Finlay Dow-Smith (born 8 July 1988), known professionally as Starsmith, is a British songwriter, record producer and DJ.
Starsmith | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Finlay Dow-Smith |
| Born | 8 July 1988 Bromley, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2009–present |
Smith's best known for co-writing and serving as the primary producer for Ellie Goulding's debut album Lights, which was met with critical and commercial success. Following its release in 2010, it went straight to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart. The album has gone on to sell over 2,000,000 copies worldwide. He teamed up with Goulding again on her second studio album, Halcyon (2012), producing and co-writing three songs on the album,[1][2] and eight years later, he collaborated on four tracks from her fourth studio album Brightest Blue (2020).
Smith has co-written and produced several hits during his music career, including: "Good Thing" by Zedd and Kehlani, "Crybaby" by Paloma Faith, and "I'll Be There" by Jess Glynne which went to number one in the UK and was nominated for Best Single at the 2019 Brit Awards.[3] As well as producing "Hold My Hand" by Jess Glynne, and "Real Love" by Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne. Some of his notable work as a DJ includes his remixes for the singles "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, and "I Am Not A Robot" by Marina and the Diamonds.[4]
For his contributions as record producer, Smith has been nominated for Producer of the Year at the 2018 A&R Awards,[5] He also was recognized by the Music Producers Guild with nominations for Breakthrough Producer of the Year in 2011, and for his work as DJ he earned a nomination for Remixer of the Year in 2012.[6][7]
Career
editHe studied a classical music degree at the University of Surrey,[8] majoring in performance on saxophone and graduating in 2009. He met Ellie Goulding during his final year and together they started creating what would become her debut album, which was then signed to Polydor Records a few months after he graduated.
Starsmith toured with Goulding in 2009 and 2010, and also played with her on Later... with Jools Holland in 2009, playing bass guitar. He is a noted instrumentalist, additionally playing piano and guitar, but his main instrument is the saxophone.
In December 2011, he was the subject of an episode of the Red Bull and Vice documentary series, The Producers.[9] In March 2014, the track "Dead In The Water" that he co-wrote and produced with Ellie Goulding was included in the promotion and soundtrack for the film Divergent,[10] which opened at No.1 at the Worldwide Box Office.[11]
In 2015, he co-wrote and produced seven songs with Jess Glynne on her number one debut album I Cry When I Laugh, including the single "Hold My Hand", which spent four weeks at number 1 in the UK and sold over two million copies worldwide. In 2017, he collaborated with Paloma Faith on her number one album The Architect, co-writing and producing five songs. Their first writing session together resulted in the lead single "Crybaby". That year he also wrote songs with Jessie Ware for her album Glasshouse and with Rae Morris for her album, Someone Out There. He worked with Cloves and her longtime writing partner Justin Parker on singles from her debut album. "Bringing the House Down", their first collaboration, was released in early 2018 as the album's lead single.[12][13] He co-wrote and produced the lead single "I'll Be There" for Jess Glynne's second album. The song went to number one in the UK, achieving their second chart-topper, and third top 3 single together.
In 2020, Smith reunited with Goulding, and worked on four songs for her fourth studio album Brightest Blue.[14]
In August 2024, Smith released his first song as a lead artist since 2011, titled "Leave Me Slowly" which he co-wrote with longtime collaborator, Ellie Goulding and Sarah Troy. The song includes uncredited lead vocals from Goulding.[15] It was released via Headroom and Another Rhythm Records.[16]
Discography
editExtended plays
edit| Title | Details | Track listing | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesson One |
|
|
[17] |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Album | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Give Me a Break"/"Knucklebuster" | 2010 | Non-album single | [18] |
| "Leave Me Slowly" | 2024 | TBA | [19] |
Promotional singles
edit| Title | Year | Album | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Lesson One" | 2011 | Lesson One | [20] |
| "Champion" | [21] |
Remixography
edit| Year | Artist | Song Title | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Private | "My Secret Lover" | 4:01 |
| Elviin | "In Colour" | 4:44 | |
| Bombay Bicycle Club | "Always Like This" | 4:06 | |
| Frankmusik | "3 Little Words" (Starsmith Remix) | 3:29 | |
| Marina and the Diamonds | "I Am Not a Robot" (Starsmith 24 Carat Remix) | 5:18 | |
| Little Boots | "New in Town" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:30 | |
| The Twang | "Barney Rubble" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:24 | |
| Girls Can't Catch | "Keep Your Head Up" (Starsmith Club Mix) | 5:18 | |
| The Mission District | "So Over You" (Starsmith Remix) | 3:29 | |
| Team WaterPolo | "Letting Go" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:29 | |
| Frankmusik | "Better Off as Two" (Starsmith Holiday in the Heath Remix) | 4:29 | |
| Passion Pit | "Sleepyhead" (Starsmith Remix feat. Ellie Goulding) | 3:19 | |
| Animal Kingdom | "Signs and Wonders" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:17 | |
| Paloma Faith | "New York" (Starsmith Remix) | 3:36 | |
| Lisa Mitchell | "Coin Laundry" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:49 | |
| Lady Gaga | "Bad Romance" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:56 | |
| 2010 | Mika | "Blame It on the Girls" (Not on the Starsmith Remix) | 6:17 |
| Timbaland featuring Katy Perry | "If We Ever Meet Again" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:21 | |
| N.E.R.D. | "Hot-n-Fun" (Starsmith Club Remix) | 5:35 | |
| Beyoncé | "Why Don't You Love Me" (Starsmith Remix – Radio Edit) | 3:34 | |
| Robyn | "Hang with Me" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:04 | |
| 2011 | Gypsy & the Cat | "Jona Vark" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:58 |
| Lady Gaga | "Born This Way" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:45 | |
| Marina and the Diamonds | "Radioactive" (Starsmith Rework) | 4:37 | |
| 2012 | St. Lucia | "We Got It Wrong" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:03 |
| 2013 | Ed Drewett | "Drunk Dial" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:37 |
| Matthew Koma | "Parachute" (Starsmith Remix) | 5:18 | |
| Hall & Oates | "I Can't Go For That" (Starsmith Rework) | 4:48 | |
| Betty Who | "Somebody Loves You" (Starsmith Remix) | 6:24 | |
| 2014 | Joywave | "Tongues" (Starsmith Remix) | 4:39 |
Songwriting and production credits
edit| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits | Written with | Produced with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Under the Sheets" | 2009 | Ellie Goulding | Under the Sheets EP / Lights | Co-writer/Producer | Elena Goulding | - |
| "Fighter Plane" | Under the Sheets EP | Elena Goulding | - | |||
| "Hollywood" | 2010 | Marina and the Diamonds | The Family Jewels | Producer | - | Richard Stannard, Ash Howes |
| "Hurtful" | Erik Hassle | Pieces | - | Grizzly, Tommy Tysper | ||
| "Starry Eyed" | Ellie Goulding | Lights | - | - | ||
| "Guns and Horses" | - | - | ||||
| "The Writer" | - | - | ||||
| "Every Time You Go" | Co-writer/Producer | Elena Goulding, Jonathan Fortis | - | |||
| "I'll Hold My Breath" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
| "This Love (Will Be Your Downfall)" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
| "Salt Skin" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
| "You'll Never Get to Heaven" | Diana Vickers | Song from the Tainted Cherry Tree |
Diana Vickers, Cass Lowe | - | ||
| "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" |
Kylie Minogue | Aphrodite | Olivia Nervo, Miriam Nervo | Stuart Price | ||
| "Yeah Yeah" (featuring Travie McCoy) |
Cheryl Cole | Messy Little Raindrops | Wayne Hector, Travis McCoy | - | ||
| "Human" | Ellie Goulding | Bright Lights | Elena Goulding | - | ||
| "Animal" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
| "Burn" | 2011 | Clare Maguire | Light After Dark | Clare Maguire | - | |
| "High" | Big Sean | Finally Famous | Co-writer | - | - | |
| "Lesson One" | Starsmith | Lesson One | Writer/Producer | - | ||
| "Champion" | - | - | ||||
| "Dead in the Water" | 2012 | Ellie Goulding | Halcyon | Co-writer/Producer | Elena Goulding | - |
| "The Ending" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
| "Without Your Love" | Elena Goulding | - | ||||
| "Us and Ours" | 2013 | Mark Owen | The Art of Doing Nothing | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | Charlie Russell, Bradley Spence | |
| "S.A.D." (featuring Ren Harvieu) |
Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | Charlie Russell, Bradley Spence | ||||
| "End of Everything" | Co-writer | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | |||
| "Ghost" | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | ||||
| "Morning Belle" | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | ||||
| "The Lamb" | Mark Owen, Benjamin Mark, Jamie Norton | - | ||||
| "Somebody" | Fenech-Soler | Rituals | Co-writer/Producer | Daniel Fenech-Soler, Andrew Lindsay, Ross Duffy, Benjamn Duffy | Fenech-Soler, Ross Duffy, Ben Duffy | |
| "Glow" | - | Fenech-Soler, Ross Duffy, Ben Duffy | ||||
| "Better" | 2014 | Betty Who | Take Me When You Go | Co-writer/Producer | Jessica Newham, Scott Hoffman | - |
| "Real Love" (with Jess Glynne) |
Clean Bandit | New Eyes / I Cry When I Laugh | Producer | - | Clean Bandit, The Six | |
| "Hold My Hand" | 2015 | Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | - | Jack Patterson | |
| "Fight for Love" | Kwabs | Love + War | - | Al Shux | ||
| "Staring at the Sun" | Mika | No Place in Heaven | Additional producer | - | Martin Terefe | |
| "Preach" | M.O | Non-album single | Co-writer/producer | Fransesca Connolly, Edward Thomas, Joel Compass, Fredrick Gibson, Annie Ashcroft | - | |
| "Gave Me Something" | Jess Glynne | I Cry When I Laugh | Jessica Glynne, Andrew "Knox" Brown, Janee Bennett | Knox Brown | ||
| "Ain't Got Far to Go" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett | Knox Brown | ||||
| "You Can Find Me" | Jessica Glynne, Talay Riley | - | ||||
| "It Ain't Right" | Jessica Glynne, James Newman | - | ||||
| "No Rights No Wrongs" | Jessica Glynne, Andrew "Knox" Brown, Janee Bennett, Jonathan Coffer, James Newman | Knox Brown | ||||
| "Don't Follow Me" | Ella Eyre | Feline | Ella McMahon, Natalia Hajjara | Jay Reynolds | ||
| "Is It Love" (featuring Yeah Boy) |
2016 | 3lau | Non-album single | Justin Blau, Jonathan Curtis | 3lau | |
| "Power" | Petite Meller | Lil Empire | Syvan Miller | - | ||
| "Better by Your Side" featuring Tom Aspaul) |
Aeble | Better by Your Side | Tom Aspaul | - | ||
| "California Numb" | 2017 | Cloves | One Big Nothing | Kaity Dunstan, Justin Parker | Ian Barter | |
| "I Don't Know" | Molly Kate Kestner | TBA | Molly Kate Kestner, Amy Wadge | - | ||
| "Crybaby" | Paloma Faith | The Architect | Paloma Faith, Lindy Robbins, Cleo Tighe | - | ||
| "Good Times" | Elderbrook | Talking | Alexander Kotz | - | ||
| "First Time" | Jessie Ware | Glasshouse | Jessica Ware, James Newman | - | ||
| "Evolution" (featuring Samuel L. Jackson) |
Paloma Faith | The Architect | Producer | - | Paloma Faith | |
| "I'll Be Gentle" (with John Legend) |
- | Jesse Shatkin | ||||
| "Politics of Hope" (featuring Owen Jones) |
- | Paloma Faith | ||||
| "Still Around" | - | Klas Ahlund | ||||
| "Pawns" (featuring Baby N'Sola, Janelle Martin and Naomi Miller) |
Co-writer/Producer | - | Paloma Faith | |||
| "My Body" | Paloma Faith, Andrew "Knox" Brown, Janee Bennett | Knox Brown | ||||
| "Bloodstains" | 2018 | Rhys Lewis | Bad Timing EP | Co-writer | Rhys Lewis, Ian Barter, O. Martin | - |
| "Family Man" | Lily Allen | No Shame | Additional producer | - | Mark Ronson | |
| "Dancing with Character" | Rae Morris | Someone Out There | Co-writer/Producer | Rachel Morris, Benjamin Garrett | - | |
| "Bringing the House Down" | Cloves | One Big Nothing | Kaity Dunstan, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Parker | - | ||
| "Kiss Me in the Dark" | Kaity Dunstan, Justin Parker | - | ||||
| "Hit Me Hard" | Kaity Dunstan, Justin Parker | - | ||||
| "I'll Be There" | Jess Glynne | Always in Between | Jessica Glynne, Camille Purcell, Henrik Michelsen, Edvard Erfjord, Jerker Hanssen | Electric | ||
| "Won't Say No" | Jessica Glynne, Janee Bennett, Clarence Coffee Jr. | - | ||||
| "Rollin" | Producer | - | Fred Gibson | |||
| "Million Reasons" | Co-writer/Producer | Jessica Glynne, Sara Hjellstrom, Nirob Islam | - | |||
| "Final Breath" | Paloma Faith | The Architect: Zeitgeist Edition |
Paloma Faith, Stephan Moccio, Clarence Coffee Jr. | - | ||
| "Older" | Paloma Faith, Cleo Tighe | - | ||||
| "High Hopes" | Rationale | High Hopes EP | Rationale | Rationale | ||
| "73" | Co-writer | Rationale | - | |||
| "Hallelujah" | 2019 | Oh Wonder | Hallelujah | Additional producer | - | Oh Wonder |
| "Like I Love You" | Shells | Like I Love You | Co-writer/Producer | Shells | - | |
| "The Corner" | Dermot Kennedy | Without Fear | Dermot Kennedy, Scott Harris | - | ||
| "Good Thing" | Zedd and Kehlani | TBA | Cleo Tighe, Lostboy | Zedd | ||
| "How It Goes" | 2020 | Oh Wonder | No One Else Can Wear Your Crown | Oh Wonder | Oh Wonder | |
| "Drunk On You" | Oh Wonder, Larzz Principato | Oh Wonder | ||||
| "Pieces" | Navvy | The Final Pieces EP | Navvy, Rory Adams | - | ||
| "Get Away" | Hayley Gene Penner | People You Follow | Hayley Gene Penner | - | ||
| "Lonely People" | Hyyts | Hyyts, Rationale | ||||
| "How Deep Is Too Deep" | Ellie Goulding | Brightest Blue | Ellie Goulding, Joe Kearns | - | ||
| "Cyan" | Ellie Goulding, Joe Kearns, Jim Eliot | Joe Kearns, Jim Eliot | ||||
| "Tides" | Ellie Goulding, Joe Kearns | - | ||||
| "Woman" | Producer | Joe Kearns, Eli Teplin | - | |||
| "SOS" | Hyyts | SOS | - | Rationale | ||
| "Lose" | Niki | Moonchild | Co-writer/Producer | Nicole Zefanya, Teddy Sinclair | Bēkon | |
| "Grow" | Josie Man | Grow | Josie Man, Hannah Yadi, Josh Scarbrow | - | ||
| "99%" | Gracey | The Art of Closure | Gracey, Al Shux | Al Shux | ||
| "Monster" | Paloma Faith | Infinite Things | Paloma Faith, MNEK | - | ||
| "Hypnosis" | 2023 | Ive | I've Ive | Co-writer | Seo Jeong-a, Gaeul, Rei | Risc, Elof Loelv |
| "Baddie" | I've Mine | Big Naughty, Perrie, Ryan S. Jhun | Ryan S. Jhun, Risc, Alawn | |||
| "Leave Me Slowly" | 2024 | Starsmith | TBA | Co-writer/Producer | Ellie Goulding, Sarah Troy | - |
Awards and nominations
edit| Award | Year | Category | Nominee/Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A&R Awards | 2018 | Producer of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [5] |
| Music Producers Guild Awards | 2012 | Remixer of the Year | Nominated | [7] | |
| 2011 | Breakthrough Producer of the Year | Nominated | [22] |
References
edit- ^ "Halcyon - Ellie Goulding | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Score Top Billboard 200 Debut, Mumford Still No. 1". Billboard.com. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "Brit Awards 2019: Full list of winners". Bbc.co.uk. 20 February 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "The Most Definitely | Starsmith – Now I Feel Good". Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ a b "The A&R Awards 2018 finalists… revealed!". Music Business Worldwide. 27 September 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "2011 Short Lists". The Music Producers Guild. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ a b "2012 Short Lists". The Music Producers Guild. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Updates on achievements in Music and Sound Recording - University of Surrey - Guildford". 28 January 2013. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Episode 5: Starsmith | The Producers | VICE". 7 December 2011. Archived from the original on 7 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "Divergent Track Listing Revealed!". 10 March 2014. Archived from the original on 10 March 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
- ^ "'Divergent,' based on young adult book series, is No. 1". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ Bringing the House Down (Stripped) by CLOVES on Apple Music, 16 February 2018, retrieved 16 August 2024
- ^ One Big Nothing by CLOVES on Apple Music, 28 September 2018, retrieved 16 August 2024
- ^ "It's ok I can post my solo's always get cut 🤪 Starsmith". Facebook.com. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ Starsmith (15 August 2024). Starsmith - Leave Me Slowly (Visualizer). Retrieved 16 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Dork (12 August 2024). "The Track Forecast: Max effort: 'Diet Pepsi' shows Addison Rae is more than just another social media pop star". Dork. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Lesson One - EP by Starsmith on Apple Music, 22 August 2011, retrieved 16 August 2024
- ^ "Starsmith - Give Me A Break". Neon Gold Records. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ Leave Me Slowly by Starsmith on Apple Music, retrieved 16 August 2024
- ^ Lesson One by Starsmith on Apple Music, 22 August 2011, retrieved 16 August 2024
- ^ Champion (Radio Edit) by Starsmith on Apple Music, 22 August 2011, retrieved 16 August 2024
- ^ "2011 Short Lists". The Music Producers Guild. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2024.