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:
“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
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