Finally, the Idol collaborators are beginning to leak! Crystal Bowersox recently stepped into the studio with Wayne Wilkins and Priscilla Hamilton. (Read more at Billboard)
She’s the real deal, ” producer/songwriter Wayne Wilkins — who hit the studio with Bowersox on Wednesday (June 16) — tells Billboard.com. “I’ve only worked with a couple of ‘Amerian Idol’ contestants before, and in terms of songwriting, she’s the most developed on that front. She literally could sit in a room with anybody, grab a guitar and start writing.”
Wilkins, who has worked on hits with Jordin Sparks (“Battlefield”), Beyoncé (“Sweet Dreams”), David Archuleta and Natasha Bedingfield, says Bowersox arrived to the studio ready to work, with her guitar and lyrics in hand. (Unfortunately, the Ohio native’s favorite mic stand from back home did not make it to the session.)
Along with fellow songwriter Priscilla Hamilton, Wilkins and Bowersox came up with “two pretty great ideas” for songs in their session. “We did one song that I wouldn’t say was totally pop, but it had slightly more of a commercial edge to it, ” says Wilkins, who adds that the “Idol” finalist already has “an album’s worth” of material that boasts a more “folky” vibe in the Melissa Etheridge vein. “The other song was a bit darker and had a breakbeat on it. They were contrasting but still fit with her genre.”
Ha ha. According to Wikipedia, Wilkins wrote and produced Natasha Bedingfield’s “I Wanna Have Your Babies”. He also wrote and produced Jordin Sparks’ “Battlefield, ” and “Fight for this Love” by Cheryl Cole. He’s worked with Shontell, Kylie Minougue and Pink and he has singles coming out from Leona Lewis.
Wilkins is part of the songwriting/production team The Runaways, with Rico Love, Sam Watters (married to Tamyra Gray), and Louis Biancaniello.
No wonder Crystal recently asked her fans on twitter, “Would you all hate it if I sang a pop song?” This is going to be interesting…