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Dewain Whitmore Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, and vocal producer based in Los Angeles, California. Signed to Disney Music Publishing,[1] he has worked with numerous popular acts, including Chris Brown, Kacey Musgraves, Nick Jonas, David Guetta, Tiësto, DNCE, Martin Garrix, Khalid, 21 Savage, Usher, Kelly Clarkson, Zara Larsson, Jason Desrouleaux, Joji, The Wanted, Mary J Blige, James Blunt, BoA, and Exo amongst others. His works have accumulated over 30 million in sales.
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Born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Whitmore was exposed to many styles of music at an early age. Growing up on a very special blend of musical influences stretching from Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Kim Burrell, and J.Moss all the way to Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Toto, Hall and Oates, Billy Joel, James Taylor and Steely Dan, his inspiration is one big nostalgic melting pot.[2]
Major breakthrough
Whitmore's big break came in 2011, after re-locating to Los Angeles. After one year of being in LA, Whitmore was introduced to Chris Brown, who recorded two of his songs, "Up To You" and "Should've Kissed You", which featured on Brown's fourth studio album FAME.[3] The album reached No. 1 in 3 countries, and sold over 2 million copies worldwide. The album earned a nomination at the 54th Grammy Awards, for Best R&B Album.[4] F.A.M.E. won in the Best R&B Album category. That same year, Whitmore vocal produced Kelly Clarkson's first single "Mr. Know It All" from her studio album Stronger,[5] The album Stronger went on to win Best Pop Vocal Album at the 55th Grammy Awards.[6] In November 2011, Whitmore collaborated with Mary J.Blige, on the song "You Want This", which was included on Bliges’ 10th studio album My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1).[7] The album was certified gold, selling over 500,000 copies.
Notable work
On June 29, 2012, Chris Brown released his Billboard No. 1 album Fortune. Whitmore wrote three songs on the album, including "Stuck On Stupid", "Party Hard" and "Free Run".[8] The album earned a nomination at the 55th Grammy Awards, for Best Urban Contemporary Album[9] The album also reached No. 1 in 5 countries.
The next year, Whitmore reached more commercial success, with collaborations with Usher, Ciara, The Wanted and once again Chris Brown. Co-writing the single and title track "X" (#98 Billboard Hot 100),[10] from Browns' sixth studio album X, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200. The album would go on to be nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2015, Whitmore teamed up with frequent collaborator Brown on his 7th studio album titled Royalty, co-writing three songs.[11] The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard US Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart and No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[12] That same year, Whitmore collaborated with K-pop group EXO on their album EXODUS. The album topped Billboard's World Albums Chart on the issue date of April 18, 2015, and stayed in the top 10 for six consecutive weeks.[13]
On June 15, 2018, Martin Garrix released his new single "Ocean" featuring Khalid, which was co-written by Whitmore. The single reached No. 1 at US dance radio, No. 5 on Billboard US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, and Top 10 Billboard US Dance Club Songs.[14] Whitmore continued his dance success with another collaboration with Garrix and fellow Dutch DJ Justin Mylo, on the single "Burn Out". The track was co-written and features vocals from Whitmore, and reached No. 26 at Billboard US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.[15]
Featured artist
In 2018, Whitmore made his debut as a recording artist with his vocals featuring on the Martin Garrix dance hit “Burn Out”, which Whitmore also co-wrote. The song went on to chart in 13 different countries, becoming his first Billboard US Dance/Electronic song to chart Top 40 as an artist. With his vocals becoming more in demand, in 2020, he penned and featured on German DJ duo, Gamper & Dadoni's “Perfect (For Somebody Else)”,[16] and the following year, his collaborations with Country music star Kacey Musgraves, led to Whitmore co-writing and singing on Musgraves’ chart topping album, Star-Crossed.[17] Whitmore lended his vocals to “What Doesn’t Kill Me”, prominently heard on the intro and all throughout the song, becoming his first credited vocal on a #1 Country Album.[18] In April, 2022, Whitmore found himself teaming up again with Garrix for another feature on the spring single, “Find You”, included on Garrix’s album “Sentio”.[19] Whitmore continued his dance success in 2023 by collaborating with famed Dutch DJ Tiësto on his single “BOTH”, featuring Bia & 21 Savage. The track was co-written and features vocals from Whitmore, and was released on Atlantic on September 1, 2023.[20]
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| Year | Artist | Title | Album | Label | Credited as |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jessica Mauboy | "Fight For You" | Get 'Em Girls | Sony | Writer |
| "Here For Me" | Writer | ||||
| 2011 | Chris Brown | "Up To You" | FAME | Jive | Writer |
| "Should've Kissed You" | Writer | ||||
| Mary J.Blige | "You Want This" | My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) | Geffen | Writer | |
| Kelly Clarkson | "Mr. Know It All" | Stronger | RCA | Vocal Producer | |
| 2012 | Jackson Guthy | "One Of These Days" | — | RCA | Writer/Vocal Producer |
| Chris Brown | "Stuck On Stupid" | Fortune | RCA | Writer | |
| "Party Hard / Cadillac (Interlude)" | Writer | ||||
| "Free Run" | Writer | ||||
| 2013 | Jessica Sanchez | "You've Got The Love" | Me, You & The Music | Interscope | Writer |
| The Wanted | "Running Out Of Reasons" | Word of Mouth | Island | Writer | |
| Ciara | "Backseat Love" | Ciara | Epic | Writer | |
| TGT | "Between The Lines" | Three Kings | Atlantic | Writer | |
| Jay Sean | "Worth It All" | Neon | Republic | Writer | |
| "Guns and Roses" | Writer | ||||
| 2014 | Chris Brown | "X" | X | RCA | Writer |
| "Stereotype" | Writer | ||||
| TVXQ | "Smoky Heart" | Spellbound | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Usher | "Clueless" | — | RCA | Writer | |
| 2015 | Tamar Braxton | "Coming Home" | Calling All Lovers | Epic | Writer |
| Jordin Sparks | "Tell Him That I Love Him" | Right Here Right Now | 19 Recordings | Writer | |
| BoA | "Home" | Kiss My Lips | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Exo | "What If..." | Exodus | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Chris Brown | "No Filter" | Royalty | CBE, RCA | Writer | |
| "Discover" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "The 80's" (International) | Writer | ||||
| Chris Brown | "Counterfeit" feat. Rihanna, Wiz Khalifa | Before the Party | CBE, RCA | Writer/Vocals | |
| "Second Hand Love" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "The Breakup" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "Roses Turn Blue" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| Shinee | "Love Sick" | Odd | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| TVXQ | "Apology" | Rise as God | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| 2016 | Nick Jonas | "Voodoo" | Last Year Was Complicated | Island, Safehouse | Writer[21] |
| "The Difference" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| DNCE | "Almost" | DNCE | Republic | Writer | |
| "Unsweet" | Writer | ||||
| Shinee | "Tell Me What To Do" | 1 of 1 | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Taeyeon | "Hands On Me" | Why | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Kevin Hart | "Sunday Morning" | Kevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa) | Motown | Writer | |
| Jordan Fisher | "Lookin' Like That" | Jordan Fisher | Hollywood Records | Writer[22] | |
| Rockie Fresh feat. Chris Brown | "Call Me When It's Over" | The Night I Went To... Los Angeles | Maybach Music Group | Writer | |
| 2017 | James Blunt | "Heartbeat" | The Afterlove | Atlantic UK | Writer[23] |
| Jordan Fisher | "Alway's Summer" | Non-album single | Hollywood Records | Writer | |
| Jordan Fisher | "Mess" | Non-album single | Hollywood Records | Writer[24] | |
| Daley | "Second To None" | The Spectrum | BMG | Writer | |
| Sevyn Streeter | "Peace Sign" | Girl Disrupted | Atlantic | Writer[25] | |
| NCT 127 | "Limitless" | Limitless | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Exo | "Diamond" | The War | S.M. Entertainment | Writer[26] | |
| Natasha Bedingfield | "More Of Me" | — | Walt Disney Records | Writer[27] | |
| 2018 | Exo-CBX | "Vroom Vroom" | Blooming Days | S.M. Entertainment | Writer |
| Martin Garrix ft. Khalid | "Ocean" | — | Stmpd, Sony | Writer | |
| Vindata ft. R.LUM.R | "Emotion" | Non-album single | PRMD | Writer | |
| NCT 127 | "Limitless" | Chain | Avex Trax | Writer | |
| Gospellers | "In This Room" | What The World Needs Now | Ki/oon Music, Sony | Writer[28] | |
| Daughtry | "Gravity" | Cage to Rattle | RCA | Writer | |
| Martin Garrix & Justin Mylo | "Burn Out" | — | Stmpd | Writer/Vocals[29] | |
| New Hope Club | "Crazy" | Welcome to the Club Pt.2 EP | Hollywood Records | Writer | |
| Martin Garrix | "Breach (Walk Alone)" (with Blinders) |
— | Stmpd | Writer[30] | |
| Exo | "Sign" | Don't Mess Up My Tempo | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Red Velvet | "Butterflies" | RBB | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| 2019 | Backstreet Boys | "Said I Love You" | DNA | RCA | Writer |
| Jorge Blanco | "Beautiful Mistake" | Conmigo | Hollywood Records | Writer[31] | |
| Jordan McGraw ft. T-Pain | "Flexible" | Non-album single | Empire Distribution | Writer[32] | |
| Chris Brown | "Troubled Waters" | Indigo | RCA | Writer[30] | |
| Mika Setzer | "Shook" | Non-album single | RCA | Writer | |
| Mario (Devon version) | "Cruise" | Empire (Season 6, Stronger Than My Rival) (Music from the TV Series) | Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Writer[33] | |
| 2020 | NCT 127 | "Sit Down" | Neo Zone | S.M. Entertainment | Writer |
| "White Night" | Writer | ||||
| Gamper & Dadoni ft. Dewain Whitmore | "Perfect (For Somebody Else)" | Non-album single | Big Top Records | Writer/Vocals | |
| Georgia Ku | "Lighthouse" | Real | Atlantic Records | Writer | |
| "Real" | Writer | ||||
| "Big Plans" | Writer | ||||
| THEY. | "Count Me In" | "The Amanda Tape" | Avant Garden, Island Records | Writer/Vocals | |
| "Play Fight" ft. Tinashe | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "All Mine" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "STCU" ft. Juicy J | Vocals | ||||
| "Losing Focus" ft. Wale | Vocals | ||||
| "FWM" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "Mood Swings" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| "Conclude" | Vocals | ||||
| Syn Cole | "Crawl" ft. Sarah Close | Non-album single | Ultra Music | Writer | |
| 2021 | Zara Larsson | "Talk About Love" (featuring Young Thug) |
Poster Girl | Epic Records | Writer [34] |
| THEY. | "Count Me In" ft. Kiana Lede | Non-album single | Avant Garden, Island Records | Writer/Vocals | |
| Tedashii | "Light's in the City" | "Summer 21" | Reach Records | Writer | |
| Red Velvet | "Hello, Sunset" | Queendom | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Kacey Musgraves | "What Doesn't Kill Me" | Star-Crossed | MCA Nashville/Interscope | Writer/Vocals | |
| NCT 127 | "Magic Carpet Ride | Sticker | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Eric Bellinger | "Goin' Dutch" | "New Light" | Empire Records | Writer | |
| Nadine Lustre & CAREFREE | "Wait for Me" | Non-album single | Hyphen Music | Writer | |
| 2022 | Martin Garrix & Justin Mylo | "Find You" | Sentio | Stmpd | Writer/Vocals |
| Joji | "Die For You" | Smithereens (2022) | 88rising, Warner | Writer | |
| THEY. | "Lonely" ft. Bino Rideaux | Non-album single | Nü Religion, AWAL | Writer/Vocals | |
| Sam Feldt with Monsta X | "Late Night Feels" | Non-album single | Liquid State | Writer | |
| Chris Brown | "Hate Me Tomorrow" | Breezy | RCA Records, CBE | Writer/Vocals | |
| "In The City" | Writer/Vocals | ||||
| Jaehyun | "Forever Only" | NCT Lab | S.M. Entertainment | Writer | |
| Jay B | "The Way You Are" | Be Yourself | CDNZA Records | Writer | |
| Sam Derosa | "Sorry For Asking" | "The Good Parts" EP | Preach Records | Writer | |
| 2023 | Ive | "Cherish" | I've Ive | Starship Entertainment | Writer |
| Jason Derulo with David Guetta | "Saturday/Sunday" | Non-album single | Atlantic | Writer | |
| Tiësto with 21 Savage & Bia | "Both" | Non-album single | Atlantic | Writer | |
| Zara Larsson and David Guetta | On My Love | Venus | Sommer House, Epic | Writer | |
| Key | "CoolAs" | Good & Great | SM | Writer | |
| THEY. feat. Kacey Musgraves | "Wait On Me" | "Nü Moon | Avant Garden, Island | Writer | |
| Jihyo | "Closer" | Zone | JYP, Republic | Writer | |
| NCT 127 | "Home Alone" | Be There For Me | SM | Writer | |
| James Blunt | "Confetti and Roses" | Who We Used to Be | Atlantic | Writer | |
| 2024 | Robin Thicke & Stevie Matthew | "Hotel" | Non-album single | Snafu Records | Writer |
| Chris Brown | "Residuals" | 11:11 | RCA Records, CBE | Writer/Vocals | |
| Riize | "Impossible" | Riizing | SM | Writer | |
| Jae Stephens | "Wet" | Non-album single | Def Jam Recordings | Writer | |
| NCT 127 | "Pricey" | Walk | SM Entertainment | Writer |
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Chris Brown – F.A.M.E | Best R&B Album | Won[35] |
| 2012 | Kelly Clarkson – Stronger | Best Pop Vocal Album | Won[36] |
| 2012 | Chris Brown – Fortune | Best Urban Contemporary Album | Nominated[35] |
| 2013 | TGT – Three Kings | Best R&B Album | Nominated[37] |
| 2014 | Chris Brown – X | Best Urban Contemporary Album | Nominated[35] |
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