Chris Braide

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Chris Braide

Birth name| Christopher Braide
Also known as| Magical Thinker
Origin| Warrington, Lancashire, England
Genres| Pop
Occupation(s)|

* Singer
* songwriter
* record producer

Instrument(s)|

* Vocals
* keyboards
* guitar

Years active| 1990s–present
Labels|

* Warner Bros
* Atlantic
* East West
* Polydor

Website| christopherbraide.com

Musical artist

Christopher Braide is an English songwriter, record producer and singer, formerly based in Malibu, Los Angeles, California, United States. Braide is known for being a pianist.

First signed as a solo artist by David A. Stewart in the UK and Craig Kallman at Atlantic Records in the US, Braide relocated to Los Angeles to produce and write for artists including Sia, Lana Del Rey, Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera, Selena Gomez, David Guetta, Halsey, Wrabel, Marc Almond, Beth Ditto, Yuna and Beyoncé.

Braide is a frequent collaborator of Sia;[1] together they have written for her own projects, movie soundtracks and for several other artists. Notable songs they have written over the years include "Kill and Run" for The Great Gatsby film and soundtrack, "Helium" for the 2017 Fifty Shades Darker film and soundtrack, "Pretty Isn't Perfect" and "Unstoppable" for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, "God Made You Beautiful" for the Beyoncé film Life Is But a Dream, "Perfume" for Britney Spears,[2] "Blank Page" for Christina Aguilera, and "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)" for David Guetta featuring Sia. Most recently, their song "Helium" was remixed for MAC cosmetics a collaboration for the cosmetic company's AIDS Fund by David Guetta and Afrojack, and a new single, "Flames", was released by David Guetta.[3][4]

He has a duo group with Geoff Downes (Yes, Buggles, Asia and others), called Downes Braide Association (DBA), since 2012.

Braide has won an Ivor Novello award and been nominated for a Grammy. He is published by BMG Rights Management worldwide and Magical Thinking BMI.

## Select songwriting and production discography[edit]

Year  | Artist  | Album  | Label  | Song  | Writer/Producer

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2021  | Sia | Music – Songs from and Inspired by the Motion Picture | Monkey Puzzle/Atlantic  | Music  | Writer/Producer
2020  | Toni Braxton | Spell My Name | Island Records  | Saturday Night  | Writer/Producer
Halsey |  | Astralwerks  | Honesty  | Writer/ Producer
Marc Almond | Chaos and a Dancing Star | BMG  | All Songs  | Writer/Producer
2019  | Freya Ridings | Freya Ridings | Good Soldier  | Still Have You  | Writer/ Producer
Sia ft Hans Zimmer | Seven Worlds, One Planet | BBC | Out There  | Writer/ Producer
Evie Irie  | 5 weeks in LA  | Republic  | Vulnerable  | Writer/ Producer
Natalie Portman / Celeste  | Vox Lux (soundtrack) | Columbia  | 2 songs  | Producer
2018  | Nicki Minaj | Queen | Young Money/Cash Money/Republic | Come See About Me  | Writer/ Producer
Sia & David Guetta | 7 | What A Music/ Warner  | Flames | Writer/ Producer[5]
Sia vs. David Guetta & Afrojack | MAC | Monkey Puzzle  | Helium | Writer/ Producer[6]
LP | Heart to Mouth | Vagrant/BMG  | Recovery  | Writer/ Producer
Robin Schulz ft Erika Sirola  | IIII | Atlantic  | Speechless  | Writer
2017  | Sia | Ballerina (titled Leap! in the United States)  | Gaumont  | Suitcase  | Writer/ Producer
Robin Schulz | Uncovered | Warner  | I Believe I'm Fine  | Writer/ Producer
Marc Almond | Shadows and Reflections  | BMG  | Embers  | Writer/ Producer
Elle King | Estee Lauder Ft Kendall Jenner  | RCA/ Magical Thinker Records  | Wild Love  | Writer/Producer
Allie X | CollXtion II | Twin Music  | True Love Is Violent  | Writer/Producer
Wrabel | Estee Lauder Ft Magical Thinker & Wrabel  | Epic/ Magical Thinker Records  | It's You  | Writer/ Producer
Meg Mac | Low Blows | Little Big Man  | Don't Need Permission  | Producer
Halsey | Hopeless Fountain Kingdom | Astralwerks  | The Prologue  | Writer
Lea Michele | Places | Columbia | "Heavy Love"  | Writer
Sia | Fifty Shades Darker: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Republic  | "Helium"  | Writer/ Producer
Marc Almond | Hits and Pieces: The Best of Marc Almond and Soft Cell | UMC  | "A Kind of Love"  | Writer/ Producer
2016  | Sia | This Is Acting (Deluxe Version) | Columbia  | "Confetti"  | Writer/ Producer
"Midnight Decisions"  | Writer/ Producer
Sia | This Is Acting | Columbia  | "Unstoppable"
"Space Between"  | Writer/ Producer
Rozes/ Elizabeth Mencel |  |  | Under The Grave
2015  | Selena Gomez | Revival | Interscope  | Camouflage
Halsey | Room 93 | Astralwerks/Capitol  | "Trouble"
Marc Almond | The Velvet Trail | Cherry Red Records | All songs  | Co-Writer/Producer
Kate Pierson | Guitars and Microphones | Kobalt  | "4 songs"  | Writer/Producer
Katharine McPhee | Hysteria | eOne  | Round Your Little Finger
2014  | Sia | 1000 Forms of Fear | Columbia  | "Eye of the Needle"  | Writer
"Big Girls Cry"  | Writer/ Producer
Colbie Caillat | Gypsy Heart | Universal  | "Break Free"
Paloma Faith | A Perfect Contradiction | Epic/RCA  | "Impossible Heart"
Afrojack | Forget the World | Universal / Def Jam  | "Ten Feet Tall"
2013  | Lea Michele | Louder | Columbia  | "If You Say So"
"You're Mine"
Britney Spears | Britney Jean | RCA  | "Perfume"
"Brightest Morning Star"  | Vocal Producer
Beyoncé | Life Is But a Dream | Columbia  | "God Made You Beautiful"  | Writer/ Producer
Sia | The Great Gatsby soundtrack[7] | Interscope Records  | "Kill and Run"[8]
David Guetta featuring Sia | Nothing But the Beat 2.0 | Virgin Records/ EMI  | "She Wolf"[9]
Stooshe | London with the Lights On | Warner Bros  | "Your Own Kind of Beautiful"[10]
"Perfectly Wrong"
Yuna | Nocturnal | Verve/ Universal  | "Rescue"[11]
"Colors"
"Escape"
"Come Back"  | Producer
Sixth Street | "Let Love Come Through Ft Kyle"[12] | Writer/ Producer
Sarah Brightman | Dreamchaser | Decca  | "Closer"[13]
2012  | Lana Del Rey | Born to Die[14] | Interscope  | "Million Dollar Man"[15]
Leak  | "Damn You"
"Queen of Disaster"
"Hollywood's Dead"
Christina Aguilera | Lotus | RCA  | "Blank Page"[16]
Paloma Faith | Fall to Grace | Epic  | "30 Minute Love Affair"[17] | Writer
Yuna | Yuna[18] | Fader  | "Lullabies"  | Writer/ Producer
"Favorite Things"
"Loud Noises"
" Islands "
" Decorate "
Delta Goodrem | Child of the Universe[19] | Sony Music  | "Hunter and the Wolves"[20] | Producer
"Speed of Life"
"Control"
2011  | JLS | Jukebox[21] | Epic  | "Killed By Love"  | Writer/ Producer
Theophilus London | —  | Warner Bros  | "Century Girl" featuring Dev Hynes[22]
Pixie Lott | "Turn It Up Louder"[23] | Mercury  | "Doin' Fine (Without You)"[24]
2010  | Diana Vickers | Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree | RCA  | "The Boy Who Murdered Love"
"N.U.M.B"
"Four Leaf Clover"
"Me and You"
JLS | Outta This World[25] | Epic  | "That's Where I'm Coming From"
Olly Murs | Olly Murs | Epic  | "Ask Me to Stay"  | Writer
The Saturdays | Wordshaker | Fascination/ Polydor  | "Denial"  | Writer/ Producer
2009  | Cheryl Cole | 3 Words | Fascination/ Polydor  | "Don't Talk About This Love"  | Writer
Lolene  | The Electrick Hotel | Island Def Jam  | "Beautiful Disaster"  | Writer/Producer
The Saturdays | Chasing Lights | Fascination/ Polydor  | "Chasing Lights"
Westlife | Where We Are | Syco Music  | "Reach Out"
Natalie Bassingthwaighte | 1000 Stars | "1000 Stars"
"Turn The Lights On"
Glenn Tilbrook | Pandemonium Ensues | Quixotic Records  | "Little Ships"  | Writer
"Melancholy Emotion"
2008  | Will Young | Let It Go | RCA  | "If Love Equals Nothing"  | Writer/ Producer
Leon Jackson | Right Now | Syco  | "Don't Call This Love"
James Morrison | Songs for You, Truths for Me | Polydor  | "Save Yourself"  | Writer
JLS | JLS | Epic  | "Heal This Heartbreak"
2007  | David Jordan | Set the Mood | ZTT  | "Fight the World"
"Only Living Soul"
The Click Five | Modern Minds and Pastimes | Atlantic Records  | "Jenny"
"Happy Birthday"
"I'm Getting Over You"
2006  | Duncan James | Future Past | Innocent Records  | "Sooner or Later"
"Somebody Still Loves You"
"I Come Alive"
"Frequency"
"Letter to God"
Beverley Knight | Voice – The Best of Beverley Knight | Parlophone Records  | "Not Too Late for Love"  | Writer/ Producer
"Who's Gonna Save Your Soul"
The Webb Sisters | Daylight Crossing | Universal Records  | "Please"  | Writer
2004  | Jesse McCartney | Beautiful Soul | Hollywood Records  | "Because You Live"  | Writer/ Producer
Diana DeGarmo | Blue Skies | Sony Music  | Dreams | Writer
Emotional
Lara Fabian | A Wonderful Life | I Am
Beverley Knight | Affirmation | Parlophone  | "Not Too Late for Love"  | Writer/ Producer
"Tea and Sympathy"
Glenn Tilbrook | Transatlantic Ping Pong | Quixotic Records  | "Untouchable"
"Ray and Me"  | Writer
Lisa Stansfield | "The Moment"  | ZTT  | "If I Hadn't Got You"
2003  | Kylie Minogue | Body Language | Parlophone Records  | "After Dark"  | Writer/ Producer
Play | Replay | Columbia Records  | "Let's Get to the Love Part"  | Writer
Clay Aiken | Measure of a Man | RCA  | "This Is the Night"
"Run To Me"
"Invisible"
S Club 7 | Best: The Greatest Hits of S Club 7 | Polydor  | "Say Goodbye"
2002  | Will Young | From Now On | Syco Music  | "Anything Is Possible"
2001  | S Club 7 | Sunshine | Parlophone Records  | "Have You Ever"
Victoria Beckham | Victoria Beckham | Virgin Records  | "I O U"
Rick Astley | Keep It Turned On | Polydor  | "Sleeping"  | Writer/Producer
Emma Bunton | A Girl Like Me | Virgin Records  | "Spell It O.U.T"  | Writer
"Been There, Done That"
Glenn Tilbrook | The Incomplete Glenn Tilbrook | Quixotic Records  | "Parallel World"
"Morning"
Brian Kennedy | Get on with Your Short Life | Sony Music  | "Get on with Your Short Life"
1999  | Brian Kennedy | Now That I Know What I Want | 19 recordings  | "Now That I Know What I Want"
1996  | Cathy Dennis | "Am I the Kinda Girl?"  | Polydor  | "Run Like a River"

## Recording artist[edit]

In 1993, Braide recorded his first solo album Chapter One - Chris Braide for Polydor Records. The album was produced by Thomas Dolby and Simply Red's Mick Hucknall. In 2014, the album was remastered and released in the UK on Plane Groovy Records[26]

In 1996, Dave Stewart signed Braide to his Warner Bros.-backed label Anxious Records, who released a single co-written with Chris Difford, "If I Hadn't Got You", and second single "Heavenly Rain", followed a year later by the album, Life in a Minor Key,[27] which was co-produced by Braide and David A. Stewart at Electric Lady Studios in New York. The record was released in the US on Atlantic Records and in 2013 a vinyl version was released on Plane Groovy Records.[28][29]

In 2012, Braide teamed up with Geoff Downes under the name "DBA" ("Downes Braide Association"). The result was an album, Pictures of You, released in Summer 2012 on Plane Groovy Records. Since then, they have released three more studio recordings (Suburban Ghosts in 2015, Skyscraper Souls in 2017 and Halcyon Hymns in 2021), and a live album (Live in England in 2019). Celestial Songs was released in September 2023.[30]

## Filmography[edit]

Braide wrote, performed or produced songs on the following film soundtracks:

* The Princess Diaries (2002)
* Without a Paddle (2004)
* St Trinian's (2007)
* The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)
* The Great Gatsby (2013)
* Youth (2015)
* Leap (2016)
* Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
* Fifty Shades Darker (2017)
* Wonder Woman (2017)
* Gnome Alone (2017)
* Charming (2018)
* Vox Lux (2018)[31]
* Duck Duck Goose (2018)
* Trouble (2021)

## Advertising campaigns[edit]

He wrote, performed or produced songs in the following advertising campaigns:

* Bud Light – Aluminium Super Bowl – 10 ft Tall ft Wrabel (2014)
* Gillette – Unstoppable/Pretty Isn't Perfect/ Rio Olympic Games (2016)
* Pocky Sticks – Rescue – Yuna (2016)
* Estee Lauder ft Kendall Jenner and Elle King / Wild Love (2017)
* Estee Lauder – See the world with wide-open eyes – It's You ft Magical Thinker and Wrabel (2017)
* MAC – Helium / Guetta Re-mix (2018)
* Lancome Paris/ Zendaya ft Sia "Unstoppable" (2019)
* Samsung Galaxy Sia "Unstoppable" (2022)

## References[edit]

1. ^ "abc Chris Braide". YouTube. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021.
2. ^ "Spears: 'New single hits close to home'". Digital Spy. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
3. ^ "Listen: David Guetta and Sia reunite for new single 'Flames'". Axs.com. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
4. ^ "LISTEN: David Guetta, Sia Debut 'Flames'". Iheartradio.ca. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
5. ^ "Chris Braide". Iheartradio.ca.
6. ^ "Chris Braide". Pmsstudio.com.
7. ^ "Chris Braide". IMDb.com.
8. ^ "Sia's Gorgeous 'Great Gatsby' Contribution, "Kill And Run"". Muumuse.com. 25 April 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
9. ^ "She Wolf (Falling to Pieces) – David Guetta | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
10. ^ "Stooshe confirm official tracklisting, songwriting credits for debut album 'London with the Lights On'". Hamasamania.com. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
11. ^ "News – Entertainment, Music, Movies, Celebrity". Mtv.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
12. ^ "Let Love Come Through With Kyle (Produced by Chris Braide) — Yuna". Last.fm. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
13. ^ "Dreamchaser – Sarah Brightman | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
14. ^ "Lana Del Rey – 'Born To Die'". Nme.com. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
15. ^ "Lana Del Rey – Born To Die". Discogs.com. 3 February 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
16. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Blank Page". Genius.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
17. ^ "Paloma Faith – Fall To Grace". Discogs.com. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
18. ^ "Yuna – Yuna (2012)". NewAlbumReleases.net. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
19. ^ "Music – Shop New Albums In CD + Vinyl At JB Hi-Fi". Jbhifi.com.au. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
20. ^ "Delta Goodrem – Child Of The Universe". Discogs.com. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
21. ^ "Jukebox – JLS | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
22. ^ "Theophilus London Century Girl ft. Chris Braide & Dev Hynes". Nme.com. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
23. ^ Copsey, Robert (22 September 2010). "Pixie Lott confirms LP re-release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
24. ^ "Pixie Lott – Turn It Up Louder". Discogs.com. 18 October 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
25. ^ "Outta This World – JLS | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
26. ^ "Chris Braide on perfectsongs.com". Perfectsongs.com. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
27. ^ "iTunes – Music – Life in a Minor Key by Chris Braide". Itunes.apple.com. 4 December 1998. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
28. ^ "Interview with Chris Braide". HitQuarters. 30 August 2010. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
29. ^ "Chapter One by Chris Braide". theorchard. 4 December 1998. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2013.
30. ^ "Downes Braide Association detail brand new studio album". 30 June 2023.
31. ^ Barfield, Charles (21 August 2018). "Sia & Scott Walker Providing The Music For Natalie Portman Musical Drama Vox Lux". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 23 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.

## External links[edit]

* Official website
* Downes Braide Association (DBA)
* Interview, MuuMuse 2010

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz