BENNY BLANCO HAS PRODUCED MORE #1 HITS THAN MOST ARTISTS WILL EVER RELEASE AND YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HIS FACE

## The Invisible Empire Benjamin Joseph Levin, known as Benny Blanco, is one of the most commercially successful music producers of the 21st century. His production and songwriting credits include over 30 top-40 hits, multiple #1 singles, and collaborations with Rihanna ("Diamonds"), Ed Sheeran ("Castle on the Hill," "Love Yourself" co-write with Justin Bieber), Maroon 5 ("Moves Like Jagger"), Katy Perry ("Teenage Dream" co-write), and Halsey ("Eastside" as solo artist). Blanco's catalog has generated billions of streams and sold over 500 million records worldwide — numbers that place him alongside Max Martin, Dr. Luke, and Pharrell Williams as one of the most commercially impactful producers in pop music history. The critical difference: most people could not identify Benny Blanco if he walked into a room. The producer is music's most successful anonymous person. ## The Dr. Luke Apprenticeship Blanco's career began as an intern and protégé of Dr. Luke, the producer behind Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" era and Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." The apprenticeship provided Blanco with technical production skills, industry connections, and an understanding of pop song architecture that would define his career. By age 20, Blanco was co-producing hits for major artists, executing a career acceleration that most producers spend decades pursuing. The Dr. Luke connection carries complicated legacy given the producer's legal disputes with Kesha, but Blanco's subsequent career has been built independently, collaborating primarily with artists and producers outside the Dr. Luke ecosystem. ## The Solo Artist Pivot "Eastside" (2018, featuring Halsey and Khalid) was Blanco's debut as a credited solo artist — a producer stepping out from behind the mixing board to claim credit on the song's cover art. The track reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and accumulated over 2 billion Spotify streams, proving that Blanco's name alone could generate commercial interest. Subsequent solo releases — "I Found You" (with Calvin Harris), "Lonely" (with Justin Bieber), and "Beautiful Things" (with Benson Boone, 2024, #1 in 20+ countries) — established Blanco as a viable solo act. "Beautiful Things" became one of 2024's biggest global hits, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. ## The Selena Gomez Factor Blanco's relationship with Selena Gomez (public since mid-2023, engaged December 2024) has transformed him from an industry insider into a public figure. The relationship generates tabloid coverage, social media engagement, and mainstream visibility that his production credits never provided. Blanco's TikTok presence — cooking videos, self-deprecating humor, celebrity friend cameos — has made him one of the most unexpectedly likable figures in pop culture. ## Verdict Benny Blanco wrote the songs. Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Bieber sang them. 500 million records later, the invisible man became visible — not through music, but through cooking videos and falling in love with one of the most famous women on earth. The credits were always there. The world just wasn't looking. ## The Record Label Blanco launched his own record label, Friends Keep Secrets (distributed through Interscope), to sign and develop emerging artists. The label reflects Blanco's transition from hired-gun producer to music industry entrepreneur — owning the infrastructure rather than renting it. Friends Keep Secrets has signed artists that Blanco nurtures through co-production and collaborative songwriting, extending the mentorship he received from Dr. Luke to a new generation. The label name is not accidental: Blanco's career has been built on personal relationships with artists who request him by name. The "friends" in Friends Keep Secrets are not metaphorical — they are Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, and Halsey, artists who return to Blanco because the creative chemistry produces hits. In an industry built on transactions, Blanco built his empire on friendships. The records proved the friendships right.