by Candice Hardy
You may sing these songs everyday driving to work, at the club, or even at after a bad break-up. These anthems help you through the ups and downs of life. But, do you know who is behind these lyrics? Songwriting is dominated by men these days, especially in the R&B and Hip-Hop genres. However, African American women are rightfully earning top spots next to their male counterparts. Here are five female songwriters you may not know…
Angela Hunte-This singer and songwriter has written songs for Britney Spears, Danity Kane and newcomer, Melanie Fiona. However, Hunte became even more recognized after she co-wrote the Grammy winning New York anthem “Empire State of Mind”, performed by Jay-z and Alicia Keys. She sites growing up in New York as the reason for her love of all genres of music.
Ester Dean-The mastermind behind such hits as Rihanna’s “S&M”, Dean has acquired a long list of chart topping anthems. She has written songs for the likes of Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Ciara among others. Her songwriting accomplishments have earned her a reputation as a hit-maker in the music industry.
Jane’t “Jnay” Sewell Ulepic- Sewell-Ulepic is contunuing to gain recognition as a song-writer. She has helped write songs such as “When I see You” by Fantasia and “Bang Bang” by Melanie Fiona. However, her greatest songwriting accomplishment is co-writing “Empire State of Mind” alongside writing partner Angela Hunte.
Erika Nuri- This young songwriter has written songs for artists such as J.Holiday and B2K. Her greatest accomplishment has been co-writing the Grammy award nominated “When I See You” for Fantasia. Nuri has built an impressive reputation in the music industry in little time. Her latest writing credits include two songs from Chris Brown’s latest album, F.A.M.E.
Delisha Thomas- She has strengthened “Beiber Fever” through her help in penning Justin Beiber’s “Favorite Girl”. Thomas spreads her songwriting ability across a span of genres, including gospel and pop(from KierraSheard to Christina Milian). Her most notable accomplishment was co-writing the Grammy-nominated song “Déjà vu” for Beyonce.
