Who Is Amy Allen? The Songwriter Behind Your Favourite Pop Hits

It wasn’t too long ago that it felt somewhat taboo for artists to admit they weren’t writing every word of their own songs, as if recognising record-making as the collaborative process that it is, would diminish the talents of the singer. Up until 2023, Songwriter of the Year wasn’t even a category at the Grammys, while Producer of the Year has been awarded since 1975, despite the fact that songwriters are just as, if not sometimes more, influential to the success of a song. They are not just whipping up some pretty lyrics, but crafting whole melodies and chord progressions that help make a song so iconic. 

Songwriters have been calling on the Grammys for this category for a long time, so what took them so long? We can only speculate, but what is significant is the rules in place around this category, ensuring that it honours those behind the scenes songwriters specifically. To qualify, a songwriter “must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited ‘solely’ as a songwriter or co-writer”. This eliminates the possibility of artists who write much of their own work from winning the award, instead spotlighting these underrated, unknown contributors. And, it is where someone like Amy Allen has a chance to shine. 

Since the category has come into place, Amy has already won it two consecutive times making her not only the most awarded already, but the first female to take it home. In both her 2024 and 2025 wins, she had submitted tracks she was credited on from a range of artists, but most notably, from Sabrina Carpenter. It is her work with the pop singer, who is well on her way to super stardom, that Amy has become the most notorious for. Having worked with Sabrina on every track on both Short n’ Sweet and Man’s Best Friend, she is being heralded as a master of modern pop songwriting, but her musical roots don’t come from pop music at all. 

The Songwriter

Raised on classic rock, Amy has been writing music and playing in bands since she was very young, often within the rock genre. In spite of this, she seemingly didn’t have intentions of making music her career, originally studying nursing at Boston College. After two years, she realised that she was “certainly not cut out to be in any hospital setting", and made the switch to Berklee College of Music. While studying she founded the rock band Amy & The Engine, and moved with them to New York City upon graduating. The band released multiple EPs and even went on tour across the US. But, it was in a record label meeting that she decided that this band was not the path for her, not believing they were “good enough”, and calling it quits.

It was this decision that would lead her onto the songwriter path, moving to Los Angeles and quickly finding herself collaborating with songwriter and producer Scott Harris, who at the time was known for working with artists like Shawn Mendes and has since been credited on tracks for artists like Role Model, Dermot Kennedy and Camilla Cabello. She was subsequently signed to Artist Publishing Group, and began expanding her network of singers to write and produce with. 

With an eagerness and gratitude for even being in the room, she bounced from session to session at the time. It was when she wrote a melody that became the Selena Gomez song, ‘Back to You’ that things really started to pick up for her, later that year also co-writing Halsey’s No. 1 hit ‘Without Me’. From there she gradually gained credits on songs for artists like Harry Styles (see ‘Adore You’ and ‘Matilda’), Fletcher (‘Undrunk’ and ‘Forever’) and Justin Timberlake (‘Selfish’ and ‘Drown’), which she remembers as a huge moment as someone who had heard so much of Justin’s music growing up. 

It wasn’t until working with Sabrina on Short n’ Sweet that she collaborated with an artist on an entire project for the first time. She credits Sabrina for giving her that opportunity and trusting her in such a way. It was clear that her input was valued highly, being invited back to create 2025’s Man’s Best Friend too. 

While she has yet to do the same for any other artist, she has started to work more extensively with the same artists. For instance, she is listed across many of tracks on Tate McRae’s most recent album, So Close to What including hits like ‘Miss Possessive’ and ‘2 Hands’. This year, she worked closely with Olivia Rodrigo and her longtime collaborator Dan Nigro on five tracks for you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. Although many of these artists fall into the pop genre, she has also co-written across folk and country, most recently with Noah Kahan on ‘Dashboard’ off of The Great Divide. 

Less than a decade into her career, Amy is already solidifying herself as a sought-after and hugely successful songwriter that has undoubtedly left a huge mark on 2020s pop music. She has been rightfully recognised and awarded for her collaborative work already, however, people are yet to latch on to Amy as the artist she is in her own right.

The Artist

Only a couple weeks after the chart-topping and career altering (for Sabrina and Amy alike) Short n’ Sweet dropped, Amy released her self-titled debut album. Contrary to the bubblegum pop and tongue-in-cheek nature of Sabrina’s record, Amy strays confidently into a folk-pop and occasionally indie-rock sound, with introspective storytelling that feels akin to musicians like Lizzy McAlpine and Samia.

It is a wholly moving album that explores fear and longing, tapping into darker themes than she has ever divulged elsewhere. Speaking about the album, she explained that it features “songs so personal there’s no way I could ever give them to anyone else”. 

With her early influences rooted in rock music, that background can be heard most clearly here. Noting how she “almost always” begins with a poem when writing her own songs, she combines soft-rock sounds like the gritty guitar riffs on ‘even forever’ with symbolic lyricism on songs like ‘break’. As a result, she creates an interesting and fully engaging body of work that showcases her remarkable and vast talent in all its glory. 

Amy Allen is an unstoppable force, and while you eagerly await the next pop hit that features her unparalleled penmanship, take a second to breathe and take in her debut album. It might just be what you were waiting for.

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