One Direction, and the K-pop group Wonder Girls. He also helped produce music for Karmin's 2012 EP Hello. He also worked on Tamia's 2012 album Beautiful Surprise.

Louis York Music Group

In 2014, Claude Kelly and his friend Chuck Harmony started an R&B music group. They called their duo Louis York. Their first collection of songs, called an EP, was Masterpiece Theater – Act I. It came out in 2015. The first song from it, "Clair Huxtable," was a tribute to a character from The Cosby Show.

This EP was the first music released by their company, Weirdo Workshop. It was distributed by Sony's RED Music.

Working in Television

Claude Kelly also worked on the TV show The X Factor in 2011 and 2012. He was a vocal producer, helping the singers sound their best. In 2013, he announced that he was working on a reality TV show. The show would look for new music talents.

Awards and Nominations

Music Releases

Louis York Albums

Songs Written by Claude Kelly