Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers
Encyclopedia
Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers are New York
-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard
, Wild Orchid
, Christina Aguilera
, and Rihanna
's debut album. They helped build the career of Rihanna, and are the principals of her production company, SRP.
As songwriters and producers, Rogers and Sturken have achieved more than 20 Top 40 hits, twelve Top 5 hits and 6 BMI awards. Their songs have sold more than 60 million albums, both in the U.S. and around the world.
, Stephanie Mills
and Jennifer Holiday. They then crossed over to the pop world by engineering the comeback of Donny Osmond
, writing and producing the #2 smash "Soldier of Love" and the Top 10 hit "Sacred Emotion
". In 1991 they became artists, and as Rythm Syndicate scored a #2 hit, "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", as well as a Top 10 follow-up with "Hey Donna".
Following their success with Donny Osmond
, they formed an R&B
group called Rythm Syndicate with John Nevin, Rob Mingrino and Kevin Cloud, who all came from Connecticut. As well as providing vocals for the group, Rogers and Sturken also wrote their debut hit, "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", which reached number 2 in the US Billboard charts
in 1991. Following two unsuccessful albums and a few less successful singles Sturken and Rogers left the group to concentrate on writing and producing.
After two years of touring and promotion, Sturken & Rogers disbanded the group to resume writing and producing full-time. They wrote and/or produced 6 songs for Debbie Gibson's 1993 album "Body Mind Soul
l" including US single "Losin' Myself
" and the UK single "Shock Your Mama
". Success came next in the UK with the Top 5 single "Power of a Woman
" for Eternal
. More work overseas followed, including contributions to the Brand New Heavies
' platinum album Shelter
. For Irish boy band stars Boyzone
, they wrote and produced four songs for the group’s Where We Belong
album, which entered at #1 on the UK charts. The six-time platinum album includes the Sturken & Rogers penned "All That I Need
", which was a UK #1 single. The song also appears on Boyzone’s Greatest Hits package, By Request
, which spent over two months at #1 and also had sales of over six million units.
, was a Billboard Top 10 single, before climbing into the Billboard Country Top 5 after being covered by country recording legend Alabama
. The song also received a Grammy nomination in 2000 for Best Country Collaboration by a group or duo. ‘N Sync’s debut album sold over 10 million copies in the US alone. In addition to the pop and country versions of "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You", the song was also recorded by jazz artist Kirk Whalum
(Warner Bros.) for his album Unconditional, which was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards.
Sturken & Rogers also wrote and produced several songs for Christina Aguilera
’s debut album. The album entered the Billboard charts at #1 and went double platinum after only three weeks, eventually totaling sales in excess of 11 million worldwide. They also branched out into the jazz world working with Dave Koz
on his album The Dance. The album contains two Sturken & Rogers penned songs, including "Can’t Let You Go", co-written with Koz and featuring Luther Vandross
on vocals, which went on to become a #1 hit on the Smooth Jazz chart.
The duo also had songs on 98 Degrees
’ double platinum album Revelation and the multi-platinum debut albums of Jessica Simpson
, Alsou
, Mandy Moore
and Anastacia
, as well as many other collaborations with such artists as Christina Milian
and Emma Bunton
(aka Baby Spice).
As the 90s came to a close and teen pop died down, Sturken & Rogers changed gears once again, discovering and developing Javier, whom they signed to Capitol Records. They wrote and produced the majority of his debut album, including the hit single "Crazy".
Next to come calling was Clive Davis
, who hired the team to work on Kelly Clarkson
’s debut album, for which they wrote the hit single "The Trouble with Love Is
", also featured in the movie Love Actually
. The Davis connection continued with the American Idol
project in 2004, as well as Rod Stewart
’s As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2
and two tracks for Ruben Studdard
's double platinum debut album, Soulful
.
, whom Rogers discovered while vacationing in Barbados
. They brought her to Jay-Z
and L. A. Reid
at Def Jam Records and she was signed within hours of her audition. Rihanna’s first single "Pon de Replay
", co-written and produced by Sturken & Rogers, went on to be popular worldwide, while her debut album Music of the Sun
has sold over a million copies. Rihanna’s follow-up, A Girl Like Me
, sold 3 million copies. Rihanna scored one of the biggest singles of the 2000s with "Umbrella
". The follow-up single "Shut Up and Drive
" was written and produced by Sturken & Rogers, and became a top 10 hit worldwide. The duo also had a hand in producing and writing the UK top 5 hit single Issues for girl group The Saturdays
in 2008.
Most recently, Sturken & Rogers have signed four more acts to their SRP label. Shontelle
– a singer/songwriter from Barbados, SRP linked with Steve Rifkind at SRC/Universal for her debut album Shontelligence
, for which Sturken & Rogers penend all but two of the songs. For Shontelle's sophomore album, No Gravity
, Sturken & Rogers wrote one song. They have also signed Jamaican singing group J-Status through SRP/Next Plateau, Brooklyn based rock band The Urgency, and 18-year-old jazz singer/pianist Kandace Springs from Nashville, TN. In addition, SRP has signed Javier Colon and are currently working out a co-venture with a major label to be determined.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based songwriters and music producers who are business partners and friends. They have produced hits for Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
, Wild Orchid
Wild Orchid (band)
Wild Orchid was an American pop vocal group. -History:Wild Orchid began in 1990 when Renee Sandstrom and Stefanie Ridel met in their southern California high school's drama department. What brought Renee and Stefanie together was their shared love of poetry, music, and taste for fame. Soon after...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's debut album. They helped build the career of Rihanna, and are the principals of her production company, SRP.
As songwriters and producers, Rogers and Sturken have achieved more than 20 Top 40 hits, twelve Top 5 hits and 6 BMI awards. Their songs have sold more than 60 million albums, both in the U.S. and around the world.
Early history
Sturken & Rogers started their careers in the New York R&B scene of the mid-1980s. They worked on the legendary Beat Street soundtrack and began to gain a reputation by producing such artists as Cheryl LynnCheryl Lynn
Lynda Cheryl Smith , known better by her professional name Cheryl Lynn, is a female African-American disco, R&B and soul singer known best for her 1978 disco song, "Got to Be Real".-Early career:...
, Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills is an American R&B and soul singer, and a former Broadway star.-Career:Mills began her career appearing in her first play at the age of nine. Two years later, Mills won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater a record six times...
and Jennifer Holiday. They then crossed over to the pop world by engineering the comeback of Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
, writing and producing the #2 smash "Soldier of Love" and the Top 10 hit "Sacred Emotion
Sacred Emotion
Sacred Emotion is a pop ballad performed by Donny Osmond. The song was the second single released from the February 1989 album Donny Osmond. It reached #4 in Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart and #13 in The Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1989....
". In 1991 they became artists, and as Rythm Syndicate scored a #2 hit, "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", as well as a Top 10 follow-up with "Hey Donna".
Following their success with Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
, they formed an R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
group called Rythm Syndicate with John Nevin, Rob Mingrino and Kevin Cloud, who all came from Connecticut. As well as providing vocals for the group, Rogers and Sturken also wrote their debut hit, "P.A.S.S.I.O.N.", which reached number 2 in the US Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
in 1991. Following two unsuccessful albums and a few less successful singles Sturken and Rogers left the group to concentrate on writing and producing.
After two years of touring and promotion, Sturken & Rogers disbanded the group to resume writing and producing full-time. They wrote and/or produced 6 songs for Debbie Gibson's 1993 album "Body Mind Soul
Body, Mind, Soul
Body, Mind, Soul is the fourth album by American singer songwriter Deborah Gibson.Released January 19th, 1993, the album failed to find favor with the record buying public and missed out on the US top 100, peaking at #109, and also in the UK when it was released a few months later...
l" including US single "Losin' Myself
Losin' Myself
"Losin' Myself" is the first single from the album Body, Mind, Soul by American singer-songwriter-actress Deborah Gibson, released in January 1993. The song was written by Gibson, and co-written and co-produced with Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers....
" and the UK single "Shock Your Mama
Shock Your Mama
"Shock Your Mama" is the second single from the 1993 album Body Mind Soul by American singer-songwriter-actress Deborah Gibson. Co-written with Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, as with "Losin' Myself," this single was co-produced with Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and Teddy Riley...
". Success came next in the UK with the Top 5 single "Power of a Woman
Power of a Woman
Power of a Woman is the second studio album by the British R&B vocal group Eternal and was the first to feature without former member Louise who left to the group to pursue a solo career.-Overview:...
" for Eternal
Eternal (band)
Eternal were an English R&B girl group formed in 1992. The group featured two sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, alongside Kelle Bryan and Louise Nurding...
. More work overseas followed, including contributions to the Brand New Heavies
Brand New Heavies
The Brand New Heavies are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing, a suburb of London, England.-Biography:The Brand New Heavies began in the 1980s as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brother International....
' platinum album Shelter
Shelter (Brand New Heavies album)
Shelter is an album by the Brand New Heavies that was released in 1997. It is the only album by the group with Siedah Garrett as a member. Garrett had joined the Brand New Heavies in 1996, but left in early 1998 to concentrate on her own songwriting...
. For Irish boy band stars Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
, they wrote and produced four songs for the group’s Where We Belong
Where We Belong (album)
Where We Belong is the third studio album by the Irish band, Boyzone. The album was released on 25 May 1998 in UK and 17 November 1998 in US by Polygram International. It topped the UK charts at #1 for the week of June 6, 1998. Five singles were released from the album, including a cover version of...
album, which entered at #1 on the UK charts. The six-time platinum album includes the Sturken & Rogers penned "All That I Need
All That I Need
"All That I Need" is the third single from Irish Boyband Boyzone's third studio album, Where We Belong. The song reached #1 in the UK Singles Chart...
", which was a UK #1 single. The song also appears on Boyzone’s Greatest Hits package, By Request
By Request (Boyzone album)
By Request is a greatest hits compilation from Boyzone. The album contains material recorded between 1994–1999, and was released on May 31, 1999 by Universal. As well as containing the band's fifteen singles, the album also includes the three bonus tracks from the US release of their previous...
, which spent over two months at #1 and also had sales of over six million units.
Recent history
In 1997 they shifted their attention stateside. The hit "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You", written and produced for teen sensations 'N Sync'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
, was a Billboard Top 10 single, before climbing into the Billboard Country Top 5 after being covered by country recording legend Alabama
Alabama (band)
Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...
. The song also received a Grammy nomination in 2000 for Best Country Collaboration by a group or duo. ‘N Sync’s debut album sold over 10 million copies in the US alone. In addition to the pop and country versions of "(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time on You", the song was also recorded by jazz artist Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum
Kirk Whalum is an American smooth jazz saxophonist and songwriter. He toured as Whitney Houston's opening act for several years. Whalum has also recorded a series of well received solo albums and film soundtracks, with music ranging from pop to R&B to smooth jazz...
(Warner Bros.) for his album Unconditional, which was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards.
Sturken & Rogers also wrote and produced several songs for Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
’s debut album. The album entered the Billboard charts at #1 and went double platinum after only three weeks, eventually totaling sales in excess of 11 million worldwide. They also branched out into the jazz world working with Dave Koz
Dave Koz
Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
on his album The Dance. The album contains two Sturken & Rogers penned songs, including "Can’t Let You Go", co-written with Koz and featuring Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
on vocals, which went on to become a #1 hit on the Smooth Jazz chart.
The duo also had songs on 98 Degrees
98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
’ double platinum album Revelation and the multi-platinum debut albums of Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, Alsou
Alsou
- Early life :Alsou was born in Bugulma, Tatarstan. Her father, Ralif Rafilovich Safin is a Russian oligarch, a former LUKoil executive and a current member of the Federal Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament. He is also the owner of the FC Zhemchuzhina-Sochi football team and was...
, Mandy Moore
Mandy Moore
Amanda Leigh "Mandy" Moore is an American singer-songwriter, actress and fashion designer. Moore became famous as a teenager in the late 1990s, after the release of her teen pop albums So Real, I Wanna Be with You, and Mandy Moore. In 2007, she took an adult pop-folk direction with the release of...
and Anastacia
Anastacia
Anastacia is an American singer-songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Asia, South Africa and South America, but has had only minor success in her native United States...
, as well as many other collaborations with such artists as Christina Milian
Christina Milian
Christine Flores , better known by her stage name Christina Milian , is an American singer-songwriter, actress, dancer, and model....
and Emma Bunton
Emma Bunton
Emma Lee Bunton is an English pop singer/songwriter and TV and radio presenter. She was a member of the 1990s girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was known as Baby Spice as she was the youngest member. In 2010, she joined the judging panel on ITV's Dancing on Ice...
(aka Baby Spice).
As the 90s came to a close and teen pop died down, Sturken & Rogers changed gears once again, discovering and developing Javier, whom they signed to Capitol Records. They wrote and produced the majority of his debut album, including the hit single "Crazy".
Next to come calling was Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, who hired the team to work on Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
’s debut album, for which they wrote the hit single "The Trouble with Love Is
The Trouble with Love Is
"The Trouble with Love Is" is the fourth and final single from pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson's debut album, Thankful. It was co-written by Clarkson, Evan Rogers, and Carl Sturken and co-produced by Rogers and Sturken...
", also featured in the movie Love Actually
Love Actually
Love Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
. The Davis connection continued with the American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
project in 2004, as well as Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
’s As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2
As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2
As Time Goes By: the Great American Songbook 2, released in 2003, is Rod Stewart's second album of Pop standards. On the US charts, As Time Goes By fared better than its predecessor, It Had to Be You: the Great American Songbook, reaching a peak of number two, and being certified 2× Platinum. In...
and two tracks for Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
's double platinum debut album, Soulful
Soulful (Ruben Studdard album)
Soulful is the 2003 debut album from second-season American Idol winner Ruben Studdard.-Track listing:# "Sorry 2004" – 4:22...
.
Current
The duo then decided to begin to build their own label, forming SRP Records in 2005. Their first signing was 16-year-old RihannaRihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, whom Rogers discovered while vacationing in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. They brought her to Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and L. A. Reid
L. A. Reid
Antonio "L.A." Reid is a three-time Grammy Award-winning US record executive, songwriter, and record producer. Best known as the co-founder of LaFace Records, he is responsible for signing and helping bring Mariah Carey, Pink, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Kanye West, Avril Lavigne, Toni Braxton, TLC,...
at Def Jam Records and she was signed within hours of her audition. Rihanna’s first single "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
", co-written and produced by Sturken & Rogers, went on to be popular worldwide, while her debut album Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun
Music of the Sun is the debut album of Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna, released August 26, 2005 on Def Jam Recordings. Rihanna worked with several producers for the album, mainly Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers who produced and penned most of the tracks on the album. It features guest contributions by...
has sold over a million copies. Rihanna’s follow-up, A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me (Rihanna album)
A Girl like Me is the second studio album by Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna. It was released through Def Jam Recordings on April 19, 2006 in Japan, on April 24 in the United Kingdom, and on April 25 in the United States. For the production of the album, Rihanna worked with Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken,...
, sold 3 million copies. Rihanna scored one of the biggest singles of the 2000s with "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
". The follow-up single "Shut Up and Drive
Shut Up and Drive (Rihanna song)
"Shut Up and Drive" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . Released as album's second single, the song was solicited to the US radios on June 12, 2007 and was physically released on August 27, 2007 in the United Kingdom...
" was written and produced by Sturken & Rogers, and became a top 10 hit worldwide. The duo also had a hand in producing and writing the UK top 5 hit single Issues for girl group The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
in 2008.
Most recently, Sturken & Rogers have signed four more acts to their SRP label. Shontelle
Shontelle
Shontelle Layne , known professionally as Shontelle, is a Barbadian singer, and songwriter. She released her debut album Shontelligence in November 2008. Her sophomore album, No Gravity, was released in September 2010...
– a singer/songwriter from Barbados, SRP linked with Steve Rifkind at SRC/Universal for her debut album Shontelligence
Shontelligence
The album has received generally mixed reviews from music critics.Ben Ratliffe of The New York Times gave the album a mixed review stating that:Alex Macpherson of The Guardian gave the album a mixed 3/5 stars stated that:...
, for which Sturken & Rogers penend all but two of the songs. For Shontelle's sophomore album, No Gravity
No Gravity (Shontelle album)
No Gravity is the second studio album by Barbadian recording artist Shontelle, released on September 21, 2010 by SRC Records. Initially scheduled for an August 2010 release the album has been in production since August 2009 and was pushed back by one month to include additional recording sessions...
, Sturken & Rogers wrote one song. They have also signed Jamaican singing group J-Status through SRP/Next Plateau, Brooklyn based rock band The Urgency, and 18-year-old jazz singer/pianist Kandace Springs from Nashville, TN. In addition, SRP has signed Javier Colon and are currently working out a co-venture with a major label to be determined.