OF AMY ALLEN WE SING

Amy Allen was recently—and fittingly—nominated for the Songwriter of the Year Grammy after a blockbuster 2024 highlighted by her work with Sabrina Carpenter, who is herself a contender in every Big 4 category. Allen shares in the singer’s Song and Album of the Year noms and is also in the running for Best Song Written for Visual Media (“Better Place,” from Trolls Band Together).

No wonder The New York Times saluted her as the “secret weapon” of today’s pop stars and American Songwriter described her as “a lyrical mastermind” who's “brought an interesting idiosyncrasy to pop music that the genre hasn’t seen in a while.”

“I was fortunate enough to co-write ‘Please Please Please’ with Sabrina Carpenter and Jack Antonoff,” she explained to HITS, giving some insight into the “interesting idiosyncrasy” mentioned above. “I love the use of the modulation that catches everyone off guard at the start of the second verse, especially since modulations rarely ever get used in pop songs anymore, as well as the dynamic chorus melody and the soaring bridge, which is arguably my favorite part of the song."

"The writing chemistry I have with Sabrina is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in my career—she’s an unbelievable songwriter and collaborator," she adds, "and it has seamlessly turned into a very near and dear friendship.”

Should you require further evidence of Warner Chappell writer Allen’s dominant position in the pop zeitgeist, here are some fun facts:

• She is one of only two songwriters to have been nominated for Songwriter of the Year twice (Edgar Barrera is the other one).
• She has five songs on Top 40 radio right now, including Island star Carpenter’s “Espresso,” “Taste” and “Please Please Please,” and eight in the Hot 100, among them the ROSÉ-Bruno Mars smash “APT.” (Atlantic). She held the #1 spot on the chart for seven straight weeks this year. In all, she’s written or co-written 35+ songs that have hit the chart.
• She also co-penned “High Road,” a Country Top 10 hit for Columbia/RECORDS Nashville’s Koe Wetzel and Jessie Murph.
• “APT.” and “Taste” are in Spotify’s global Top 10 as of this writing, while "Espresso" is Top 15.
• She's also a co-writer on ROSÉ's brand-new single, "number one girl."
• Allen has collaborated with Harry Styles (sharing his Album of the Year win for Harry’s House), Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber, Lizzo, Tate McRae, Halsey, Shawn Mendes, Justin Timberlake and Leon Bridges, to name but a few.
• The multi-instrumentalist, who hails from Windhan, Maine, attended Berklee College of Music, where she studied at the feet of the great Kara DioGuardi.

“Every artist I write with teaches me something about myself and how I view the world,” Allen told us. “I think getting to write with artists across so many genres has made me increasingly confident in pushing myself into leaning into certain melodic tendencies or subject matters that I used to think were off the table.”

Will Allen take home an armload of hardware on Music’s Biggest Night? If she does, we have no doubt there’ll be a chorus of adulation.

Photo: David O'Donohue