Stuart Crichton

Origin| United Kingdom
Genres| Pop, electronic, R&B
Occupations|

* Songwriter
* music producer

Years active| 1989–present
Labels| Native Tongue Music
Member of| Narcotic Thrust
Formerly of| Umboza

Musical artist

Stuart Crichton is a music producer and songwriter from Ayr, Scotland, currently based in Los Angeles, California.

## Career

[edit]

Starting out in 1989 under the name Solo, Stuart self-released the Sample Free EP in 1990 which featured the song "Rainbow", using the theme tune from the children's show of the same name. It became a cult classic, with copies of the 12-inch vinyl selling for £150 plus at Eastern Blok record shop in Manchester, England. Follow-up records include "Come On" and "So Beautiful" in the early 1990s. In the mid-'90s, he formed the electronic/house music groups Umboza and Narcotic Thrust, the latter an anagram of Crichton's name.[1][2] They released several singles, including "Safe from Harm", which reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in 2002, and "I Like It", which reached number 16 on the chart in 2004.[3] At this time, Crichton was primarily producing dance tracks, releasing music on early progressive house labels such as FFRR, ZTT and Mushroom, and helping make Limbo Records a big part of the early '90s progressive house scene.[2] In 1998, Crichton had a No. 17 UK Dance hit with the UK garage track "Happy Day", under the alias SJC.

Crichton has since written for and produced artists in a variety of genres, including Kylie Minogue, Backstreet Boys, Pet Shop Boys, Selena Gomez, Toni Braxton, Sugababes, DNCE and Kygo.[4][5][6][7] He produced three songs on Stan Walker's 2010 album From the Inside Out, including the singles "Homesick" and "Choose You" (which he also co-wrote).[8] He co-wrote and co-produced Kesha's single "Learn to Let Go", from her 2017 album Rainbow, as well as the track "Let 'em Talk" featuring Eagles of Death Metal.[4][9][10] The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart,[11] and was nominated for the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album.[12] Three songs he wrote and produced were nominated at the 2019 Grammy Awards: "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by the Backstreet Boys (Best Pop Duo/Group Performance);[13] "Stargazing" by Kygo (Best Remixed Recording);[14] and the album Sex & Cigarettes by Toni Braxton (Best R&B Album).[15] He wrote and produced six songs on the 2019 Backstreet Boys album DNA, which debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 charts.[16][17][18][19] Rolling Stone called Crichton the "common thread on DNA"[16] and Vulture.com called the songs Crichton wrote for the album "the meat of DNA, a breezy collection of three-minute love songs that apply the singers’ airtight melodies to the sound of modern pop radio."[20] Crichton wrote and produced Louis Tomlinson's 2019 single "Don't Let It Break Your Heart".[21] He wrote and produced Kesha's 2019 single "Rich, White, Straight Men",[22] and he wrote and produced four songs on her 2020 album High Road.[23]

## Personal life

[edit]

Crichton lived in London for 18 years, relocated to Sydney, Australia in 2008, and then in 2015 to Los Angeles, California.[1][16]

## Awards

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Work  | Result

|
|
|
|

2004  | APRA Music Award | Most Performed Dance Work | "Tonight" by Amiel | Nominated[24]
International Dance Music Award | Best Pop Dance Track  | "I Like It" by Narcotic Thrust | Won[25]
2015  | APRA Music Award  | Country Work of the Year | "Here's To You and I" by The McClymonts | Nominated[26]

## Discography

[edit]

### Singles

[edit]

Title  | Artist  | Year  | Peak positions

|
|
|

US Dance
[3] | UK Singles Chart
[27] | UK Dance
[28]
"Cry India"  | Umboza | 1995  | 16  | 19  |
"Sunshine"  | 1996  | –  | 14  |
"Funky Acid Baby"  | Narcotic Thrust | 1996  | –  | 96  |
"Happy Day" (featuring Wayne Allen)  | SJC  | 1998  | –  | –  | 17
"Safe from Harm" (featuring Yvonne John Lewis)  | Narcotic Thrust  | 2002  | 1  | 24  |
"I Like It"  | 2004  | 16  | 9  | 3
"When the Dawn Breaks"  | –  | 28  |
"Waiting for You"  | 2006  | –  | –  |

### Writing and producing credits

[edit]

Year | Artist | Album | Song | Credit

|
|
|
|

1993  | Kirsty MacColl | Titanic Days |  | Producer, remixer
Apollo 440 | Astral America |  | Remixer
1994  | Single Gun Theory  | Flow, River of My Soul |  | Producer
1995  | Keoki | All Mixed Up | "Justice Justice"  | Writer, producer
1996  | Right Said Fred | Smashing! |  | Producer
1999  | Apollo 440  | Gettin' High on Your Own Supply | "Stop the Rock"  | Remixer/Co Producer
Andy White | Andywhite.compilation |  | Producer, writer
2001  | Christine Anu | Come My Way |  | Writer, producer, keyboards, vocals
Andy White  | Andy White | "Understand"  | Producer, writer
"Coz I'm Free"  | Producer, writer
2002  | Sugababes | Angels with Dirty Faces | "Round Round"  | Remixer
Pet Shop Boys | Release |  | Producer
Kylie Minogue | Fever | "Can't Get Blue Monday Out of My Head"  | Producer/Remixer
2003  | Apollo 440  | Dude Descending a Staircase | "Hustler Groove"  | Writer, producer, keyboards, cello
Amiel | Audio Out | "Side by Side"  | Producer, drum programming, additional sounds
Sugababes  | Three | "Whatever Makes You Happy"  | Writer, producer
"Million Different Ways"  | Writer, producer
Pet Shop Boys  | PopArt | "Miracles"  | Producer
"Flamboyant"  | Producer
Andy White  | Boy 40 | "Tell My Why"  | Writer, producer
"Can't Hold Back"  | Writer, producer
2006  | Jamelia | Walk with Me | "No More"  | Writer, producer
"Beware of the Dog"  | Writer, producer
Pet Shop Boys  | Fundamental | "Minimal"  | Producer, mixer
2007  | Delta Goodrem | Delta | "Believe Again"  | Writer, producer
"In This Life"  | Writer, producer
"You Will Only Break My Heart"  | Writer, producer
"The Guardian"  | Writer, producer
"One Day"  | Writer, producer
"Angels in the Room"  | Writer, producer
2008  | Brian McFadden | Set in Stone | "Twisted"  | Writer, producer
"Room to Breathe"  | Writer, producer
"Forgive Me Twice"  | Writer, producer
2009  | Kylie Minogue  | Boombox |  | Producer
Natalie Bassingthwaighte | 1000 Stars | "Why Do I"  | Writer, producer
2010  | Stan Walker | From the Inside Out | "Homesick"  | Writer, producer
"Choose You"  | Writer, producer
"The One"  | Writer, producer
Guy Sebastian | Like It Like That |  | Producer
2011  | Koreen Perry  | Turning Point | "Don't Bring Me Down"  | Writer
Damien Leith | Roy: A Tribute to Roy Orbison |  | Producer
2012  | Chimène Badi | Laisse les Dire | "Laisse les Dire"  | Writer
Kate Alexa | Infatuation | "Buttercup"  | Writer
"I'm Falling"  | Writer, producer
2013  | Tina Arena | Reset | "Love You Less"  | Writer
Selena Gomez | Stars Dance | "Lover in Me"  | Writer
2015  | Gin Wigmore | Blood to Bone | "Black Parade"  | Writer, producer
"Written in the Water"  | Writer, producer
"DFU"  | Writer, producer
Jamie McDell | Ask Me Anything | "Falling"  | Writer, producer
"This Time"  | Writer, producer
"Back of My Mind"  | Writer, producer
"Moon Shines Red"  | Writer, producer
"Crash"  | Writer, producer
"Six Miles"  | Writer, producer
"My Old Hands"  | Writer, producer
2016  | Ferras |  | "Closer"  | Writer, producer
"Medicine"  | Writer, producer
Havana Brown |  | "Like Lightning"  | Writer, producer
tyDi & Olivia Somerlyn |  | "Only"  | Writer, producer
Guy Sebastian  | Part 1 (EP)  | "Set in Stone"  | Writer, producer
Sweet California  | 3 | "Hum"  | Writer, producer
Cole Plante feat. Bobi Andonov |  | "Teardrops"  | Co-producer
2017  | Kesha | Rainbow | "Learn to Let Go"  | Writer, producer
"Let 'em Talk" (feat. Eagles of Death Metal)  | Writer, producer
Kygo ft. Justin Jesso | Stargazing | "Stargazing"  | Writer, producer
Kesha  | The Greatest Showman: Reimagined | "This Is Me"  | Vocal production
2018  | Toni Braxton | Sex & Cigarettes | "Coping"  | Writer, producer
Sigrid | Raw | "I Don't Want to Know"  | Producer
Backstreet Boys | DNA | "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"  | Writer, producer
"Chateau"  | Writer, producer
"The Way It Was"  | Writer, producer
"OK"  | Writer, producer
"Is It Just Me"  | Vocal producer
"Best Days"  | Writer, producer
Conrad Sewell | Ghosts & Heartaches | "Healing Hands"  | Writer, producer
DNCE | People To People | "Still Good"  | Writer, producer
2019  | Oliver Heldens |  | "Summer Lover"  | Writer, producer
Robin Schulz | IIII | "All This Love"  | Writer, producer
Kesha  |  | "Rich, White, Straight Men"  | Writer, producer
Louis Tomlinson | Walls | "Don't Let It Break Your Heart"  | Writer, producer
The Chainsmokers | World War Joy | "See The Way" (ft. Sabrina Claudio)  | Writer, producer
Pete Tong | Chilled Classics | "Darkest Days"  | Writer, producer
Mads Langer | Me Without You EP | "Me Without You"  | Writer, producer
Mr. Belt & Wezol |  | "Not Dancing"  | Writer, producer
2020  | Kesha  | High Road | "Honey"  | Writer, producer
"Birthday Suit"  | Writer, producer
"The Potato Song (Cuz I Want To)"  | Writer, producer
"BFF" ft. Wrabel | Writer, producer
Galantis |  | "The Lake" ft. Wrabel  | Writer, co-producer
James Newman |  | "Enough"  | Writer, producer
Tiësto | The London Sessions | "God Is a Dancer" ft. Mabel | Mixer
"Round & Round" ft. Galxara  | Writer, producer
Mads Langer  |  | "21:4"  | Writer, producer
2022  | Kygo ft. Stuart Crichton  | Thrill of the Chase | "All for Love"  | Writer, producer, singer
MK & Burns ft. Teddy Swims |  | "Better"  | Writer, producer
Illenium ft. Teddy Swims  | Illenium | "All That Really Matters"  | Writer, producer
NCT 127 | 2 Baddies | "Gold Dust"  | Writer, producer
Benny Benassi ft. Bryn Christopher |  | "One More Night"  | Writer, producer
Matoma |  | "The Power"  | Writer, producer
Teddy Swims  | Sleep is Exhausting | "Devil in a Dress"  | Writer, producer
Matteo Bocelli  | Three Thousand Years of Longing | "Cautionary Tale (Film Version)"  | Writer, producer
| "Close"  | Writer, producer
Martin Jasper  | Papercut | "Empty House"  | Writer, producer
2023  | Armin van Buuren ft. Wrabel | Feel Again | "Feel Again"  | Writer, producer
Armin van Buuren & Matoma ft. Teddy Swims | "Easy to Love"  | Writer, producer
Armin van Buuren ft. Stuart Crichton  | "Dayglow"  | Writer, producer, singer
Nick Carter |  | "Hurts to Love You"  | Writer, producer
Kesha  | Gag Order | "Something to Believe In"  | Writer, producer
"Eat the Acid"  | Writer, producer
David Guetta & MORTEN  |  | "Something to Hold On To"  | Writer, producer
The Rose |  | "You're Beautiful"  | Writer, producer
Lost Frequencies | All Stand Together | "All Stand Together"  | Writer, producer, vocals
Sam Fischer | I Love You, Please Don't Hate Me | "Somebody Cares"  | Writer, producer
2024  | Frank Walker ft. Nate Smith | Origin | "Missing You"  | Writer, producer
Clementine Douglas |  | "Riddles"  | Writer, producer
| "Slippin"  | Writer, producer
Ian Asher ft. Giulia Be |  | "Let's Go (Magalenha)"  | Writer, producer
Matteo Bocelli and Sofia Carson |  | "If I Knew"  | Writer, producer
Lost Frequencies  |  | "Love Is the Only Thing"  | Writer, producer
Kygo ft. Matt Hansen  | Kygo | "Love Me Now Or Lose Me Later"  | Writer, producer
WOOSUNG | 4444 | "Before We Die"  | Writer, producer
"Found You"  | Writer, producer
"44 (Forget Forever)"  | Writer, producer
Pixie Lott | Encino | "Anybody Else"  | Writer, producer
2025  | Sonny Fodera & Clementine Douglas  |  | "Tell Me"  | Writer, producer
J. Worra  |  | "Crushin"  | Writer, producer

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Stuart Crichton, Native Tongue Music Publishing. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
2. ^ a b "Top Dance Producer Stuart Crichton and sE in Dance Floor Heaven!" Music Tools, 12 August 2008.
3. ^ a b Narcotic Thrust Chart History, Billboard. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
4. ^ a b Elias Leight, "See Kesha Exorcise Her Demons in 'Learn to Let Go' Video," Rolling Stone, 27 July 2017.
5. ^ Gabriel Wilder, "Inside the tropical hideway where hits are made," The Sydney Morning Herald, 25 June 2016.
6. ^ Peter Vincent, "What will Jessica Mauboy sing at Eurovision?" The Sydney Morning Herald, 4 May 2014.
7. ^ Mike Wass, "Ferras, Tarot Cards & A Metaphysician: A Different Kind Of Q&A," Idolator, 4 October 2016.
8. ^ Cameron Adams, "Stan Walker's first original offering," The Daily Telegraph, 18 August 2010.
9. ^ Kesha, "Learn To Let Go," HuffPost, 27 July 2017.
10. ^ Marissa Lorusso, "Kesha Walks Us Through Her 'Rainbow', Track By Track", All Songs Considered, NPR, 11 August 2017.
11. ^ Keith Caulfield, "Kesha's Rainbow Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart," Billboard, 20 August 2017.
12. ^ "Best Pop Vocal Album". grammy.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
13. ^ "Artist: Backstreet Boys". grammy.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
14. ^ Bein, Kat. "Zedd, Porter Robinson & More DJs React to 2019 Grammy Nominations". billboard.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
15. ^ "Best R&B Album". grammy.com. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
16. ^ a b c Leight, Elias (3 February 2019). "The Backstreet Boys Were Hitless for Years. Then They Met Stuart Crichton". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
17. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Backstreet Boys Score First No. 1 Album in Nearly 20 Years on Billboard 200 Chart With 'DNA'". billboard.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
18. ^ Kirkland, Justin (29 January 2019). "I Had to Convince The Backstreet Boys They Were Cool". esquire.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
19. ^ Dolan, Jon (7 February 2019). "Review: Backstreet's Back With Contemporary-Pop Magic on 'DNA'". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
20. ^ Jenkins, Craig (5 February 2019). "The Rise and Fall and Rise of the Backstreet Boys". vulture.com. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
21. ^ "Louis Tomlinson's new single 'Don't Let It Break Your Heart' is sure to motivate you". radioandmusic.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
22. ^ Zemler, Emily (4 June 2019). "Kesha Rids the World of 'Rich, White, Straight Men' on New Track". rollingstone.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
23. ^ Kenneally, Cerys. "Kesha pushes back High Road album release date". thelineofbestfit.com. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
24. ^ "Screen Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 30 July 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2010.
25. ^ "Narcotic Thrust – I Like It," europlus.us, 28 May 2016.
26. ^ 2015 APRA Music Awards, 2015.
27. ^ "NARCOTIC THRUST | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
28. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Stuart Crichton at AllMusic

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI

Artists|

* MusicBrainz