Love Katy Perry Then You Probably Love Bonnie Mckee The 30 Year Old Pop Music Hit Machine

Bonnie McKee was born on January 20, 1984 in Vacaville, California.  She grew up in Seattle, Washington, where she studied classical piano and sang in the Seattle Girls Choir.  The choir toured around the world and recorded multiple albums.  By her mid-teens, it was obvious that she had real talent.  Her mother passed a demo on to Jonathon Poneman, the co-founder of Sub Pop.  He encouraged the young artist to focus on songwriting, as well as singing.  By the time she was 15, she was regularly performing her own songs in clubs and coffee shops all over Seattle.  Soon, Hollywood came callin, in the form of Colin Filkow, then an executive at Priority Records.  He shopped the young singer-songwriter around, eventually inking an unprecedented deal with Warner Bros. Records for the 17 year old artist.  Her first album, “Trouble”, was released in 2004, and was a critical darling.  Unfortunately, it was also a commercial dud, and the disappointment took its toll on the young singer.  She developed a severe meth habit, was dropped from her label, and generally fell apart. She got herself back together over the next few years, focusing on learning how to produce her own material, as well as acting in such projects as “August Rush”, “CSI: NY”, and “American Dreams”.  Then her manager introduced her to prolific songwriter and producer, Lukasz “Dr. Luke” Gottwald in 2009, and her whole world changed.  Dr. Luke invited her to work on a Katy Perry’s second album.  McKee had been friends with Perry for years, but had not considered writing for her.  Over the course of the next few months, the writing team, made up of Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, Benny Blanco, Max Martin, and sometimes Katy Perry herself, would churn out a series of hugely popular tracks for the singer.  That was just the beginning.  Bonnie McKee has continued to write successful tracks for a range of artists since then, including Britney Spears, Taio Cruz, Leona Lewis, Christina Aguilera, Ke$ha, Rita Ora, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Cody Simpson, among others.  Here’s a list of her hit tracks – by the numbers. *Profits and tracks sold are based on digital downloads ONLY. “California Gurls” Sung by Katy Perry Chart Position:  #1 in 10 Countries Tracks Sold:  7.3 million Approx. Profit: $9.5 million “Teenage Dream” Sung by Katy Perry Chart Position:  #1 in 5 countries, including the US, Top 10 in 14 other countries Tracks Sold: 7 million (number approximate) Approx. Profit:  $9 million “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” Sung by Katy Perry Chart Position:  #1 – US and Canada, Top 10 in 16 other countries Tracks Sold:  5 million Approx. Profit:  $6.45 million “Wide Awake” Sung by Katy Perry Chart Position:  #2 in the US, #1 in three countries, Top 10 in nine others Tracks Sold:  3.8 million Approx. Profit:  $4.9 million “Part of Me” Sung by Katy Perry Chart Position: #1 in the US and 5 other countries, Top 10 in seven other countries Tracks Sold:  3.5 million Approx. Profit:  $4.5 million “Hold It Against Me” Sung by Britney Spears Tracks Sold: Approx. Profit: “Dynamite” Sung by Taio Cruz Chart Position:  #2 in the US, #1 in 5 other countries Tracks Sold:  7.1 million Approx. Profit:  $9.2 million “How We Do (Party)” Sung by Rita Ora Chart Position: #1 UK, Top 10 – New Zealand, Australia, Ireland, #62 US Tracks Sold:  900,000 Approx. Profit: $1.2 million “C’Mon” Sung by Ke$ha Chart Position:  #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 Tracks Sold: 900,000 Approx. Profit:  $1.2 million “Hello” Sung by Kelly Clarkson Not released as a single Albums – “Stronger” – Sold:  2 million Approx. Profit:  $2.6 million “Let There Be Love” Sung by Christina Aguilera Chart Position:  #1 US Hot Dance Club Charts Not released as a single. Albums – “Lotus” –  Sold:  900,000 Approx. Profit:  $1.2 million “Ooh La La” Sung by Britney Spears Chart Position:  #54 in the US, Top 10 in 4 other countries Tracks Sold:  800,000 Approx. Profit: $1 million “Roar” Sung by Katy Perry Chart Position:  #1 in 18 countries, Top 10 in everywhere but Brazil Tracks Sold: 8 million Approx. Profit: $10.3 million This list only includes songs that were released as singles, or songs that became popular on their own.  This list does not include multiple tracks she wrote or co-wrote for Britney Spears’ album, “Femme Fatale”, Adam Lambert’s album, “Trespassing”, Nicole Scherzinger’s album, “Killer Love”, Ellie Goulding’s album, “Halcyon Days”, Carly Rae Jepsen’s album, “Kiss”, Elliott Yamin’s album, “Fight for Love”, and Cher’s album “Closer to the Truth”.  While she continues to write great songs for other artists, she has also returned to the studio herself, and is currently working on her second album.  It’s slated for release during the summer of 2014.  A single called, “American Girls”, was released in July of 2013, and reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Interestingly, the tongue-in-cheek summer anthem stalled out because the singer was reviewed as “sounding too much like Katy Perry”.  Oh – the trials and tribulations of being a successful songwriter.