Are These Stars Better Singers Or Songwriters?
Before Frank Ocean was thee Frank Ocean he was Lonny Breaux penning hits for the likes of Jay-Z and wife Beyonce, Brandy and Justin Bieber. A couple years later the phenomena that is Channel Orange was born.
Frank isn't the only artist whose singing career was birthed through songwriting. The Dream, Ne-Yo and Ke$sha have all written chart-topping hits for others. Great, right? More money in their massive bank accounts. The only drawback of being a great songwriter is when you've written hits for other artists that are bigger than your own. That double edged sword is mighty heavy. Cheers to these singers/songwriters who haven't quite figured out how to snag a hit as monstrous as the ones they've written for peers.
1. Ne-Yo
His biggest song: "Let Me Love You"
Stats: 1.23 million
Biggest hit he wrote: Beyoncé’s "Irreplaceable"
Stats: 3.14 million US, 4.6 million worldwide
2. Ke$ha
Her biggest song: "Tik Tok"
Stats: 6.51 million US, 14 million worldwide
Biggest hit she wrote: Britney Spears’ "Til the World Ends"
Stats: over 2,638,000 US, over 5.4 million worldwide
*Editor's Note: Obviously Ke$ha's biggest hit outsold Britney Spears' smash hit that she penned. As slept on as Ke$ha's songwriting it'd be remiss of us not to include her.
3. The Dream
His biggest hit: "Shawty Is A 10"
Stats: Us Billboard Hot 100
Biggest hit he wrote: Beyoncé’s "Single Ladies"
Stats: 5.2 million US, 7.7 million worldwide
Her biggest hit: "Drop It Low"
Stats: No. 38 on Billboard Hot 100
Biggest hit she wrote: Katy Perry's "Firework"
Stats: 6.11 million US, 8.25 million worldwide
His biggest hit: "Just The Way You Are"
Stats: 5.81+ million US, 12.5 million worldwide
Biggest hit he wrote: Cee Lo Green’s "F*ck You"
Stats: 6.03+ million US
*Editor's Note: Condolences to Bruno Mars during his time of loss. And worldwide his biggest single outsold CeeLo's, but domestically CeeLo trumped.
Her biggest hit: "Price Tag"
Stats: 1.07 million US
Biggest hit she wrote: Miley Cyrus’s "Party in the USA"
Stats: 5.19 million US, 6 million worldwide
Her biggest hit: "Dip It Low"
Stats: 500,000+ in US
Biggest hit she wrote: Justin Bieber’s "Baby"
Statss: 3.9+ million US, 6.4+ million worldwide
8. Skylar Grey
Her biggest hit: "Invisible"
Stats: No. 10 on Billboard’s Dance/Club Play songs
Biggest hit she wrote: Rihanna’s "Love the Way You Lie"
Stats: 5.9+ million US, 11.1+ million worldwide
9. Kandi
Her biggest hit: "Just Kickin' It"
Stats: No. 2 on Billboard Hot 100, No. 1 on Billboard Hot R&B Singles
Biggest hit she wrote: TLC’s "No Scrubs"
Stats: No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Platinum
10. Keri Hilson
Her biggest hit: "Knock You Down"
Stats: 2.1 million US
Biggest hit she wrote: Ludacris’s "Runaway Love"
Stats: over 3 million US, 3.22 million worldwide
11. Lupe Fiasco
His biggest hit: "The Show Goes On"
Stats: 2.81+ million US
Biggest hit he wrote: B.O.B’s "Airplanes"
Stats: 4.71+ million US