Brody Brown

Primarily a songwriter and producer specializing in a fresh, 21st century approach to retro-tinged R&B and pop, Christopher "Brody" Brown is a Compton, California-born multi-instrumentalist renowned for his chart-topping work with Bruno Mars, Adele, and CeeLo Green, among others. Born in 1989, Brown's introduction to music came from his mother's tendency to play jazz and gospel around the house. He started to learn the drums at just four years old, and two years later was installed as the drummer at his West Compton church, the City of Refuge. By the time he was a teenager, Brown had also taught himself to read music and to play piano, bass, and guitar. This led to his involvement in various school bands, performing in genres such as jazz, rock, and salsa. Outside of school, he joined Larrance Dopson's 1500 or Nothin' and later began working with ex-Mista member Bobby Valentino. Although Brown's obsession with music distracted from his studies -- and ultimately led to him dropping out of school -- it was welcome sanctuary from a local gang culture that occasionally placed him in danger. Steve Lindsey, a local impresario, signed Brown to a publishing deal when he was just 17 years old. Already on Lindsey's books was a pre-fame Bruno Mars, with whom Brown began a key creative relationship in 2008. Alongside CeeLo Green, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine, the pair co-wrote and played on Green's August 2010 smash hit single, "Fuck You." The track gave Brown his first major international success, receiving a Song of the Year Grammy nomination as well as hitting the Top Ten in 14 countries and the number one spot in the U.K. and Netherlands. That October, Mars issued his debut LP, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Featuring co-writes from Brown on "Grenade," "Runaway Baby," and "The Other Side," it was an eventual multi-million seller, gaining five Grammy nominations at the 2012 ceremony but ultimately losing out to Adele's 21 in each category. Later, Brown ended up contributing to Adele's next album, 2015's 25. This featured the ballad "All I Ask" -- written by Brown with the Smeezingtons (aka Mars, Lawrence, and Levine) -- which showcased his deft piano playing front and center and represented his first (but not last) appearance on a Grammy-winning album. Brown spent much of 2016 trying to get Groovy Maniacs -- his own '80s-inspired band -- off the ground. However, these endeavors were soon obscured by further success with Mars. The previous year, the Smeezingtons had folded and reformed as Shampoo Press & Curl, with Brown replacing Levine. As part of this new team, he co-wrote and produced the entirety of Mars' third LP, November 2016's 24K Magic. Between the album, its title track, and "That's What I Like," the project scooped seven Grammy Awards at the 2018 ceremony. The title track also gained international ubiquity, reaching the Top Ten in no fewer than 26 countries, topping the chart in five. The next few years brought work with the likes of Kesha, Nipsey Hussle, Ed Sheeran, and Alicia Keys on high-profile projects that each entered the U.S. Top Five. Kesha's 2017 U.S. number one album, Rainbow, featured Brown's co-production on the attitude-filled "Woman." He also co-wrote "Blow," the closing track on Sheeran's 2019 No. 6 Collaborations Project, a release that reached number one in 15 countries. Subsequently, he helped to compose "Leave the Door Open," the 2021 debut single from Silk Sonic, a duo comprising Mars and Anderson .Paak. The smooth, '70s-inspired single swept the board at 2022's Grammy Awards, winning Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song. Finally, in January 2023, Brown issued his debut solo album, The Kickback, a concise affair that combined the relaxed vibe of '90s R&B with that era's slick and smooth production values.
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