Claude Kelly Bio
Claude Kelly is an American record producer, songwriter, and singer whose work has shaped several of pop and R&B’s most recognizable hits of the twenty-first century. A four-time Grammy Award nominee, he has been credited on commercially successful releases for artists including Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Lopez, Kesha, Brandy, Tori Kelly, and One Direction. Known by the nickname Studio Beast, Kelly is also recognized for founding the R&B duo Louis York with producer Chuck Harmony in 2015 and for co-founding the Weirdo Workshop music collective the same year.
Early Life and Background
Claude Kelly was born and raised in New York City, New York, United States. His Jamaican-born mother introduced him to a wide variety of music styles during his childhood, including jazz, reggae, blues, and R&B, an influence that would later shape his approach to songwriting and production. Growing up in the city offered him early exposure to live music and diverse cultural traditions.
Kelly studied piano and flute at the Third Street Music School Settlement and sang with the New York Boys Choir, two formative experiences that gave him both instrumental training and vocal discipline. He attended Grace Church School and Riverdale Country School for his primary and secondary education. He later enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 2002 with a degree in music business and management.
Path to Music
After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Kelly worked as a session singer on the East Coast, building his craft and industry connections before moving into songwriting. He placed his first song in 2002, when “You’re Taking It” was included on a CD compilation for the Japanese clothing line A Bathing Ape. That early placement helped him establish a foothold in professional music circles.
Kelly wrote “Daddy’s Little Girl” for Frankie J, which was released as a single in 2006 and led to a publishing contract with Warner/Chappell Music. That same year, he was introduced to producer RedOne and began collaborating with RedOne and Lady Gaga, who was working on her first album. This collaboration led to an introduction to Akon, setting the stage for some of his most prominent early placements in the international pop market.
Claude Kelly Career
Early Career (2002–2006)
Claude Kelly began his professional music career in 2002, the same year he graduated from Berklee College of Music. His earliest credit came when his song “You’re Taking It” was included on a CD compilation for the Japanese clothing line A Bathing Ape. He then worked as a session singer on the East Coast while developing his songwriting voice.
In 2006, Kelly wrote “Daddy’s Little Girl” for Frankie J, and the track was released as a single. The success of that song earned him a publishing contract with Warner/Chappell Music. Later that year, he was introduced to producer RedOne, beginning a working relationship that would connect him to major pop artists and producers in the years that followed.
Breakthrough (2007–2014)
Kelly and Akon co-wrote “Hold My Hand” with Whitney Houston in mind, but Akon ultimately decided to record it as a duet with Michael Jackson. The track became one of Jackson’s final recordings and appeared on his 2010 posthumous album Michael, marking a high-profile placement early in Kelly’s career.
Nicknamed the Studio Beast, Kelly wrote the Britney Spears single “Circus” with Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Songs chart, and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. He also co-wrote Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You” with Max Martin and Dr. Luke, a track that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the Miley Cyrus single “Party in the U.S.A.” with Dr. Luke and Jessie J, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 28 weeks on the chart. He co-wrote and recorded backing vocals for “International Love” by Pitbull featuring Chris Brown, which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Beyond the studio, Kelly served as a vocal producer for the U.S. version of The X Factor in 2011 and 2012. In August 2013, it was announced that he and Jenna Hally Rubenstein were partnering to executive produce and develop a reality television show to find undiscovered music moguls. He also co-executive produced Karmin’s 2012 EP Hello and Tamia’s 2012 album Beautiful Surprise, and co-produced Masha’s debut rock EP Stupid, Stupid Dreams in 2013. In 2013, he was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s list of Music’s Top 35 Hitmakers.
Notable Works and Milestones
Kelly’s catalog spans pop, R&B, soul, dance, and country, and includes songwriting and production credits for Whitney Houston, R. Kelly, Miley Cyrus, Olly Murs, Jessie J, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis, John Legend, Faith Evans, Joe Jonas, Jason Derulo, Backstreet Boys, Adam Lambert, Martina McBride, Christina Aguilera, One Direction, The Wanted, and the K-pop girl group Wonder Girls. His signature work includes the hits “Circus,” “My Life Would Suck Without You,” and “Party in the U.S.A.,” each of which became defining tracks for the artists who recorded them.
Louis York and Weirdo Workshop (2015–Present)
In 2014, Claude Kelly and fellow songwriter and producer Chuck Harmony formed the R&B duo Louis York. Their debut EP, Masterpiece Theater – Act I, was released in 2015. The first single, “Clair Huxtable,” is an ode to Phylicia Rashad’s character on The Cosby Show. The EP was the first release from their music collective Weirdo Workshop, distributed through Sony’s RED Music. In 2015, Kelly and Harmony officially co-founded the Weirdo Workshop label and collective, expanding Kelly’s role from songwriter and producer to entrepreneur and label executive.
Claude Kelly Award Nominations
Claude Kelly has received four Grammy Award nominations across his career, reflecting his consistent presence among the songwriters behind some of the most popular recordings of his era. His nominations include the 2011 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for Fantasia’s “Bittersweet,” two 2012 Grammy Awards for Song of the Year for Bruno Mars’s “Grenade” and for Best R&B Song for Ledisi’s “Pieces of Me,” and the 2013 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for Tamia’s “Beautiful Surprise.”
Claude Kelly Family
Claude Kelly was raised in New York City by his Jamaican-born mother, who introduced him to a wide range of music styles, including jazz, reggae, blues, and R&B. Her influence played a formative role in shaping his musical taste and his eventual career path as a songwriter and producer.
Personal Life
Claude Kelly continues to be based in the United States and remains active as a recording artist, songwriter, and producer. Beyond his work with Louis York and the Weirdo Workshop collective, he is recognized throughout the music industry as the Studio Beast, a nickname that reflects his prolific output in the recording studio.