Sony Music Publishing (SMP) has renewed its long-standing agreement with Grammy award-winning producer and songwriter, Michel “Lindgren” Sculz, setting the stage for a new partnership with hitmaker and OneRepublic lead singer, Ryan Tedder.
Lindgren and Tedder are frequent collaborators, having worked together on BLACKPINK’s chart-topping single, The Girls, which dropped on August 25. Lindgren’s portfolio also includes JIHYO’s Killin’ Me Good, released on August 18, as well as upcoming projects with TikTok influencer Bella Poarch.
“I’ve been working with Lin since the beginning of the pandemic. He blew my mind from the first session with both his speed and musicality. I look at him as a one-stop shop for any and all production, any genre, and he’s also really sneaky with a great lyric every session. Lin is the German wunderkind,” said Tedder.
Lindgren’s journey in music began at the Popakademie music college in Mannheim, Germany. He went on to enter the European music industry during the rise of EDM, and in 2016, he made a significant move to Los Angeles, continuing his journey into American and Korean pop music.
This journey led him to collaborate with a lineup of songwriters, including Melanie Fontana, Mozella, RuthAnne, Caroline Ailin, Sebastian Kole, Hook’n’Sling, Take A Daytrip, Gino Barletta, Leland, JHart, Wrabel, Michael Matosic, and AJ Mitchell.
“I look at [Lindgren] as a one stop shop for any and all production, any genre, and he’s also really sneaky with a great lyric every session. Lin is the German wunderkind.”
Ryan Tedder
Lindgren is now best known for his work on a number of BTS songs and for his global success co-writing the Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 single ON ft. Sia, as well as the Top 10 hit Boy With Luv ft. Halsey.
He also co-wrote/co-produced TWICE’s I CAN’T STOP ME and CRY FOR ME and Dua Lipa’s Good in Bed, featured on her GRAMMY-winning album Future Nostalgia.
Lindgren’s track record also includes successes on the charts with artists like John Legend, j-hope, TXT, TWICE, Illenium, and Cheat Codes. He’s also established collaborations with acclaimed figures in the industry, including Ryan Tedder, Melanie Fontana, Tommy Brown, UPSAHL, Alex Bilo, Madison Love, and more.
“We are ecstatic to renew our relationship with Lindgren. He continues to prove himself as forward thinking creative and hitmaker. Ryan has been an advocate for Lindgren for some time now and we are so happy to be in partnership with him on this as we move into this next chapter,” said Sony Music Publishing Vice President, Creative Nick Bral.
Reflecting on his journey, Lindgren expressed his admiration for Tedder, recalling his days in high school, replicating beats from hits like Apologize in his attic studio to now collaborating with Tedder himself.
“The SMP team, in tandem with my manager Justin Garza and Tommy Brown as a publishing partner, has been a fantastic home for my work and we’re delighted to welcome Ryan Tedder to the party. They say ‘it takes a village’… and this is a pretty cool village we’ve built.”
Lindgren
“Ryan is the first songwriter of whom I was a fan. I remember being in high school and learning about the fact that people wrote songs for artists because of Ryan’s involvement in hits at the time,” said Lindgen.
Lindgen added: “The fact that a kid from Germany can read a dude’s name on a CD liner in his attic home studio while meticulously recreating the drums from Apologize and just 13 short years later meet the dude on zoom and write and produce so many songs together, ultimately resulting in a publishing relationship… it’s mind-blowing to me. Music is powerful.”
Commenting on the new deal with Sony, Lindgen said: “I’m excited to continue my relationship with Sony Music Publishing. The SMP team, in tandem with my manager Justin Garza and Tommy Brown as a publishing partner, has been a fantastic home for my work and we’re delighted to welcome Ryan Tedder to the party. They say ‘it takes a village’… and this is a pretty cool village we’ve built.”
Tedder himself has achieved significant recognition as a songwriter and producer, having written a number of chart-topping hits like Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love, Beyoncé’s Halo, Adele’s Rumour Has It, Ellie Goulding’s Burn, and a number of One Republic songs. He has won three Grammys to date, with 11 Grammy nominations.
In 2017, he sold 170 song copyrights to Downtown Music Publishing, and in 2021 sold a majority stake in his music catalog to global investment giant KKR.
Elsewhere at Sony Music Publishing, the company’s recent signings include emerging singer/songwriter Caity Baser via Chosen Music, Xplicit (aka Eskeerdo), the estate of legendary singer, songwriter and guitarist Muddy Waters and Grammy award-winning artist, songwriter, producer, and composer Danger Mouse.
Music Business Worldwide
