Lizzo Producer Ricky Reed, Variety’s Hitmaker of the Month, on What Makes Her So ‘Special’

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith hits from a wildly diverse array of artists including Halsey, the Weeknd, Camila Cabello, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, Twenty One Pilots, SZA, Maren Morris, Maggie Rogers, Maroon 5, Bomba Estereo and many more, Ricky Reed is one of the most successful and ubiquitous songwriters of the past 15-odd years.But it’s his work with Lizzo, both as a musical collaborator and the head of Nice Life, the label to which signed along with Atlantic Records, that has made him Variety’s Hitmaker of the Month for July.

The singer’s “Special” album features five songs co-produced by Reed — including the smash single “About That Time” and the closer, “Coldplay.”Reed (real name: Eric Frederic) began working with Lizzo (real name: Melissa Jefferson) in 2016.

His touch was immediately evident on her debut EP “Coconut Oil,” several songs from which appeared on her Grammy-winning “Cuz I Love You” full-length three years later — he brought an effervescent pop touch that was not in evidence on her earlier releases, and helped turn her into a superstar.

It’s a long way from his early beginnings in the Bay Area, where he says he was equally influenced by the region’s punk and hip-hop scenes.