Johnta Austin

Songwriter - "Shake It Off," "We Belong Together," "Be Without You," "Poppin'"

Music industry insiders know him as the Grammy-winning 'go-to' writer which is why the legendary Whitney Houston, Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, multi-platinum artist Usher and hitmaker Chris Brown have tracks on projects by this Atlanta native. But after penning songs for the likes of Toni Braxton, Tyrese, Enrique Iglesias, Ginuwine, and Aaliyah, last year's release of Johnta Austin's debut album, Ocean Drive, firmly cemented his place as a solo artist. Signed to Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label, Dupri produced and co-wrote a bulk of Ocean Drive's tracks. For Johnta, the journey from Grammy-winning songwriter to the making of his first album really began when he submitted the lyrics to the song "Sweet Lady" to Tyrese for his debut album. By the time Johnta graduated from North Atlanta's School of Performing Arts high school in 1998, "Sweet Lady" was a Top 10 hit on the Billboard charts. With the success of "Sweet Lady" came opportunities: he scored with Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" and co-wrote massive hits for Mariah Carey, including "Don't Forget About Us," "Shake It Off," "It's Like That" and the record-breaking single, "We Belong Together." That earned Johnta a Grammy for Best R&B Song in 2005.