RedOne's Early Career and Success:
RedOne was born as Nadir Khayat in Morocco. He gained his first success in the pop music industry working in Sweden. RedOne was one of the producers on the A*Teens 2001 album Teen Spirit. It hit #50 in the US and reached the top 10 in a number of European countries. He was also a writer and producer on the group's 2002 follow up Pop 'Til You Drop!.
Emergence Into the Spotlight:
RedOne returned to performing studio work in relative obscurity until a pair of production efforts on the album I Wish by Canadian artist Carl Henry in 2005. His song "Bamboo" was selected as theme music for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. A mash-up of "Bamboo" and "Hips Don't Lie" was performed by Shakira and Wyclef Jean at the World Cup championship. In 2007 RedOne broke into the pop charts in the US as producer of Kat DeLuna's debut hit "Whine Up."
World Pop Breakthrough With Lady GaGa:
2008 was the year the pop world became fully aware of RedOne. His production and writing work on "Just Dance" helped turn the song into a massive #1 hit around the world and introduced pop fans to a new star Lady GaGa. An announcement came out that RedOne was to team up with Akon for production work on a new album by Michael Jackson. RedOne also produced five tracks on the official version of the New Kids on the Block comeback album The Block. RedOne closed out the year with a Best Dance Recording Grammy nomination for "Just Dance."
Top RedOne Production Projects:
- 2007 - Kat DeLuna featuring Elephant Man - "Whine Up"
- 2008 - Lady GaGa featuring Colby O'Donis - "Just Dance"
- 2008 - Tami Chynn featuring Akon - "Frozen"
- 2009 - Lady GaGa - "Poker Face"
- 2009 - Lady GaGa - "LoveGame"
- 2009 - Sean Kingston - "Fire Burning"
The Style of RedOne:
In many ways the style of RedOne's music is very traditional. The sound of much of his music is mainstream dance influenced strongly by 80's synth textures. The songs are highly melodic and catchy. RedOne commented on his own music to the Los Angeles Times. "It brings a lot of joy to people, and people want to escape from what’s going on. The ‘80s was happy music, and that’s what I’m doing musically. People are reacting positively to big choruses, joyful music."
Worldwide Production Success:
RedOne's successs continued unabated in 2009. Lady GaGa's "Poker Face" was another worldwide #1 smash. Her third top 10 in the US, "LoveGame", was also produced and co-written by RedOne. He helped Sean Kingston return to the pop top 10 in the summer of 2009 with "Fire Burning." RedOne is working with Sugababes on their upcoming album, and he has worked with Adam Lambert in the studio.
