Mark Ronson

Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is an English and American DJ, record producer, songwriter, author and composer. He has won ten Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album Back to Black (2006), as well as two for Record of the Year with her 2006 single "Rehab" and his own 2014 single "Uptown Funk" (featuring Bruno Mars). Ronson has also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe and a Grammy Award for co-writing "Shallow" (performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper) for the film A Star Is Born (2018). Ronson was lead and executive producer for the soundtrack to the 2023 Greta Gerwig film Barbie, on which he also composed and co-wrote several of its songs with his production partner Andrew Wyatt. The soundtrack won three Grammy Awards—"What Was I Made For?" won Song of the Year and Best Song Written for Visual Media, while the parent album won Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media—from 11 nominations, as well as an Academy Award for Best Original Song from two nominations. Ronson would collaborate with Gerwig again for the soundtrack to her adaptation of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew for Netflix. Ronson was born in Notting Hill, London, and raised in New York City. His stepfather is Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones, which contributed to his musical upbringing. Ronson was educated at the Collegiate School and Vassar College. While attending New York University, he became a popular DJ in the regional area for his work in hip hop music. Ronson signed with Elektra Records to release his debut studio album, Here Comes the Fuzz (2003), which contained guest performances from prominent American hip hop acts and was met with lukewarm commercial reception. Due to this, he parted ways with Elektra the following year and co-founded his own label, Allido Records, through which Ronson released his following projects and signed other artists including Wale, Rhymefest, and Daniel Merriweather. By 2006, Ronson gained wider recognition for his production work on albums and singles for Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera, and Amy Winehouse. The following year, he signed with Columbia Records and released the Motown-funk cover singles "Stop Me" (featuring Daniel Merriweather) and "Valerie" (featuring Amy Winehouse), both of which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and preceded the release of his second album, Version (2007). It peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart earned him the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist. His third album, Record Collection (2010), matched its chart position and moderately entered the U.S. Billboard 200. Ronson's 2014 single "Uptown Funk" (featuring Bruno Mars), yielded his furthest commercial success internationally, spending 14 consecutive weeks atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, seven non-consecutive weeks atop the UK Singles Chart, and becoming one of the best-selling singles of all-time. "Uptown Funk" served as the lead single for his fourth studio album Uptown Special (2015), which was dedicated to Winehouse and peaked atop the UK Albums Chart, as well as number five on the Billboard 200. In 2018, Ronson founded the record label Zelig Records, an imprint of Columbia Records, and formed the duo Silk City with fellow producer Diplo; their debut single, "Electricity" (featuring Dua Lipa) was released in September of that year and won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording. In 2015, Ronson became a patron of the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which helps disadvantaged youth through music. He has also worked with the End the Silence campaign to raise funds and awareness for the Hope and Homes for Children charity. Ronson served as a mentor at Turnaround Arts, a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which helped low-performing schools through arts education.