Cassius D. Kalb
Encyclopedia
Khalil "Cassius D. Kalb" Walton (born June 6) is an American
Grammy Award
-winning songwriter
, and musician
based in Atlanta, Georgia
.
debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans
.
"Just the Way You Are
" was Kalb's first placement and the success of the record exceeded his expectations. The song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100
on the chart dated October 2, 2010, ending the two-week reign of Katy Perry
's "Teenage Dream
". By the end of December 2010, the song had sold over 3,280,000 digital copies in the US alone; and as of March 2011, has now sold over 4,000,000 downloads. In the UK, Just the Way You Are hit the number-one spot twice, from sales of 116,000 copies becoming the first song ever to have left the top three before rebounding to the top spot. It sold 766,000 copies during 2010, becoming the third biggest seller of the year. On 2 January 2011 it was revealed that the song is the ninth most downloaded song of all time in the United Kingdom. The song jumped from 7 to 1 on the Canadian Hot 100
chart dated October 9, 2010. On October 12, 2010, the song hit the Dutch Top 40
, and it reached 11 weeks at the number one in the Netherlands on December 20. The song also reached number one in Australia and certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
.
"Just The Way You Are" was an international hit. It was performed by Cory Monteith
for the American TV show Glee
on episode "Furt
", which aired on November 22, 2010. It was also covered by The Saturdays
at BBC Radio 1
's Live Lounge
on October 29, 2010. Matt Cardle
, the winner of the seventh series
of British TV talent contest The X Factor
, performed "Just the Way You Are" in week 2 of the live shows and later recorded his own version of the song as a B-side for his debut single "When We Collide". The song is also a featured single on Kidz Bop 19
. Parody rapper Rucka Rucka Ali
used the instrumental for his song "Were All Asian". Stefano Langone
covered the song on the 10th season
of American Idol
.
With the Success of "Just the Way You Are", Kalb continued to break records by landing another placement, co-penning, "Til I Get There" for Lupe Fiasco's L.A.S.E.R.S album. On January 27, 2011, "Til I Get There" was featured on ESPN Winter X Games'
In April 2011, Kalb won an ASCAP Pop Award and "Just the Way You Are" received five Billboard Music Awards songwriter nominations.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
based in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
Music career
In his short career Cassius has gained notoriety and respect as a songwriter for co-writing and composing the Grammy Award winning single "Just the Way You Are" for Bruno MarsBruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Doo-Wops & Hooligans
Doo-Wops & Hooligans is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, released on October 4, 2010. Mars' writing and production team The Smeezingtons were credited with writing all songs and serve as the album's executive producers...
.
"Just the Way You Are
Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars song)
"Just the Way You Are" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, and is the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was released in the United States on July 20, 2010. It has also received airplay from AOL Radio's New Pop First station. The song was written by...
" was Kalb's first placement and the success of the record exceeded his expectations. The song reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on the chart dated October 2, 2010, ending the two-week reign of Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010 through digital distribution. Perry and Bonnie McKee wrote many songs with a youthful theme in mind, but they were rejected by...
". By the end of December 2010, the song had sold over 3,280,000 digital copies in the US alone; and as of March 2011, has now sold over 4,000,000 downloads. In the UK, Just the Way You Are hit the number-one spot twice, from sales of 116,000 copies becoming the first song ever to have left the top three before rebounding to the top spot. It sold 766,000 copies during 2010, becoming the third biggest seller of the year. On 2 January 2011 it was revealed that the song is the ninth most downloaded song of all time in the United Kingdom. The song jumped from 7 to 1 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
chart dated October 9, 2010. On October 12, 2010, the song hit the Dutch Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
, and it reached 11 weeks at the number one in the Netherlands on December 20. The song also reached number one in Australia and certified triple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
.
"Just The Way You Are" was an international hit. It was performed by Cory Monteith
Cory Monteith
Cory Allan Monteith is a Canadian actor and musician, best known for his role of Finn Hudson on the Fox television series Glee.-Early life:...
for the American TV show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
on episode "Furt
Furt
"Furt" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 30th episode overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, directed by Carol Banker, and premiered on Fox in the United States on November 23, 2010...
", which aired on November 22, 2010. It was also covered by 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...
at BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Live Lounge
Live Lounge
The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio station BBC Radio 1. Originally hosted by Jo Whiley on her mid-morning radio show and now hosted by Fearne Cotton, it exhibits well-known artists usually performing one song of their own and one by another artist, in an acoustic format...
on October 29, 2010. Matt Cardle
Matt Cardle
Matthew Sheridan "Matt" Cardle is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist who rose to fame after winning the seventh series of The X Factor in 2010. He received a £1 million recording contract with Syco Music by winning, and his debut number one single "When We Collide" was released immediately...
, the winner of the seventh series
The X Factor (UK series 7)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
of British TV talent contest The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
, performed "Just the Way You Are" in week 2 of the live shows and later recorded his own version of the song as a B-side for his debut single "When We Collide". The song is also a featured single on Kidz Bop 19
Kidz Bop 19
Kidz Bop 19 is an album in the Kidz Bop series. It was released on January 18, 2011. The album eventually debuted at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.-Track listing :All songs are performed by the Kidz Bop Kids...
. Parody rapper Rucka Rucka Ali
Rucka Rucka Ali
Rucka Rucka Ali is an anonymous American rapper, radio personality, singer, comedian, and satirist most noted for his song parodies on YouTube. He has been labelled one of the most successful artists to come out of YouTube, where he has received over 100 million hits...
used the instrumental for his song "Were All Asian". Stefano Langone
Stefano Langone
Stefano Langone is an American singer from Kent, Washington. Langone placed seventh on the tenth season of American Idol.-Early life:...
covered the song on the 10th season
American Idol (season 10)
The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
of 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...
.
With the Success of "Just the Way You Are", Kalb continued to break records by landing another placement, co-penning, "Til I Get There" for Lupe Fiasco's L.A.S.E.R.S album. On January 27, 2011, "Til I Get There" was featured on ESPN Winter X Games'
In April 2011, Kalb won an ASCAP Pop Award and "Just the Way You Are" received five Billboard Music Awards songwriter nominations.
Discography
| Year | Song | Contribution | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Just the Way You Are Just the Way You Are (Bruno Mars song) "Just the Way You Are" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, and is the lead single from his debut studio album, Doo-Wops & Hooligans. It was released in the United States on July 20, 2010. It has also received airplay from AOL Radio's New Pop First station. The song was written by... " |
Co-write/Production | Bruno Mars Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age... |
Doo-Wops & Hooligans Doo-Wops & Hooligans Doo-Wops & Hooligans is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars, released on October 4, 2010. Mars' writing and production team The Smeezingtons were credited with writing all songs and serve as the album's executive producers... |
| 2011 | "Til I Get There" | Co-write | Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food... |
LASERS |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Event | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Grammy Awards | Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Won |
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | Just The Way You Are | Won | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Hot 100 Song "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Digital Song "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Radio Song "Just The Way You Are" | Won | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Streaming Song (Audio) "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated | |
| Billboard Music Awards | Top Pop Song "Just The Way You Are" | Nominated |