POWER HITTERS: MICHAEL POLLACK

In our new feature, we shine a spotlight on the brilliant songwriters and producers behind the biggest smashes in the biz, the players who regularly step up to the plate and deliver a hit—and frequently drive it clear out of the park.

Across modern-day music, you'll find songwriter/producer Michael Pollack tied to massive singles and streaming hits from pop royalty to next-gen stars. The accomplished pianist's most recent pack of cuts appears on Justin Bieber's Justice—Pollack has five co-writes, including lead singles "Holy" f/Chance the Rapper and "Anyone," which both debuted in the Top 10 on the Hot 100. "Holy" reached #1 at Hot AC, #2 at Pop and is certified platinum.

Pollack's string of Bieber hits follows previous heaters from Miley Cyrus ("Prisoner" f/Dua Lipa) and Maroon 5 ("Memories"). The latter went to #1 at Top 40 and is 3x platinum.

Pop-culture historians might recall Pollack as the Vanderbilt student who, in 2013, went viral after joining Billy Joel onstage to perform "New York State of Mind." The young Joel fan had spontaneously asked the Piano Man during a Q&A if he could perform with him. By the end of the performance, an impressed Joel announced, "That's Michael Pollack. Remember that name." Shortly after his viral moment, Pollack signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell.

He also contributed to three songs on Katy Perry's Smile, including "Daisies." With Lauv, Pollack co-wrote streaming hits "i'm so tired" f/Troye Sivan and "fuck, i'm lonely" f/Anne-Marie.

Managed by Nonstop boss Jaime Zeluck-Hindlin, Pollack has frequently collaborated with hitmakers JKash, The Monsters & Strangerz, Jon Bellion, Ryan Tedder and The Futuristics. Other recently charted songs include Daya's "Bad Girl," Max f/Suga's "Blueberry Eyes" and Alec Benjamin's "Let Me Down Slowly."

Sample Pollack's discography below.