Kuk Harrell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kuk Harrell
Harrell in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Thaddis Laphonia Harrell
Genres	Pop R&B dance-pop hip hop
Occupation(s)	Songwriter vocal producer arranger engineer
Years active	1992–present
Associated acts	Rihanna Justin Bieber Jay-Z Beyoncé Ciara Celine Dion Mariah Carey Diane Warren The-Dream Usher Tricky Stewart Jamie Foxx Janet Jackson

Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger, and engineer. He is known for helping many famous singers sound their best on their songs. He was part of a music team with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash.

In 2011, Kuk Harrell and Tricky Stewart worked on Fox's American Idol. They produced many songs sung by the contestants. Kuk Harrell also helped Jennifer Lopez with her album LOVE? in 2011. He won a Grammy Award for producing the vocals on Rihanna's hit song "Only Girl (In the World)". He also helped write and produce the vocals for Rihanna's Grammy-winning song "Umbrella".

Kuk Harrell worked on Beyoncé's popular song "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)". He also produced vocals for "I Was Here" from Beyoncé's 2011 album 4. He produced most of the vocals for Mary J. Blige's album Growing Pains. This album won a Grammy in 2008 for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Kuk Harrell is currently signed with Kobalt Music. He is one of the most sought-after vocal producers in the music business.

Early Years and Career Beginnings

Kuk Harrell started his music journey in Chicago. He played drums and sang before becoming a session musician. This means he played music for recordings without being a permanent band member. Soon, he began writing and producing music for commercials. He worked on big ad campaigns for companies like McDonald's and Coca-Cola.

In 1992, Harrell moved to Los Angeles with his music partner, Laney Stewart. He also became a worship leader and toured as a vocalist. During this time, he sang on songs written by famous songwriters Diane Warren and David Foster.

Working with RedZone Entertainment (2004-Present)

In 2004, Harrell moved to Atlanta. He joined his cousins Tricky Stewart and Mark Stewart at RedZone Entertainment. Here, he worked as a writer, producer, and engineer. RedZone Entertainment is a music production company. They have worked with many artists and producers, selling over 25 million records.

Mark Stewart once called Kuk Harrell their "secret weapon." He said that Kuk produces all the vocals, writes, and produces. He is a quiet but very important part of their creative work.

The year 2007 was very important for Harrell. Rihanna's album Good Girl Gone Bad and Mary J. Blige's Growing Pains were released. Both albums featured his skills in writing and vocal production. The songs "Umbrella" and "Just Fine" were nominated for Grammy Awards in 2007. In the same year, Harrell started his own music company, Suga Wuga Entertainment.

Rihanna's "Umbrella" Success

Rihanna performing in Brisbane, 2008

On March 29, 2007, Rihanna's song "Umbrella" was released. Kuk Harrell helped write and produce the vocals for this song. It became one of the most downloaded songs in the United States. The song featured a rap part by Jay-Z. Harrell won a Grammy for Best Rap/Song Collaboration for "Umbrella." It was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

"Umbrella" won an ASCAP Pop Music Award as one of the most played pop songs of 2007. Time magazine called it one of the 10 Best Songs of 2007. In the United Kingdom, "Umbrella" broke a record. It became Rihanna's first number-one song there based only on digital sales. It stayed at number one on the UK Singles Chart for ten weeks. This made it the longest-running number-one single of the 21st century in the UK.

The music video for "Umbrella" was released on April 26, 2007. It won two awards at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.

Mary J. Blige's "Just Fine" and Growing Pains

Mary J. Blige

The song "Just Fine" from Mary J. Blige's album Growing Pains came out on October 19, 2007. Harrell produced Blige's vocals for this song. It was nominated for a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Harrell produced most of the vocals on the album. He also helped write the song "Come To Me (Peace)."

Growing Pains sold over two million copies in the U.S. and was certified Platinum. "Just Fine" was listed as one of the 100 Best Songs of 2007 by Rolling Stone magazine. The album Growing Pains won a Grammy in 2009 for "Best Contemporary R&B Album."

Kuk Harrell said that working with Mary J. Blige was always a pleasure. He said she is always ready to try new things and let him help her reach the next level.

Working with Chris Brown and Celine Dion

Harrell produced Chris Brown's vocals for the song "You" from the 2007 album "Exclusive." This album sold very well, reaching number 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It sold over three million copies worldwide.

Celine Dion singing in 2008

Kuk Harrell also produced vocals and engineered for Celine Dion's album "Taking Chances" in 2007. He also helped write the song "Skies of LA." This album sold 3.1 million copies by the end of 2007. It was very successful in Canada and other countries.

More Hit Collaborations

Harrell used his engineering skills for his partner The-Dream's song "I Luv Your Girl" in 2007. This song reached number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

He also produced vocals for Jesse McCartney's song "Leavin'" in 2008. This song became McCartney's biggest hit in the United States. It was certified Platinum.

Usher in 2007

Kuk Harrell worked a lot on Usher's 2008 album Here I Stand. He produced Usher's vocals on four songs and helped write "Moving Mountains". The album sold 443,000 copies in its first week.

He also helped write and engineer Beyoncé's hit song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" from her 2008 album I Am… Sasha Fierce. This song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It was named the best single of 2008 by Rolling Stone magazine.

Kuk Harrell produced vocals for Jamie Foxx's song "Just Like Me" in 2008. He worked on five songs on Foxx's album Intuition, which sold over a million copies.

He also produced, vocal produced, and co-wrote "Let's Get Excited" for Alesha Dixon's album The Alesha Show in 2008.

Working with Justin Bieber and Rihanna (2010-Present)

Kuk Harrell produced all the vocals for Justin Bieber's album My World 2.0. This album sold over two million copies in the U.S. and was Bieber's first multi-platinum record.

He also worked on the theme song "I See You" for the movie Avatar. This song was performed by Leona Lewis and was nominated for a Golden Globe and a Grammy.

In 2010, Harrell recorded parts of Rihanna's album Loud. This album debuted at number one in Canada and Switzerland. It also earned Harrell a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the song "Only Girl (In the World)."

Kuk Harrell also worked on Justin Bieber's song "Never Say Never." This song was the theme for The Karate Kid movie (2010). Harrell was also the Music Supervisor for Bieber's 3D concert film of the same name.

Kuk Harrell's Music Philosophy

Kuk Harrell is special because he produces and engineers his own recording sessions. He says this helps him work faster and create the sound the artist wants. He believes having another engineer would slow things down.

Harrell uses vocal processors like Auto-Tune to make sounds perfect. But he uses them to improve the sound, not to create it. He wants to capture the artist's true personality. He uses pitch correction to make sure the performance is flawless.

Kuk Harrell says he learned three very important things in his career:

• Always be professional.
• Be patient at all times.
• It's not about you. A producer should focus on getting the best sound from the artist, not just putting their own style on the project. The artist is the most important part.

Discography

Awards and Nominations

Kuk Harrell has won and been nominated for many awards for his work in music.

Grammy Awards

Other Awards