Dan Nigro

For the former commissioner of the New York City Fire Department, see Daniel Nigro.

Daniel Leonard Nigro (/ˈnaɪɡroʊ/ NY-groh^[1]) is an American record producer and songwriter.^[2] He was previously the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band As Tall as Lions.^[3] Nigro has produced, written, and co-written songs for Sky Ferreira, Joe Jonas, Kylie Minogue, Caroline Polachek, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, Dermot Kennedy, Maisie Peters, Conan Gray, and Lorde.

Dan Nigro
Birth name	Daniel Leonard Nigro
Born	Long Island, New York, U.S.
Genres	Indie rock emo alternative rock
Occupations	Record producer songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2001–present
Formerly of	As Tall as Lions
Spouse	Emily Williams ​ (m. 2020)​
Children	1

Nigro has been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, from which he won Best Pop Vocal Album for his work on Rodrigo's Sour (2021)^[4] as well as Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2025. In 2024, He was named "Producer of the Year" by Variety Hitmaker's and Songwriter of the Year at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.^[5]

Early life

Daniel Leonard Nigro^[6] was raised in Massapequa Park, New York, on Long Island,^[7] to Louis, a second-generation business owner^[8] and Claire, an artist specializing in oil painting.^[9] In his youth he took piano, guitar, and voice lessons.^[10] His sister, Alexa, co-founded the Scough fashion company^[11] and his brother, Leonard, is an international chef.^[12]

Nigro attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. He once said that he "never felt the need to go to college",^[13] but went to Fordham University.^[14]

Personal life

Nigro married visual artist Emily Williams in September 2020.^[15] Together they have a daughter, Saoirse Raine,^[16] who can be heard in the final seconds of Olivia Rodrigo's song "Teenage Dream".^[17]

Career

As Tall as Lions

With high school friends Saen Fitzgerald and Cliff Sarcona, Nigro formed the indie rock band As Tall as Lions in 2001, self-producing a four-song demo that included "King of the World", which became a local fan favorite.^[18][19] During the next few years, the band endured lineup changes.^{[20][deprecated source]} In 2002, they released their first EP, Blood Aphorisms. In 2003, they signed a record deal with Island and Triple Crown Records^[21] and left college with the full support of their parents to pursue music full-time.^[22]

In 2004, the band released their debut album, Lafcadio, and began touring. In 2006, they released As Tall as Lions and began a headlining tour. In July 2007, they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.^[23] In 2009, You Can't Take It with You was released, peaking at number 88 on the Billboard 200 chart. By September 2010, the band split up. Upon the announcement of the news, their last shows sold out and more were added to the schedule. They immediately planned what would be billed as their reunion, which was performed in 2015 without new music to supplement it.^[24]

Songwriting

Nigro moved to Los Angeles to become a songwriter, collaborating with childhood friend Justin Raisen.^[25] He found initial success with a jingle for a McDonald's advertisement^[26] and then with Sky Ferreira.^[27]

Amusement Records

After Nigro and singer-songwriter Chappell Roan had worked together for years, Roan was dropped by her former record label. To continue writing, producing and releasing songs together, Nigro formed independent label Amusement Records.

As of September 2024, Roan is the only act signed to Amusement. Nigro also said that he does see himself signing other acts to Amusement in the future. "But it's about finding the person I want to invest 300 days of my time with," he says. "It's not simply finding an artist that I like and thinking that they're great. It's about, 'Do we feel a connection that we can spend so much time making something and then promote it and find the right creative teams and annoy you about content?' It's everything."^[28] This is a common theme in Nigro's artistic career, helped along with the full support of his parents.

Discography

As Tall as Lions

Album	Release date	Label	Billboard 200 peak
Lafcadio	May 18, 2004	Triple Crown Records	–
As Tall as Lions	August 8, 2006	Triple Crown Records	–
You Can't Take It With You	August 18, 2009	Triple Crown Records	88

Songwriting and production credits

Key

‡	Indicates songs solely written or produced by Dan Nigro

Year	Artist	Song	Album	Written with	Produced with
2011	Kimbra	"Cameo Lover"	Vows[29]	Kimbra	–
2012	Sky Ferreira	"Lost in My Bedroom"	Ghost	Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen	–
2013		"You're Not the One"	Night Time, My Time[30]		–
		"I Blame Myself"		Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen, Jordan Benik	–
		"I Will"		Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen	–
		"Love in Stereo"		Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen, Jeremiah Raisen	–
2014	Kylie Minogue	"If Only"	Kiss Me Once	Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen	–
		"Golden Boy"			–
	Billy Idol	"Can't Break Me Down"	Kings & Queens of the Underground	Billy Idol, Greg Kurstin	–
	Dillon Francis	"Hurricane" (featuring Lily Elise)	Money Sucks, Friends Rule	Dillon Hart Francis, Leah Hayes, Oliver Goldstein	Dillon Francis, Oligee
2015	Twin Shadow	"When the Lights Turn Out"	Eclipse	George Lewis, Wynne Bennett	–
	Little Boots	"Help Too"	Working Girl	Little Boots	Solee
	Carly Rae Jepsen	"When I Needed You"	Emotion	Carly Rae Jepsen, Ariel Rechtshaid, Nate Campany, Tavish Crowe	Ariel Rechtshaid
	JR JR	"Gone"	JR JR	Joshua Epstein, Mike Higgins, Daniel Zott	–
2016	A-Trak	"Parallel Lines" (featuring Phantogram)	Non-album single	A-Trak, Joshua Carter, Sarah Barthel, Dave 1, Cory Enemy, Mereki	–
	Zella Day	"Man on the Moon"	Man on the Moon / Hunnie Pie	Zella Day Kerr	Sole production ‡
		"Hunnie Pie"
	Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness	"Walking in My Sleep"	Zombies on Broadway	Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Morgan Kibby	–
2017	Lo Moon	"This Is It"	Lo Moon	Matt Lowell	–
		"Thorns"			–
	Lewis Capaldi	"Mercy"	Bloom	Lewis Capaldi	Sole production ‡
2018	Rae Morris	"Physical Form"	Someone Out There	Rae Morris	–
	Finneas	"Heaven"	Non-album single	Finneas O'Connell	Finneas O'Connell
	Lo Moon	"Tried to Make You My Own"	Lo Moon	Matt Lowell, Christian Baker	–
		"My Money"		Matt Lowell	–
		"Real Love"			–
		"The Right Thing"		Matt Lowell, Samuel Stewart	–
	Empress Of	"When I'm with Him"	Us	Jim-E Stack, Empress Of	Jim-E Stack, Empress Of
	Conan Gray	"Generation Why"	Sunset Season	–	Sole production ‡
		"Crush Culture"		–	Conan Gray
		"Greek God"		–	Sole production ‡
		"Lookalike"		–
	Lo Moon	"For Me, It's You"	Non-album single	Matt Lowell	Matt Lowell
2019	Grace VanderWaal	"The City"	Letters Vol. 1	Grace VanderWaal	Ido Zmishlany
	Riverdale cast	"These Are the Moments I Remember"	Riverdale: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack)	Christopher Gabriel	–
	Conan Gray	"The King"	Non-album single	Conan Gray	Solee
	Hey Violet	"Better by Myself"	To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (Music from the Netflix Film)	Casey Moreta, Gabe Simon, Rena Lovelis, Nia Lovelis
	Freya Ridings	"Castles"	Freya Ridings	Freya Ridings	Mark Crew, Dan Priddy, Yves Rothman
	Caroline Polachek	"I Give Up"	Pang	Caroline Polachek, James Stack	Caroline Polachek, Jim-E Stack, Dan Carey
		"Look at Me Now"		Caroline Polachek, Daniel Eisner Harle	Caroline Polachek, Danny L Harle
		"So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings"		Caroline Polachek, Teddy Geiger	Caroline Polachek
		"Door"		Caroline Polachek, James Stack, Daniel Eisner Harle	Caroline Polachek, Jim-E Stack, Daniel Eisner Harle (co.)
	Conan Gray	"Checkmate"	Kid Krow	–	Sole production ‡
		"Comfort Crowd"		Conan Gray
		"Maniac"
2020		"Wish You Were Sober"
		"The Cut That Always Bleeds"		–
		"Fight or Flight"		–
		"Affluenza"		Conan Gray
		"(Can We Be Friends?)"		–
		"Heather"		–	Jam City
		"The Story"		–	Sole production ‡
	Lyn Lapid	"Producer Man"	Non-album single	Lyn Lapid
	Chappell Roan	"California"	The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess	Kayleigh Rose Amstutz
		"Love Me Anyway"	Non-album single
		"Pink Pony Club"	The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
2021	Half Alive	"Time 2"	Non-album single	Josh Taylor, J. Tyler Johnson, Brett Kramer & Ariel Rechtshaid	–
	Cautious Clay	"Roots"	Deadpan Love	–	Johan Lenox, Jim-E Stack, Cautious Clay
	Rosie	"100 Headaches"	Non-album single	Rosaileen Scher	–
	Olivia Rodrigo	"Brutal"	Sour	Olivia Rodrigo	Sole production ‡
		"Traitor"
		"Drivers License"
		"1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back"		Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff	Sole production ‡ Olivia Rodrigo (co.)
		"Deja Vu"		Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, St. Vincent
		"Good 4 U"		Olivia Rodrigo	Alexander 23 (co.)
		"Enough for You"		–	Olivia Rodrigo (co.)
		"Happier"		–	Sole production ‡
		"Jealousy, Jealousy"		Olivia Rodrigo, Casey Smith	Jam City (co.)
		"Favorite Crime"		Olivia Rodrigo	Sole production ‡
		"Hope Ur Ok"
	Conan Gray	"People Watching"	Superache	Conan Gray, Julia Michaels
		"Astronomy"		Conan Gray
2022		"Movies"
		"Best Friend"
		"Yours"
		"Jigsaw"
		"Family Line"
		"Footnote"
		"Memories"
		"The Exit"		Conan Gray, Julia Michaels	Ryan Linvill
	Hatchie	"Quicksand"	Giving the World Away	Harriette Pilbeam, Joe Agius	Sole production ‡
	Maisie Peters	"Good Enough"	Non-album single	Maisie Peters
	Chappell Roan	"Naked in Manhattan"	The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess	Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Skyler Stonestreet	Sole production ‡
		"My Kink is Karma"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Justin Tranter
		"Femininomenon"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz	Mike Wise
		"Casual"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Morgan St. Jean	Ryan Linvill
2023		"Kaleidoscope"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz	Sole production ‡
		"Picture You"
		"Red Wine Supernova"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Lisa hickox, Amy Kuney, Annie Schindel	Noah Condrad, Lixa
		"Hot to Go!"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz	Sole production ‡
		"After Midnight"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Casey Smith
		"Coffee"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Maya Kurchner, Eric Leva
		"Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Annika Bennett, Jonah Shy	Mike Wise, Jonah Shy
		"Guilty Pleasure"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Marcus Andersson, Nate Campany	Sole production ‡
	Caroline Polachek	"Welcome To My Island"	Desire, I Want to Turn Into You	Caroline Polachek, James Stack	Caroline Polachek, Danny L Harle, Jim-E Stack, A. G. Cook (add.)
	Olivia Rodrigo	"Vampire"	Guts	Olivia Rodrigo	Sole production ‡
		"Bad Idea Right?"
		"All-American Bitch"
		"Lacy"
		"Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl"
		"Logical"		Olivia Rodrigo, Julia Michaels	Ryan Linvill
		"Get Him Back!"		Olivia Rodrigo	Alexander 23, Ian Kirkpatrick
		"Love is Embarrassing"			Sole production ‡
		"The Grudge"			Ryan Linvill
		"Pretty Isn't Pretty"		Olivia Rodrigo, Amy Allen	Sole production ‡
		"Teenage Dream"		Olivia Rodrigo
		"Can't Catch Me Now"	The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By)
2024		"Obsessed"	Guts (Spilled)	Olivia Rodrigo, St. Vincent
		"Girl I've Always Been"		–
		"Scared of My Guitar"		Olivia Rodrigo, Amy Allen
		"Stranger"		–
		"So American"		Olivia Rodrigo
	Conan Gray	"Holidays"	Non-album singles	Conan Gray	Ethan Gruska, Conan Gray
	Chappell Roan	"Good Luck, Babe!"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Justin Tranter	Sole production ‡
2025		"The Giver"		Kayleigh Rose Amstutz
	Lorde	"What Was That"	TBA	–	Lorde, Jim-E Stack

Awards and nominations

Award	Year[a]	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)	Category	Result	Ref.
ASCAP Pop Music Awards	2022	"Drivers License" (with Rodrigo)	Winning Songwriters and Publishers	Won	[31]
		"Good 4 U" (with Rodrigo, Williams and Farro)		Won
		"Deja Vu" (with Rodrigo, Clark)		Won
	2024	"Vampire (with Rodrigo)	Songwriter of the Year	Won	[32]
		"Bad Idea Right?" (with Rodrigo)		Won
Billboard Music Awards	2024	Himself	Top Hot 100 Producer	Nominated	[33]
Gold Derby Film Awards	2024	"Can't Catch Me Now" (with Rodrigo)	Best Original Song	Nominated	[34]
Gold List	2024			Won	[35]
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards	2024		Best Song Written and/or Recording Created for a Film	Nominated	[36]
Grammy Awards	2022	Sour	Best Pop Vocal Album (Producer and Engineer)	Won	[37][38]
			Album of the Year	Nominated
		"Drivers License"	Record of the Year	Nominated
			Song of the Year	Nominated
	2024	Guts	Best Pop Vocal Album (Producer and Engineer)	Nominated	[39]
			Album of the Year	Nominated
		"Vampire"	Record of the Year	Nominated
			Song of the Year	Nominated
		"Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl"	Best Rock Song	Nominated
		Himself	Producer of the Year, Non-Classical	Nominated
	2025	The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess	Best Pop Vocal Album (Producer and Engineer)	Nominated	[40]
			Album of the Year	Nominated
		"Good Luck, Babe!"	Record of the Year	Nominated
			Song of the Year	Nominated
		"Can't Catch Me Now"	Best Song Written for Visual Media	Nominated
		Himself	Producer of the Year, Non-Classical	Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	2023	"Can't Catch Me Now"	Best Original Song in a Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Horror Film	Won	[41]
North Carolina Film Critics Association	2023		Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production	Nominated	[42]
Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards	2024		Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production	Won	[43]
Variety Hitmakers	2024	Himself	Producer of the Year	Won	[44]

Notes

1. Indicates the year of ceremony. Each year is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.