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Who is Benny Blanco? Every hit the singer-songwriter and producer is behind
From Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran to Ke$ha and Katy Perry, the star is behind some of the greatest hits of the 21st century.
Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
- Tilly Pearce
Published: Friday, 4 April 2025 at 11:37 am
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You'd be forgiven for only becoming aware of Benny Blanco thanks to his relationship with Selena Gomez, but in reality this music producer's work has likely been populating your playlists for years.
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Largely spending his career songwriting and producing music for some of the biggest stars in the world, Blanco has become known for his addictively catchy tracks – with nine number one singles in the official UK charts.
He also has a tight collaborative relationship with Ed Sheeran, and together they wrote multiple hits together both for Ed and for others thanks to a makeshift recording studio on tour.
This year, he teamed up with fiancée Selena Gomez for their own album, I Said I Love You First, which reached number four in the UK charts.
Here's what you need to know about him and the songs he's created:
Who is Benny Blanco?
Benny Blanco. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Benny Blanco, born Benjamin Joseph Levin, is a music producer, singer and song-writer.
Hailing from Reston, Virginia, Blanco showed a love of music from an early age, making hip-hop tracks in his bedroom.
He was later taken under the wing of producer Dr Luke, and signed to his label, Kasz Money Productions.
Blanco would be credited with hits from the label from that moment on, particularly working with Katy Perry and Ke$ha, before Ke$ha broke away from the label.
In 2011, he started working away from Dr Luke, landing more number ones as he teamed up with 3oh!3, Gym Class Heroes and Maroon 5.
The writer would later launch his own imprint labels under Interscope Records, running Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets for 10 years before dissolving them in 2024.
Through his efforts, Blanco has released his own music, dropping his debut album, Friends Keep Secrets, in 2018, with Eastside feat Halsey and Khalid as the leading single.
The album was given a deluxe re-release in 2021, and has been declared Platinum in the US by the RIAA.
He has been dating Selena Gomez since 2023, although their working relationship dates back to 2019.
They announced their engagement in December 2024, and in March 2025 released a collaborative album together, I Said I Love You First, with the lead single Scared of Loving You becoming yet another hit for the star.
What songs did Benny Blanco write or help create?
Benny Blanco.
Blanco has co-written multiple chart-toppers throughout his career.
These include:
- California Gurls - Katy Perry (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Payphone - Maroon 5 (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Diamonds - Rihanna (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- We R Who We R - Ke$ha (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Payphone - Maroon 5 (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Dynamite - Taio Cruz (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Señorita - Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Eastside - Benny Blanco with Halsey and Khalid (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts)
- Love Yourself - Justin Bieber (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts) - written with Ed Sheeran
- Shape of You - Ed Sheeran (peaking at No. 1 on the UK Charts) - written with Ed Sheeran
- Teenage Dream - Katy Perry (peaking at No. 2 on the UK Charts)
- Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (peaking at No. 2 on the UK Charts)
- Castle on the Hill - Ed Sheeran (peaking at No. 2 on the UK Charts)
- 2002 - Anne-Marie (peaking at No. 3 on the UK Charts) - written with Ed Sheeran
- Lonely Together - Avicii and Rita Ora (peaking at No. 3 on the UK Charts)
- Die Young - Ke$ha (peaking at No. 7 on the UK Charts)
- Eenie Meenie - Sean Kingston (peaking at No. 9 on the UK Charts)
- Blah Blah Blah - Ke$ha (peaking at No. 11 on the UK Charts)
- Circus - Britney Spears (peaking at No. 13 on the UK Charts)
- Don’t Trust Me - 30h!3 (peaking at No. 21 on the UK Charts)
- Say You Love Me - Jessie Ware (peaking at No. 22 on the UK Charts)
- Nightmare - Halsey (peaking at No. 26 on the UK Charts)
- Animals - Maroon 5 (peaking at No. 27 on the UK Charts)
- Somebody Save Me - Eminem feat Jelly Roll (peaking at No.39 on the UK Charts)
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Authors
Tilly PearceFreelance Writer
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
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