Dr. Luke

Dr. Luke (b. Lukasz Gottwald) is an American songwriter and producer, perhaps best known for his hits with Britney Spears, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. He started his career working with New York-based rap groups like Nappy Roots and Black Star, and made the transition to pop music when he befriended superstar Swedish producer Max Martin. Since his breakthrough success with Kelly Clarkson’s 2004 hit “Since U Been Gone,” He has gone on to produce tracks for Juicy J, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Kim Petras, Doja Cat, and many more artists. He has the third-most hit singles of any producer, ever.

Despite his massive success, his career was heavily impacted in the 2010s by a lawsuit with Kesha, who accused Luke of abuse throughout her career with him. The lawsuit was initially filed in October 2014, and while most of the charges filed against him were dropped in 2016, Gottwald’s counter-suit to Kesha’s original case is still ongoing as of January 2020.

For an insightful New York profile (before the events of the lawsuit with Kesha), see here.