Smooth Like
Butter
Multi-Platinum Producer/Songwriter Rob Grimaldi Pens Hits By Kevin Czerwinski
M
usic was always playing in Rob Grimaldi’s Maywood house when he was growing up. Whether it was classic rock, big band, jazz, country or rap, Grimaldi was exposed to and influenced by his parents’ tastes and that experience helped lay the foundation for what has become a successful songwriting career. “Butter” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. Grimaldi, 32, has carved out a niche as one of the music 1 on the Billboard Global 100 and broke Spotify and YouTube records for downloads and views in a song’s first industry’s most sought-after young writers because of his ability to move from one genre to another. He’s penned hits week. The official music video for the song had nearly 360 million views through the middle of June with eight differfor country stars Tim McGraw and Jim Allen as well as Queen Naija, the hip-hop singer and former American Idol ent versions of the song dominating on YouTube. contestant. “It’s been an interesting journey,” said Grimaldi, who is His latest work, however, has helped the Bergen Catholic signed with TwentySeven Music Publishing, a joint venture with Sony Music Publishing. “I worked with Queen High School grad gain global attention. Grimaldi is one of the writers/producers of “Butter,” the megahit by pop Naija, that was my first big record, and I was doing multigenre stuff outside of that. I had songs with Jim Allen and group BTS. The South Korean septet is one of the hottest groups on the planet and Butter, which has broken all kinds Tim McGraw last year. Last year I also worked with Black of records since it debuted on May 20, has helped Grimaldi Pink, a highly regarded Korean female group. become one of the industry’s most wanted writers.
30 | Fall 2021
