APRIL 17 SWEDISH SONGWRITER MAX MARTIN STRIKES GOLD AGAIN

APRIL 17 SWEDISH SONGWRITER MAX MARTIN STRIKES GOLD AGAIN

This week, the hit song "22" by American Pop Star TAYLOR SWIFT broke into the Billboard Top Ten.  The track is the country star's Ninth Top Ten song...impressive.  However, this blog is not about Taylor Swift.  (Let's face it:  Every one's favorite promiscuous blond starlet already gets enough press!)  Nope, this blog is about MAX MARTIN, the songwriter who wrote the song.  "22"  is Max's 43rd Top Ten hit, which will place the Pop Svengali as the Second Most Sucessful songwriter of all time.  This puts him above Bruce Springsteen who is now at #3.  Sorry...Max...but the Beatles will always be #1!

Never heard of MAX MARTIN?  Don't worry, he wants it that way.  The reclusive songwriting genius lives in seclusion somewhere near Stockholm, Sweden.  His waterfront mansion includes an elaborate recording studio.  However, not just anyone can work at Maratone Studios.  You already have to be a star.  And you need lots of cash.  And, you have to travel to Sweden to work with Max...he will not come to you.  Don't believe us?  Just ask Kelly Clarkson.  Three years after winning American Idol, her sagging singing career needed a boost.  Hello, Max! Kelly went to Sweden and recorded 'Since U Been Gone.'  The song went to #2 on the charts and has become his her signature song.    Other washed-up stars who came to Sweden for "career pick me-ups" include Britney Spears, P!NK and Justin Beiber.

However, it wasn't always this easy for Max.  Born Martin Karl Sandberg in 1971, he grew up idolizing ABBA and dropped out of high school to become a rock star.  Unfortunately, his glam-rock-techno band sputtered in live performances.  However, the catchy melodies of the songs caught the ears of recording executive Denniz Pop (not his real name).   The head of Cheiron Studios had just launched pop band Ace of Base into superstardom and needed more songwriters.  The two really hit it off.  For the next decade, the Stockholm studio became a pop music factory, churning out hit after hit.  In 1999, Britney Spears recorded '...Baby One More Time' and the Backstreet Boys sang 'I Want It That Way."  Both hit #1 and are Pop Music classics.

Katy Perry & Ke$ha would be nothing without Max.

And while Max tries to keep his name out of the headlines, he can't hide from one group: The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).  They have awarded Max their highest award: "Songwriter of the Year." an astounding  five times.  Simply put, Max knows how to write a #1 smash.  In 2008, he began collaborating with then-unknown singer KATY PERRY.  Together, they've penned a whopping seven #1 hits on the Billboard Singles Charts.  (That's as many as the Rolling Stones have!)   And don't look for Max to slow down any time soon.  He continues to search for the amazing musical hook that gets fans excited.  Said Martin:  "If they hear it once on the radio, I want them to like it immediately... it's the piano and 'oh, baby, baby'...that's what grabs you."

Number One Singles:

"...Baby One More Time" Britney Spears
"It's Gonna Be Me"  *NCYNC
"I Kissed a Girl"  Katy Perry
"So What"  PINK
"My Life Would Suck Without You"  Kelly Clarkson
"3"  Britney Spears
"Raise Your Glass"  PINK
"California Gurls"  Katy Perry
"Teenage Dream"   Katy Perry
"Hold It Against Me" Britney Spears
"E.T."  Katy Perry
"Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" Katy Perry
"Part Of Me" Katy Perry
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"  Taylor Swift
"One More Night"  Maroon 5