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Who is Amy Allen, the producer behind Harry Styles’ and Sabrina Carpenter’s hits?
Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Charli XCX, Rosé, Tate McRae… Her name might not be splashed across album covers, but Amy Allen has quietly become a crucial force in the pop industry. Throwback to the journey of a discreet, yet essential architect of today’s biggest hits.
By La rédaction.
Amy Allen’s quiet debut
In the muted backstage of pop music, American singer, songwriter and producer Amy Allen has been steadily making her mark. Remarkably effective, the Maine native has become one of the most influential voices in contemporary songwriting. At just 32, she now juggles global hits, awards given by the industry and her blossoming solo career.
Born in 1992 in Windham, a town located in Greene County, New York, Amy Allen played her first teenage notes as a local folk and bluegrass musician. She joined the family band Jerks of Grass as a bassist and played anonymously in local pubs.
After a rocky start at Boston College, she transferred to the prestigious Berklee College of Music, where she specialized in songwriting and production under the mentorship of American lyricist Kara DioGuardi, known for her work with none other than Céline Dion.
Selena Gomez’s and Harry Styles’ hitmaker
In 2015, Amy Allen launched Amy & The Engine, a band blending indie pop and folk-rock. With the release of her first EP TandeMania (2016), the young woman honed her writing and stage presence. But the pull of Los Angeles proved stronger than expected. After relocating there, she signed with Artist Publishing Group and began her transformation into a hitmaker…
The change was swift and dramatic. By 2018, Amy Allen had co-written Back To You for Selena Gomez and Without Me for Halsey – the latter topped the Billboard Hot 100. Soon after came Adore You (2019) for Harry Styles, marking the start of a lasting collaboration with the British star. The massive success of Harry’s House (2022) would earn her a Grammy for Album of the Year, thus firmly establishing Amy Allen as the songwriter every label dreams of working with…
Amy Allen’s style: a blend of melancholy and irreverence
But it was with pop star Sabrina Carpenter that Amy Allen delivered her masterpiece, working behind the scenes. In 2024, she co-wrote every track on Short n’ Sweet. The album includes the hits Espresso, Please Please Please, and Taste. Needless to say, the record skyrocketed to number 1 on the Billboard 200, selling over 360,000 copies in its first week. Even more impressive, Amy Allen topped the Hot 100 Songwriters chart for seven consecutive weeks thanks to her contributions.
The musician was working in a studio in London when she received the news about her four nominations at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards in 2025: Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical; Album of the Year (Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter); Song of the Year (Please Please Please); and Best Song Written for Visual Media (Better Place from Trolls: Band Together). In February, she walked away with the award for “Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical”, thus becoming the first woman to win this distinction created only three years earlier.
Amy Allen’s signature: melancholy and pop irreverence
What sets this American apart from her peers is perhaps her ability to move effortlessly from moody pop ballads to carefree summer anthems, all while maintaining her unmistakable signature. Catchy melodies and lyrics, and above all, a subtle sense of humor. The thirty-something writes songs with a keen eye for detail, taking cues from icons like Sheryl Crow and Alanis Morissette. As for her collaborators, they often recall studio sessions that felt “like a group of kids having the time of their lives”.
Aside from her collaborative work, Amy Allen has also been nurturing her solo career. Between 2020 and 2021, she released the EP AWW! and then began crafting her debut album, Amy Allen. Part of the album was produced while touring Europe with the band Bleachers, led by another hitmaker: Jack Antonoff.
Bluegrass, folk, pop, disco, rock, country… Amy Allen now embodies a new category of artist. Those of the behind-the-scenes stars, whose fingerprint is etched into each of her projects. With collaborations with Tate McRae, Lizzo, Charli xcx, Justin Timberlake, Olivia Rodrigo, Bruno Mars, Rosé, and Leon Bridges, she embodies a new kind of role model – a songwriter, composer, and performer shaping the sound of global pop. Her name may not appear in the glittering font of album covers, but her sonic imprint is unmistakable and memorable.
Amy Allen (2024) by Amy Allen, available now.
