Peter Zizzo
Peter Eric Zizzo (born February 22, 1966) is an American songwriter, music producer, musician and writer. Zizzo has written hits for artists such as Celine Dion,[1] Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, Marit Larsen, O.A.R, Jason Mraz, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, M2M, Sir Cliff Richard, Clay Aiken, Howie Day, Kate Voegele, Jackie Evancho, Pixie Lott, Vanessa Carlton, and many others. He has been considered instrumental in developing the careers of artists Avril Lavigne, Vanessa Carlton[2] in the US, and Pixie Lott in the UK. Recordings of his songs have collectively sold in excess of 100 million copies worldwide.
Peter Zizzo | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Peter Eric Zizzo |
| Born | February 22, 1966 (age 54) |
| Origin | New York, NY, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | producer, songwriter, writer, musician |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Universal Music Publishing / BMG Music Publishing |
Peter Zizzo has also produced songs for Nickelodeon and Nick Jr., including the shows Middle School Moguls, The Fresh Beat Band, Blue's Clues & You! and the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club. For Winx Club, he composed many of the episodic songs as well as the single "We Are Believix,"[3] which was sung by Victorious star Elizabeth Gillies. In 2013, Zizzo won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for his music on The Fresh Beat Band.[4]
Early life
Born in New York to musical parents, Peter Zizzo was initially a teen rock guitar prodigy, featured in Guitar Player magazine. As a songwriter, he got his first cut, "March", by The Weather Girls, at age 18. He attended college at Tufts University, graduating with a Bachelor's in English. Shortly thereafter, he won BMI's "Best New Songwriter" award on the heels of his first hit, the dance track "Whispers" by Corina. Zizzo found more success working alongside top 80s producer Ric Wake on records by Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez. It was through Wake's company that he signed his first developing artist, Billy Porter, whose A&M debut Untitled was largely written and produced by Zizzo, and featured "Love Is On The Way", the central ballad from the hit film The First Wives Club. Porter went on to win a Tony award for his starring role in Broadway's Kinky Boots.
Entrepreneurial ventures
In his role of Artist Development, Zizzo discovered, developed, produced, and helped launch prominent artists such as Avril Lavigne, Vanessa Carlton, Pixie Lott, and more recently, People Magazine's "One To Watch, 2017" Hailey Knox. Zizzo has also spoken and led seminars at South by Southwest and other music industry events. Peter Zizzo's songs and productions have sold over 100 million copies worldwide. In 2010, Zizzo's production and writing on BeBe and CeCe Winans' "Still" won a Grammy for Best Gospel Album.
Zizzo has also written and produced songs for several shows on Nickelodeon, including Middle School Moguls, Winx Club, The Fresh Beat Band, and the title music for Blue's Clues & You! (a reboot of Blue's Clues). His work on The Fresh Beat Band in 2013 won him an Emmy Award for best musical composition. He was nominated again the following year for Outstanding Original Song for "Spring Has Sprung", from the show "Peter Rabbit".
Zizzo is also an author of short fiction and has written several screenplays, one of which, "Timmy Tilson", placed in the finals in The Creative World Awards international screenplay competition.
Partial Discography
| Year | Artist | Album/Singles | Charts | Certifactions/Awards | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Elizabeth Gillies | Winx Club (Nickelodeon Revival)
|
– | – | Producer, writer |
| 2011 | The Fresh Beat Band | A Friend Like You [single]
|
#1 on iTunes Kids Chart 5 Album | – | Producer, writer, arranger |
| 2009 | Pixie Lott | Turn It Up
|
UK Top 5 Album | −2x platinum (600,000+) | Producer, writer, arranger |
| 2009 | BeBe & CeCe Winans | Still
|
US #14 Billboard Top 100
US #1 Gospel Album |
Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album 2011 | Producer, writer, arranger |
| 2009 | Blake Lewis | Heartbreak on Vinyl
|
US #7 Dance & Electronic Album | – | – |
| 2006 | Stephanie McIntosh | Tightrope
|
#4 AUS | Gold (+35,000 units sold) | Producer, co-writer |
| 2005 | Toby Lightman | Little Things
|
Top 15 Hot AC, Top 40 Pop | – | Producer, writer, arranger |
| 2002 | Avril Lavigne | Let Go
|
– | 18 Million Worldwide
RIAA Diamond Award |
Producer, writer, arranger |
| 2000 | M2M | Shades of Purple
|
US Top 20 Radio
US Sales #1 (Certified Platinum) |
2 Million Worldwide | Producer, writer, arranger |
| 1999 | Jennifer Lopez | "On The 6"
|
– | 7 Million Worldwide | Producer, writer, arranger |
| 1997 | Celine Dion | These Are Special Times
|
– | 14 Million Worldwide | Writer, arranger |
| 1996 | Celine Dion | Let's Talk About Love
|
Top 40 | 33 Million Worldwide
RIAA Diamond Award[5] |
Writer, arranger |
| 1994 | Celine Dion | "The Color of My Love
|
Top 10 US
Top 5 UK |
16 Million Worldwide | Writer, arranger |
Acting career
In 2009 Peter played a character named after himself in the Steven Soderbergh film The Girlfriend Experience starring adult film star Sasha Grey. "Girlfriend Experience" was written by Peter's lifelong friends Brian Koppelman and David Levien who also named a character after him in the poker classic Rounders.[6]
References
- "Music written by Peter Zizzo". Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved October 16, 2008.
- UMPG Signs Peter Zizzo
- Information taken from show credits. Show credits: Music and lyrics, 2012.
- "The 40th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award Winners" (PDF). National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. emmyonline.org. June 14, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
- https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=tblDiamond
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1103982/
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