Did Dr. Luke come back with Doza Cat’s ‘Say So,’ but did he ever leave? – Different

Doza Cat’s fast-growing hit “Say So” – which went second in the Rolling Stone Top 100 this week and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 – is the kind of song you seem to have heard before.

Maybe it’s because of the razor-sharp voice or the tic-tac-toe-ready guitar leaks, or – bonus – Nicki Minaj’s guest rap in his newly-released remix. But it’s probably because it’s virtually impossible to get out of your head after listening to the Fluorescent chorus effortlessly, the same author Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been,” Miley Cyrus’ “Racking Ball,” Katy Perry’s “California Girls,” Britney Spears ” Suppose, “Pink” U + Ur Hand “and dozens of other hits.

That would be Lucas Gottwald, aka Dr. Luke, who was “disgraced” by a widely publicized lawsuit in 2014 by former Pregie Kesser who accused him of sexual harassment and emotional abuse and tried to free him from his label and publishing contract – allegations he Has steadfastly refused when his lawyers have been in court for more than five years Dr. won. So many years have passed since Gotwald’s name was linked to a big chart hit.

Although the “say so” designated producer is a Tyson Tracks, the name is one of several pseudonyms used by Gottwald after he effectively left the referendum court. In reality, the music never stopped for the producer, lyricist and executive. His prescription song publishing company is a powerhouse that has won Escap’s Indie Publisher of the Year crown three times in the decade since its inception, and Dua Lipper has credited dozens of hits, including “Don’t Start Now” and “New Rules,” and Arizona Jarvis’ “Roxanne.” His chemosab label – which includes Doza, Becky G and yes, Kesha – is a partnership with Sony Music that he publicly removed himself in April 2017, but still part of the profit sharing through the royalties he earned from the credit for releasing those artists. Take. And while he was less active as a lyricist-producer than before, he played a strong role in the development of several newcomer actors, most notably Doza and Kim Petras (under the pseudonym Made in China). Dr. Luke may have gone missing, but Lucas Gottwald – and his business – went nowhere.

Even Luke’s book, which includes TK’s top 10 hits, includes nothing less than “Say So”. Consider the 1.8 million adjusted song units sold by Alpha Data; With 100 million plus views on YouTube, 400 million streams on Spotify and nearly 200,000 spins on Territorial Radio, in addition to the staggering stats on TickTock – the number of people who were created to capture and publicize this type of music industry will skyrocket. So much so that the question needs to be asked: Has Dr. Luke been dismissed?

“The client is an intelligent one,” said Larry Rudolph, a veteran artist manager, whose clients include Spears and Petra. “What he does is incredible and has always been. He’s got an ugly and unfortunate public situation with an artist – but his talent doesn’t go away.”

In fact, as Diversity As I have learned, when it comes to Dr. Luke, the industry seems to have surpassed the optics of working with someone who is accused of a criminal act – but being convicted. “It’s not forgotten, but it certainly seems to be less than a conversation,” said an A&R executive.

No one can argue that Gottwald is not an exceptionally talented musician who has tuned in to the horizons of the very near future and Sonic’s prosperity trends. He is also a kind of personal wealth businessman who allows a kind of freedom so that he does no harm in objecting to the people around him.

“Luke is an ass – everyone knows it,” says another top art insider, “but I don’t think he’s a rapist.”

Kesser’s allegations have made the industry a nightmare for some time – such as Gotwald’s critical public statements from Clarkson and Pink, massive support from the social-media wave of #Fricash in 2015, and Taylor Swift’s $ 250,000 grant after Kesser’s order. A judge refused to pay. But for lack of evidence, not to mention his music track record, it didn’t last long.

Another top executive who worked with Gottwald said, “Initially you would be safer than sad and I think everyone needed to breathe until the information came out,” said another top label executive who worked with Gottwald. “I hope he’s a bit behind in terms of media coverage,” the source added, referring to Gottwald’s blurry remarks in response to multiple lawsuits surrounding Keshar’s allegations.

“If the criminal allegations are proven, it could be a different story, but it’s not like Harvey Weinstein,” the executive continued. “And at the end of the day, if a song is great and the artist is right with it, it’s not my business to stand in the way.”

“Luke has always been a tough businessman, sometimes even tougher than he needed to be,” says Chris Anukut, who has known and worked with Luke for more than a decade. “He didn’t always know when to fold, and never made it easier if you’re on the other side of the discussion. But personally he has always been a great friend, in reality you are very sensitive and weak when you know him. Sometimes business disguises itself so that you don’t even recognize yourself at times. “

Yet, the Kesha War has been an extremely ugly and destructive legal battle that has severely damaged several careers, dragged Lady Gaga and Katy Perry, and affected dozens of artists and executives involved with Gotwald.

Anokut thinks this is unfair. “No one is perfect, people make mistakes,” he said. Diversity. “She is OK. Dr. Looch is one of the best producers of modern pop music. Creatively, there is no one better than this. I have never sat next to anyone with so much talent. Once a hit maker is always a hit maker.

Gottwald’s main asset was royalties as a result of which he was entitled to his work and prescriptions – for loose references, a chart-topping song in the United States could earn 2 2 million a year for publishing additional funds from Master Rights, Syncs and the public. Investment too. His stake in beverage firm Core Nutrition – which some claim he pushed for his artists to invest – raised about $ 525 million last year when TTTT was bought by Dr Pepper’s parent company. He also owns a significant amount of prime real estate in Hollywood.

Gatwald went from the house band “Saturday Night Live” to the cookie guitarist to become the biggest hit maker of this century, when he started training with Sweden’s Max Martin – who was actually its biggest hit maker. With combinations from Century, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears to Justin Timberlake and The Weekend. Gottwald set the stage for Clarkson’s career in 2005 with “Since You’re Gone,” followed by multiple platinum barrages, including a hair breakthrough, “Tick Talk,” in addition to Perry and Cyrus’ hits.

In 2009, he started Prescription Song, a publishing company / hit maker boot camp set up by Martin’s company – inspired by Cheron himself, a studio, label and publisher created by Martin’s mentor, the late Deniz Pop, a creative energy blockbuster in the early 90’s. The base of the law s. (Going even further back, the Swedish pop business was deeply influenced by Abba’s almost unprecedented musical and commercial success in the 1970s and ’60s.) Over the past decade, prescription has become a powerhouse, with offices in Los Angeles and Nashville.

Obviously, Gotwald doesn’t need to write songs to continue the lot. However, the presence of someone’s name in a song’s achievement in the open secret of a long-standing music industry – especially today with dozens of or more writers pileups with most hits – does not mean that the individual worked closely with the artist in the studio, or even musically contributed. Gottwald, like many top hitmakers, has earned a reputation for this kind of practice by the very existence of prescriptions, as well as a claimant principal who expects his subordinates to work a strict schedule of hours to perform these fines, the only audible but necessary sonic details. .

Thus, when media alarms revealed Gottwald’s name to the credit of Igi Azalia 2018’s non-hit “Savior”, Azelia responded on Twitter: “It was created by Circuit. [a.k.a. Canadian songwriter-producer and frequent Gottwald collaborator Henry Walter] And another kid is MHL, who has a production contract with Luke. Their deal and who they are involved with based on the business is in no way Dr. Doesn’t “work” me with Luke.

Gottwald, however, is a well-known author of the song, and its listed producers are Circuit and the mysterious “Manhun Glow,” a name that obviously has no credit for composing or producing any other song, and following the MHL acronym, would be a distinct pseudonym.

In “Say So,” Dr. Luke’s magic can be heard from the opening bars: the chorus in particular hits you first in all ear hype. It’s like a play-in-the-bottle moment that comes from experience in the form of trained ears, real talent and relentless pursuit of hits. This sacred trilogy of Gotwald has a down pat and unlike the recording artists it is the “Dr. Luke” brand success.

“Time is a great healer and he became as indifferent as I can see,” said the second executive.