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Andrew Watt

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andrew Watt
Watt pictured in 2017
Watt in 2017
Background information
Also known asWatt
Born
Andrew Wotman[1]

(1990-10-20) October 20, 1990 (age 35)
New York City, U.S.
OriginGreat Neck, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • keyboards
  • drums
  • vocals
  • bass guitar
Years active2007–present[2]
Labels
Websitethisiswatt.com

Andrew Wotman (born October 20, 1990),[4] known professionally as Andrew Watt or mononymously as Watt, is an American record producer, songwriter and musician from New York.[5][6]

Watt is a five-time Grammy Award winner, including the 2021 Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.[7] In 2025, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song for co-writing "Never Too Late" from the Elton John documentary of the same name.

Watt first became known in the mid-2010s as a pop songwriter and producer for artists such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Post Malone and Miley Cyrus. In the 2020s, he started producing albums by legacy rock acts such as Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, the Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam and Paul McCartney. The Times praised him as "the whizzkid who makes rock legends great again."[8]

Watt is also the guitarist of the Earthlings, the backing band for Eddie Vedder's solo performances.

Early life

[edit]

Watt grew up in Great Neck, New York. He attended John L. Miller Great Neck North High School and graduated in 2008.[9][10] His favorite band as a teenager was Pearl Jam, which remains his favorite band to this day. Growing up, Watt did not know other kids who cared about rock bands, so he taught himself bass, guitar and drums by listening to Pearl Jam songs.[11] On school nights, he would take the Long Island Rail Road to Manhattan to play at The Cutting Room.[12] Watt said, "One of the greatest aspects of growing up in Great Neck, Long Island, was that it was literally 30 minutes from Manhattan."[1]

Watt was accepted into New York University's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. When he dropped out, his parents severed financial ties with him. To support himself, he played in a local band named Pink Cashmere.[13]

Solo career

[edit]
BERJAYA
Watt singing the Doors songs at a tribute to Ray Manzarek

In 2013, Watt was the first guitarist for the band California Breed, led by former Deep Purple bassist Glenn Hughes alongside drummer Jason Bonham. Watt later described his time in the band as "a total disaster."[12] His big break came when he toured with the Australian singer Cody Simpson. Simpson was opening for Justin Bieber on the Believe Tour. Watt met Bieber during soundcheck, and the two became friends.[12]

In 2015, Watt released his first EP, Ghost In My Head while signed to Republic Records.[14][15] The title track peaked at No. 30 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.[16] Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith and Queens of the Stone Age's Joey Castillo played drums on the EP.[17]

Watt opened for Jane's Addiction in October 2015 and the Cult in February 2016.[18][19] In February 2016, Rolling Stone praised Watt for his vocal performance in a rendition of "L.A. Woman" performed live with Robby Krieger as part of a tribute to the Doors' Ray Manzarek.[20]

Production and songwriting career

[edit]

Watt then rose to further fame as a music producer and songwriter.[21][22] In 2016, Watt had his first songwriting hit with "Let Me Love You", by DJ Snake featuring Justin Bieber. "Let Me Love You" was an unreleased demo that Watt wrote but never released.[12] He began working more closely with Post Malone, who he had met in 2014 when Malone showed up to Watt's show.[23] Watt and co-producer Brian Lee had another hit in 2017 with "It Ain't Me", by Kygo and Selena Gomez.[24]

In November 2017, two Watt songs were in the top 2 of the UK singles chart with Camila Cabello's "Havana" at number 1 and Rita Ora's "Anywhere" at number 2. "Havana" was Watt's first number-one song as a songwriter in both the US and the UK.[25] Watt had his first pop hit as a credited artist with "Let Me Go", which was billed as Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt. Watt performed background vocals, bass, guitar and percussion on "Let Me Go".[25]

Watt had his first number-one hit in the US as a producer with 2019's "Señorita" by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for one week and the UK singles chart for five weeks.[26]

In late 2019, Watt produced Ozzy Osbourne's album Ordinary Man, which was released in February 2020.[27] Watt met Osbourne through Post Malone, when Watt produced and recorded their collaboration "Take What You Want" in his home studio.[28] This marked a turning point in Watt's career, as it was the first time that he produced an album for an established legacy rock act.[29]

Watt won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in March 2021.[7] Watt produced Morrissey's album Bonfire of Teenagers in 2020 and 2021, which was supposed to come out in 2023 but ultimately went unreleased because of a label dispute.[30][31] In May 2021, he sold his catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Fund in a multi-million dollar deal.[32] Watt also played on the tribute album The Metallica Blacklist, released in September, by backing on Miley Cyrus's cover of "Nothing Else Matters".[33]

Consequence named Watt the "Producer of the Year" in 2022, noting that he became "the go-to collaborator for rock legends."[34] That year, he produced Eddie Vedder's solo album Earthling, Ozzy Osbourne's album Patient Number 9 and Iggy Pop's album Every Loser, which released in January 2023.[34][35] He also contributed to "Hold Me Closer" by Elton John and Britney Spears, which was a global top-10 hit.[34] Watt became the guitarist of the Earthlings, Vedder's touring band for his solo shows. The Earthlings also feature Chad Smith on drums, Chris Chaney on bass, and Josh Klinghoffer on guitar.[36]

In 2023, Watt produced and co-wrote three songs on the Rolling Stones' 26th album Hackney Diamonds. It was the Stones' first album of original material in 18 years.[37] In 2024, Watt produced Pearl Jam's twelfth album Dark Matter.[38] He joined Pearl Jam on stage during the band's September 4, 2024 concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden to perform several songs.[39]

In July 2025, Watt made his acting debut when he played a small part as a golf course receptionist in the Adam Sandler film Happy Gilmore 2.[40] In December 2025, Watt, Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith and Adam Wakeman performed under the band name The Dirty Bats for a private event at the Capitol Theatre. They were joined onstage by Bruno Mars, Brandi Carlile, Anthony Kiedis, Yungblud and Eddie Vedder.[41]

In March 2026, Watt collaborated with Michael Stipe for the theme song to the HBO series Rooster, titled "I Played the Fool".[42] Together, they performed the piece on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 2, 2026.[43]

In May 2026, Watt produced Paul McCartney's 20th solo album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, which drew critical acclaim and reached number 1 in the UK.[44][45] Watt worked with the Rolling Stones again to produce Foreign Tongues, which was released in July 2026 and also reached number 1 in the UK.[46]

Reception

[edit]

As a producer, Watt has been praised for his fearless personality. Producer Cirkut said, "He’s not afraid of being the bad guy", recalling sessions when he challenged Lady Gaga and Jung Kook during the recording process.[12] After his first meeting with Watt, Paul McCartney noted, "I like him, but he's a bit pushy."[47] Watt himself has said, "I've had to say to Mick Jagger a couple of times, 'I think you could write better words than that.'"[12]

Personal life

[edit]

Watt is engaged to the musician Charlotte Lawrence.[12]

Discography

[edit]

Albums produced

[edit]

Performer history

[edit]
Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications Album
U.S.
Hot 100		 U.S.
Pop		 U.S.
Rock
[48]		 U.S.
Alt
2016 "Ghost in My Head" — — 30 — Ghost in My Head EP
2017 "Let Me Go"
(Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso featuring Florida Georgia Line and Watt)		 40 14 — — Non-album singles
"Burning Man"
(featuring Post Malone)		 — — — 40

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award ceremony Year Nominee/Work Category Result Ref.
Academy Awards 2025 "Never Too Late" Best Original Song Nominated [53]
Grammy Awards 2021 Himself Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Won [54]
2022 Justice Album of the Year Nominated
"Peaches" Record of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
2023 Patient Number 9 Best Rock Album Won
"Patient Number 9" Best Rock Song Nominated
2024 "Angry" Best Rock Song Nominated
2025 "Die with a Smile" Song of the Year Nominated
Hackney Diamonds Best Rock Album Won
"Dark Matter" Best Rock Song Nominated
2026 Mayhem Album of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Album Won
"Abracadabra" Record of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
Best Dance Pop Recording Won
"Never Too Late" Best Song Written for Visual Media Nominated
iHeart Radio Music Awards 2018 Himself Producer of the Year Won [citation needed]
2019 Songwriter of the Year Nominated
2020 Songwriter of the Year Nominated
2021 Songwriter of the Year Nominated
2026 Producer of the Year Won [55]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2018 "For You" Best Original Song in a Feature Film Nominated [56]
2024 "Never Too Late" Best Original Song in a Documentary Won [57]
2025 "The Dead Dance" Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song in a TV Show/Limited Series Won [58]
Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards 2025 "Never Too Late" Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production Nominated [59]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 "Andrew Watt Talks New EP, Musical Influences and Growing Up on Long Island | Long Island Pulse Magazine". Long Island Pulse Magazine. February 10, 2016. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Former California Breed Guitarist Andrew Watt Releases 'Ghost In My Head' Ep". Blabbermouth.net. October 9, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Republic Records". Republic Records. October 12, 2015. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Andrew Watt on Apple Music".
  5. ↑ "Meet the Songwriter Behind Hits for Camila Cabello, Selena Gomez and More". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Who is Andrew Watt? BIG songs by the producer you might already know". Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Communications, NYU Web. "NYU Alumni and Faculty Take Home Five Grammy Awards". www.nyu.edu. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ "The Stones' secret weapon — the whizzkid who makes rock legends great again". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Ozzy Osbourne's concert legacy on Long Island". Newsday. July 23, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Library / Library Homepage". Great Neck North High School. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ Greene, Andy (April 15, 2024). "Andrew Watt Waited His Entire Life to Produce Pearl Jam's New Album 'Dark Matter'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Beck, Ethan (July 13, 2026). "The 35-year-old powering Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  13. ↑ "The New "It" Producer for Rock Icons". Esquire. March 14, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Former CALIFORNIA BREED Guitarist ANDREW WATT Releases 'Ghost In My Head' EP". Blabbermouth. Blabbermouth.net. October 9, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ "BIG ROCK NEWS! Andrew Watt To Release Debut EP + Tour". Republic Records. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Andrew Watt | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  17. ↑ Kellmurray, Beth (November 12, 2015). "Exclusive Premiere: Andrew Watt Is a One-Man Band in the Video for 'Ghost in My Head'". Diffuser. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  18. ↑ Kellmurray, Beth (November 12, 2015). "Exclusive Premiere: Andrew Watt Is a One-Man Band in the Video for 'Ghost in My Head'". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  19. ↑ Tucciarone, Matthew (February 8, 2016). "The Cult Perform at the Tower Theatre". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  20. ↑ Appleford, Steve (February 13, 2016). "Surviving Doors, Alt-Rock Royalty Celebrate Ray Manzarek". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Andrew Watt Talks Writing Hits for Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez While Taking Inspiration From Pearl Jam". Billboard. April 28, 2017. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  22. ↑ "For 'Havana' & 'Youngblood' Co-Writer Ali Tamposi, A Career Surge After Sobriety". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  23. ↑ Appleford, Steve (October 7, 2022). "From touring in vans to FaceTiming with Elton, the unlikely journey of superproducer Andrew Watt". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  24. ↑ Bein, Kat (February 22, 2017). "Selena Gomez Is 'an Old Soul With a Beautiful Baby Face,' Says 'It Ain't Me' Songwriter". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Who is Andrew Watt? We look back at the huge Official Charts hits he's written for other artists". Official Charts. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello's 'Señorita' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Music Now. August 26, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  27. ↑ Laing, Rob (November 30, 2019). "Ozzy Osbourne producer / guitarist Andrew Watt: "We wrote and recorded Ozzy's album, musically, in four days."". MusicRadar. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Take What You Want: How an unlikely collaboration with Post Malone helped revive Ozzy Osbourne's career". Yahoo Entertainment. April 12, 2024. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  29. ↑ Bienstock, Richard (May 26, 2025). "How super-producer Andrew Watt pivoted from Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes to The Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop". Guitar World. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  30. ↑ Richards, Will (October 30, 2022). "Morrissey's new album 'Bonfire Of Teenagers' to feature Miley Cyrus, Iggy Pop, Flea and more". NME. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  31. ↑ Young, David James (November 15, 2022). "Morrissey says new album 'Bonfire Of Teenagers' will no longer drop in February". NME. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  32. ↑ Brandle, Lars (May 5, 2021). "Hipgnosis Songs Buys Catalog of Grammy-Winning Producer Andrew Watt". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  33. ↑ He, Richard S. (September 10, 2021). "Every Metallica Blacklist cover ranked from worst to best". loudersound. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  34. 1 2 3 Ragusa, Paolo (December 12, 2022). "2022 Producer of the Year Andrew Watt Became the Go-To Collaborator for Rock Legends: Interview". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  35. ↑ Graff, Gary (January 4, 2023). "Iggy Pop on the 'Chutzpah' of Andrew Watt and Why He's Retired From Stage Diving". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  36. ↑ Legaspi, Althea (October 8, 2022). "See Eddie Vedder, Earthlings Cover the Cure's 'Just Like Heaven'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  37. ↑ Halperin, Shirley; Aswad, Jem (February 21, 2023). "Rolling Stones Recording With Paul McCartney — and Ringo?". Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Pearl Jam's New Album Is 'Mastered, Mixed' And 'Ready To Go'". Blabbermouth.net. November 29, 2023. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  39. ↑ "Pearl Jam Celebrate 50th New York Show With Little Steven, Andrew Watt". Yahoo Entertainment. September 5, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  40. ↑ "'Happy Gilmore 2' Cameos: See Every Celebrity Who Appeared in the Star-Studded Sequel". People. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved February 11, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Slash Plays Star-Studded Show Featuring Yungblud, Bruno Mars + More (Setlist + Video)". Loudwire. December 12, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  42. ↑ "Michael Stipe & Andrew Watt Share 'Rooster' Theme Song 'I Played The Fool'". stereogum.com. March 9, 2026. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  43. ↑ "Michael Stipe Teams Up With Andrew Watt For Late Night Performance of 'I Played The Fool': Watch". Billboard. June 4, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  44. ↑ "The Boys Of Dungeon Lane by Paul McCartney". Metacritic. Retrieved July 1, 2026.
  45. ↑ Thomas, Smith. "Paul McCartney Extends Streak as Most Successful Act on U.K. Albums Chart With 24th No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved June 8, 2026.
  46. ↑ "The Rolling Stones net 15th Number 1 album with Foreign Tongues".
  47. ↑ ""The Stones have got the Stones sound. It's the opposite with me."". Mojo. May 14, 2026. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  48. ↑ "Andrew Watt Ghost In My Head Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 29, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  49. ↑ "American single certifications – Hailee Steinfeld – Let Me Go". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  50. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  51. ↑ "British single certifications – Hailee Steinfeld – Let Me Go". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 24, 2021. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Let Me Go Hailee Steinfeld in the "Search:" field.
  52. ↑ "Canadian digital download certifications – Hailee Steinfeld – Let Me Go". Music Canada. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  53. ↑ Macdonald, Moira (January 23, 2025). "Brandi Carlile nabs Oscar nomination for song in Elton John documentary". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  54. ↑ "Andrew Watt | Artist". The Recording Academy. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  55. ↑ "2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards: See The Complete List Of Winners Revealed". iHeart.com. March 26, 2026. Retrieved March 26, 2026.
  56. ↑ "'A Star Is Born,' 'Black Panther' Lead Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. October 17, 2018. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  57. ↑ Willman, Chris (November 7, 2024). "Hollywood Music in Media Awards Noms Led by 'Emilia Pérez' and 'Blitz,' With Elton John, Hans Zimmer and Scores More Among the Nominees". Variety. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  58. ↑ McGowan, Andrew (November 20, 2025). "KPop Demon Hunters,' 'Wicked,' 'Sinners' and 'F1' Among Honorees at Hollywood Music in Media Awards". Variety. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  59. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (December 18, 2024). "Society Of Composers & Lyricists Cues Up 2025 SCL Awards Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
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