Jeff Bhasker facts for kids

Jeffrey Nath Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American music producer and songwriter. He also plays many instruments. He is based in Los Angeles. A music producer helps artists create their songs and albums. A songwriter writes the words and music for songs.

Jeff Bhasker became well-known for his work on Kanye West's album 808s & Heartbreak (2008). He continued to work with Kanye West on later albums like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and Watch the Throne (2011). He also helped with West's tours and his album Donda (2021).

Besides Kanye West, Bhasker has produced albums for many other famous artists. These include Fun.'s Some Nights (2012), Mark Ronson's Uptown Special (2015), and Harry Styles' first album (2017).

Bhasker has won several Grammy Awards. These awards are for his work on popular songs like "Run This Town" for Jay-Z, "All of the Lights" for Kanye West, "We Are Young" for Fun., and "Uptown Funk" for Mark Ronson. In 2016, he won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Jeff Bhasker was born in Kansas City, Kansas. He grew up in Socorro, New Mexico. His mom was a pianist, and his dad, Ravi Bhasker, was a doctor and served as Socorro's mayor for over 24 years.

Jeff learned about jazz music from his mom and his piano teacher. He played in the jazz band at Socorro High School. After high school, he studied jazz piano at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Jeff Bhasker's Music Career

Jeff started his career playing keyboards in different bands around Boston. He even played in a wedding band! After playing with the R&B band Tavares, he moved to New York in 2001.

He toured with the band Lettuce and started focusing more on writing songs. One of his first projects was producing a song for the rapper The Game on his album The Documentary (2005).

Moving to Los Angeles and Working with Stars

In 2005, Jeff moved to Los Angeles. He started working with songwriter Diane Warren. He also began writing songs with Bruno Mars. A music executive named Steve Lindsey helped guide them. Jeff played cover songs in a band with Bruno Mars around Los Angeles.

Around 2007, Jeff started working with rapper and producer Kanye West. Jeff first filled in as a keyboard player for West's tour. Kanye West was impressed with Jeff's musical skills and hired him as his music director. Jeff worked on Kanye West's albums like 808s & Heartbreak, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and the album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z. He helped create songs like "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Runaway".

Jeff won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song for Kanye West's "All of the Lights" and for the song "Run This Town" by Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West. He worked with Kanye West again on the song "Come to Life" for the 2021 album Donda.

Producing Hit Songs and Albums

After working with Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker produced many other successful albums. He produced Fun.'s album Some Nights (2012), which included the hit song "We Are Young". He also worked with Mark Ronson on Uptown Special (2015) and Harry Styles on his first album (2017).

Jeff has worked with many different artists across various music styles, including Alicia Keys, Kid Cudi, Taylor Swift, and Young Thug.

He co-wrote and co-produced Mark Ronson's super hit song "Uptown Funk". This song won him a Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 2016. That same year, he also won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.

Many songs Jeff Bhasker worked on have sold millions of copies. These include Kanye West's "Love Lockdown" and "Power", Jay-Z's "Run this Town", Fun.'s "We Are Young", and Mark Ronson's "Uptown Funk".

Musical Style and Alias

Jeff Bhasker sometimes uses the name Billy Kraven. In 2013, he explained that he thought it sounded cool. He said he used it for some of his darker pop songs. He joked that it was "kinda like Billy Joel meets Wes Craven!"

Awards and Recognitions

Grammy Awards

Film and Documentaries

• A Man Named Scott (2021) – Jeff Bhasker appeared as himself in this film.