Michael Pollack (songwriter)
American songwriter and record producer
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Michael Ross Pollack (born April 26, 1994) is an American songwriter and record producer. He has written songs for artists such as Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Jonas Brothers, Benson Boone, Lizzo, and Kelly Clarkson, among others.[1][2] He co-wrote Maroon 5's 2019 single "Memories", which peaked atop Billboard's Radio Songs chart, along with Justin Bieber's "Ghost"[3] and Miley Cyrus' "Flowers".[4][5] The latter also topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first co-writing credit to do so.[6]
April 26, 1994
- Songwriter
- record producer
Michael Pollack | |
|---|---|
Pollack in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Michael Ross Pollack April 26, 1994 Roslyn, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2016–present |
Early years
Pollack and his older sister were raised by their parents in Roslyn, New York.[7] He started playing piano, singing, and writing songs at a young age. In his youth, he performed with a Billy Joel cover band and with Richie Cannata, Billy Joel's longtime saxophonist.[8]
After graduating from high school, Pollack moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Vanderbilt University. During his freshman year, Billy Joel hosted a Q&A session for college students at Vanderbilt University's Langford Auditorium. Pollack, who was in the audience, asked for permission to accompany Joel on piano for a rendition of New York State of Mind, to which Joel agreed.[9] A video of the performance was posted online and quickly went viral, landing Pollack appearances on NBC's Today show,[10] Good Day New York,[11] the Morning Mashup on SIRIUS XM Radio,[12] and The Jeff Probst Show.[13]
Music career
The video also led to Pollack signing a joint publishing deal during his sophomore year of college with Warner Chappell Music and Pete Ganbarg, President of A&R at Atlantic Records, for its "Songs With A Pure Tone" label.[7][14] He soon started collaborating with other songwriters, including Ingrid Andress in Nashville, while he finished his degree.[15]
After graduating from college, Pollack moved to Los Angeles, California to live with fellow musicians Ari Leff and Michael Matosic.[7] The trio went on to write dozens of songs for Leff and others. Pollack has also co-written songs for Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, Backstreet Boys, Lizzo, Jonas Brothers, Meghan Trainor, Demi Lovato, Michael Bublé, John Legend and Selena Gomez.
In 2021, he co-wrote and executive produced the album Reverie by Ben Platt.[16][17]
Pollack was named Songwriter of the Year at the 2022 BMI Pop Awards.[18] Variety also listed him among "55 Queer Artists and Decision-Makers to Know in 2022."[19] Additionally, Pollack was #10 on Genius's "Top 25 Songwriters of 2022" list.[20]
In 2023, Pollack wrote "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus with Aldae and Cyrus. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Global 200, and Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts.[6] In the song's first week it broke the Spotify record for most streams in a single week with more than 96 million streams. It broke that record the following week with more than 115 million streams in a week.[21] In April 2023, "Flowers" became the seventh song ever to concurrently top Billboard's Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Adult Contemporary charts.[22]
Pollack wrote several songs on Cyrus' eighth studio album Endless Summer Vacation with Cyrus and Gregory "Aldae" Hein. They were conceived only with piano, then evolving into their final versions. Pollack said that Cyrus decided to focus on songcraft before tackling the production.[23]
Pollack is managed by Jamie Zeluck-Hindlin,[24] founder of Nonstop Management.
In 2024, Pollack was added as a principal and owner of Livelihood Music Company, an independent music publishing company.[25]
Discography
Selected charting and certified singles
All songwriting credits
Production credits
Awards and nominations
Major associations
Brit Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Song of the Year | "Forget Me" (as songwriter) | Nominated | [191] |
| 2024 | International Song of the Year | "Flowers" (as songwriter) | Won | [192] |
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Best Song | "Kiss the Sky" (from The Wild Robot) (as songwriter) | Nominated | [193] |
Golden Globes
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Best Original Song | "Kiss the Sky" (from The Wild Robot) (as songwriter) | Nominated | [194] |
Grammy Awards
| Year | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Album of the Year | Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) (as songwriter) | Nominated | [195] |
| 2023 | Special (as songwriter) | Nominated | [196] | |
| Renaissance (as songwriter) | Nominated | |||
| 2024 | Endless Summer Vacation (as songwriter) | Nominated | [197] | |
| Record of the Year | "Flowers" (as engineer/mixer) | Won | ||
| Song of the Year | "Flowers" (as songwriter) | Nominated | ||
| Best American Roots Song | "Dear Insecurity" (as songwriter) | Nominated | ||
| 2026 | Best Country Song | "Good News" (as songwriter) | Nominated | [198] |
Other awards and nominations
| Association | Year | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref(s). |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Americana Music Honors & Awards | 2024 | Song of the Year | "Dear Insecurity" (as songwriter) | Won | [199] |
| Asian Pop Music Awards | 2025 | Best Lyricist | "Toxic Till the End" | Nominated | [200] |
| Astra Creative Arts Awards | 2025 | Best Original Song | "Kiss the Sky" (from The Wild Robot) (as songwriter) | Nominated | [201] |
| BMI Christian Awards | 2024 | Award Winning Songs | "Love Me Like I Am" | Won | [202] |
| BMI London Awards | 2024 | "Forget Me" | Won | [203] | |
| BMI Pop Awards | 2021 | "Memories" | Won | [204] | |
| 2022 | "Anyone" | Won | [205] | ||
| "Daisies" | Won | ||||
| "Holy" (featuring Chance The Rapper) | Won | ||||
| "Nobody's Love" | Won | ||||
| Songwriter of the Year | Himself | Won | |||
| 2023 | Award Winning Songs | "Ghost" | Won | [206] | |
| 2024 | "Forget Me" | Won | [207] | ||
| "Flowers" | Won | ||||
| Song of the Year | Won | ||||
| 2025 | Award Winning Songs | "Used to Be Young" | Won | [208] | |
| Chicago Indie Critics Awards | 2025 | Best Original Song | "Kiss the Sky" (from The Wild Robot) (as songwriter) | Nominated | [209] |
| Critics Association of Central Florida | 2025 | Won | [210] | ||
| Denver Film Critics Society | 2025 | Nominated | [211] | ||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | 2025 | Nominated | [212] | ||
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | 2025 | Best Song Written and/or Recorded for a Film | Nominated | [213] | |
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2022 | Best Original Song in a Documentary | "My Mind & Me" (from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me) (as songwriter) | Nominated | [214] |
| 2024 | Best Original Song in an Animated Film | "Kiss the Sky" (from The Wild Robot) (as songwriter) | Won | [215] | |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | 2025 | Best Original Song | Won | [216] | |
| IHeartRadio Music Awards | 2024 | Songwriter of the Year | Himself | Nominated | [217] |
| Iowa Film Critics Association | 2025 | Best Song | "Kiss the Sky" (from The Wild Robot) (as songwriter) | Won | [218] |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society | 2025 | Nominated | [219] | ||
| Music City Film Critics Association | 2025 | Best Original Song | Won | [220] | |
| New Mexico Film Critics | 2025 | Won | [221] | ||
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | 2025 | Nominated | [222] | ||
| North Dakota Film Society | 2025 | Nominated | [223] | ||
| Puerto Rico Critics Association | 2025 | Won | [224] | ||
| Satellite Awards | 2025 | Best Original Song | Nominated | [225] | |
| Variety's Hitmakers | 2022 | Film Song of the Year | "My Mind & Me" (from Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me) (as songwriter) | Won | [226] |