Shellback | |
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 Shellback in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Karl Johan Schuster (1985-02-01)1 February 1985 (age 40) |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
| Formerly of | Blinded Colony |
Karl Johan Schuster (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈjûːanˈɧʏ̌sːtɛr]; born 1 February 1985), known professionally asShellback, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter. He was listed as the No. 1 producer of 2012 onBillboard magazine's year end chart, and he also topped the list of their "Top 10 Songwriters Airplay Chart" the same year; he has won fourGrammy Awards.
Shellback initially started his career as aheavy metal guitarist before transitioning into pop music production and songwriting.
Shellback regularly collaborates with songwriterMax Martin and together they have produced, written, or co-written songs for various artists such asP!nk,Taylor Swift,Adam Lambert,Britney Spears,Usher,Avril Lavigne,Ariana Grande,Adele andMaroon 5. Shellback has also collaborated with fellow producerBenny Blanco and has produced songs by himself, including "Want U Back" byCher Lloyd and "Animals" by Maroon 5. He co-wrote and co-produced the song "Can't Stop the Feeling!" along with Martin andJustin Timberlake for the animated filmTrolls (2016), earning a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song in 2017.
Karl Johan Schuster was born and raised inKarlshamn, Sweden.[citation needed] He started as a drummer in localindie rock bands in Karlshamn, as well as recording all instruments on the 2003 Meriah demo...Turn Him Your Other Cheek (a strictlyblack metal recording), before joining the metalcore scene as a vocalist in 2004 forBlinded Colony, with whom he recorded 2005'sPromo Demo and 2006'sBedtime Prayers, drawing comparisons to fellow Swedishmelodic death metal bandIn Flames, before leaving in 2007.[citation needed] In 2005, he also performed as a guest musician on theFaith albumSorg.
At the age of 16, Schuster met Max Martin through a mutual friend, Julius Petersson. By that time, according to an interview in the Swedish music magazineStim-magasinet, Schuster's taste in music was "too cool for school" and he had no interest in pop music whatsoever. Petersson kept sending Schuster's indie rock-death metal demos to Martin, who became curious about what it would sound like if Schuster were to make pop music. So in 2006 Martin invited Schuster to his studio in Stockholm to record a demo with him, and since 2007 Schuster has been signed to Martin's production companyMaratone.
Among the first songs Schuster co-wrote with Martin arePink's 2008 single "So What" andBritney Spears' 2008 single "If U Seek Amy".[1] In 2012 Schuster won the STIM Platinum guitar prize.[2]In 2014, Schuster produced "Problem" alongside Martin andIlya.[3]In 2015, Shellback collaborated with Swedishhardcore punk bandRefused, as he is both a fan of the band's music and friends with the band's drummer, David Sandstrom. Sandstrom sent him the versions of the songs "Elektra" and "366" that Refused had recorded with producerNick Launay, and Shellback replied with his own arrangements of the two songs. Refused frontmanDennis Lyxzen explained in June 2015 that Shellback's versions were "far more Refused than our versions" and "were better" than the Launay-produced versions. The two songs appear on Refused's comeback albumFreedom—"Elektra" was released as a single on 27 April 2015—which was released on the labelEpitaph Records on 26 June 2015.[4]
 | This list of songs or music-related items isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(August 2025) |
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient | Original artist(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | 2017 | Best Original Song | "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | Justin Timberlake | Nominated | [5] |
| Golden Globe Awards | 2017 | Best Original Song | Nominated | [6] | ||
| Grammy Awards | 2012 | Record of the Year | "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" | Taylor Swift | Nominated | [7] |
| 2013 | Album of the Year | Red | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Record of the Year | "Shake It Off" | Nominated | |||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||||
| 2015 | Album of the Year | 1989 | Won | |||
| Best Pop Vocal Album | Won | |||||
| Record of the Year | "Blank Space" | Nominated | ||||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | |||||
| 2016 | Album of the Year | 25 | Adele | Won | ||
| Best Song Written for Visual Media | "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | Justin Timberlake | Won | |||
| "Just Like Fire" | Pink | Nominated | ||||
| 2022 | Album of the Year | 30 | Adele | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Best Song Written for Visual Media | "Better Place" | NSYNC | Nominated | ||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2016 | Best Original Song in an Animated Film | "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | Justin Timberlake | Won | |
| Best Original Song in a Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror Film | "Just Like Fire" | Pink | Won |
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