Justin Tranter

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Justin Tranter
Tranter at LoveLoud 2018
Tranter at LoveLoud 2018
Background information
Birth nameJustin Drew Tranter
Born (1980-06-16) June 16, 1980 (age 41)
OriginLake Zurich, Illinois, United States
GenresPop
Occupation(s)
  • Songwriter
  • singer
  • activist
Years active2004–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitesemipreciousweapons.com

Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. He has written songs for Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, Kesha, Imagine Dragons, Fifth Harmony, 5 Seconds of Summer, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Bea Miller, Demi Lovato, and Fall Out Boy, and frequently co-writes with fellow American songwriter Julia Michaels. Tranter was the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a rock band based in New York. He is also a board member of GLAAD, an organization that promotes LGBTQ acceptance in the entertainment and news industries.

Early years[]

Tranter and his three older brothers were raised by their parents in Lake Zurich, Illinois. Tranter studied musical theatre at the Chicago Academy for the Arts from 1994 to 1998. While at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, he started an annual AIDS Benefit.[1]

After graduation from high school, Tranter moved to Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music. Along with songwriting, he also took classes in business management, in preparation for a career in music. Tranter graduated from Berklee in three years, with a GPA of 3.9 and a degree in songwriting. While at Berklee, Justin founded Musicians with a Mission, a scholarship fund for LGBT youth education.[2]

In 2003, Tranter won an Outmusic Award for the song "Blend In," co-written with Stephanie Delk, from "Scratched."[3]

Music career[]

Main article: Semi Precious Weapons

In 2004, Tranter joined forces with fellow Berklee graduates, Cole Whittle, Dan Crean, and Aaron Lee Tasjan (who has since been replaced by Stevy Pyne) to form Semi Precious Weapons. He opened for Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball from 2009 to 2011.[4]

After moving to Los Angeles in 2012, Tranter signed a new publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music to write songs for other artists. He started collaborating with artists like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Hailee Steinfeld, as well groups like Fifth Harmony and Fall Out Boy.[5] Tranter and his frequent writing partner, Julia Michaels, collaborated on numerous Billboard hits including two songs, Good for You and Sorry, that held the number one spot on Pop Radio for three weeks each.[6] Tranter and Michaels also teamed-up to co-write Gwen Stefani's third solo album entitled This Is What the Truth Feels Like.[7]

In December 2015, Tranter was named one of Rolling Stone's "20 Biggest Breakouts of 2015" for his songwriting contributions to the 2015 pop charts.[8]

Tranter has since written for musicians ranging from Britney Spears to Linkin Park, as well as providing backup vocals for The Knocks and on Kygo's song "Carry Me", which was taken from his debut album, entitled Cloud Nine.

At the 2017 BMI Pop Awards hosted by Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), Tranter was named 2017 Pop Songwriter of the Year and collected awards for co-writing four of the top songs of the year.[9]

In an interview with Variety magazine, Tranter revealed that he will be executive producer on Britney Spears's upcoming 10th studio album.

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Work Category Result Ref.
2018 Grammy Awards "Issues" Song of the Year Nominated
[10]

Advocacy[]

Tranter began his activism with the initiation of an annual AIDS benefit while attending high school at The Chicago Academy for the Arts.[1] His advocacy continued while attending Berklee, where they founded Musicians With a Mission, a scholarship fund for LGBT youth education.[2]

In 2016, after flying to Orlando to help with the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting, Tranter joined with frequent collaborator, Julia Michaels, and GLAAD CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis to find a way to make a larger contribution. Through Interscope Records, and joined by various artists like Ru Paul, Britney Spears, & Selena Gomez and dozens of others in the music community, he brought about the release of the charity single "Hands" to raise funds for Equality Florida Pulse Victims Fund, GLAAD, and the GLBT Community Center of Central Florida.[11]

In February 2017, Tranter joined the National Board of Directors for GLAAD, an organization that promotes LGBTQ acceptance in the entertainment and news industries.[12] As part of the GLAAD Media Awards in May and June 2017, Tranter raised $123,000 for GLAAD by auctioning off four individual songwriting and recording sessions.[13]

On November 17, 2019 Tranter was honored with the ACLU of Southern California's Bill of Rights Award for his activist work as an outspoken and powerful voice for the LGBTQIA+ community, diversity, the climate crisis, arts education, animal rights, and ending gun violence.[14]

Tranter is also a long-time vegan, vegetarian since 1995 and a supporter of Mercy for Animals.[15]

Design career[]

Tranter's jewelry company, Fetty, grew out of necklaces he designed to sell as merchandise for the Semi Precious Weapons shows.[16] These rock-and-roll inspired pieces consist mostly of heart and weapon themed charm necklaces and earrings.

In 2008, he designed a limited-edition sneaker for DKNY.[17]

Television and film appearances[]

Tranter has appeared as a guest on the E! cable network show Chelsea Lately.[18] In December 2008, he also appeared as a coach on the MTV reality show Made, in which he helped a young girl transform into a "rock star".[19] In 2010, Tranter had a cameo appearance as a person at a diner in the music video for "Telephone" by Lady Gaga.[20] In 2012, they were interviewed for the documentary feature film Jobriath A.D..[21]

Discography[]

Main article: Semi Precious Weapons § discography
For his songwriting discography, see List of songs written by Justin Tranter.

Featured appearances[]

Year Title Album
2013 "Endwell"
(Bleu featuring Justin Tranter and Mike Taylor) 		To Hell With You
2015 "Our World"
(Shapov featuring Justin Tranter) 		Axtone Ten
2016 "Tied to You"
(The Knocks featuring Justin Tranter) 		55

Soundtrack appearances[]

Title Year Album
"Forever" 2017 The Lego Batman Movie: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "17th Annual Academy AIDS Benefit". Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Semi Precious Weapons on Apple Music".
  3. ^ "Outmusic Awards Data".
  4. ^ "Inside Lady Gaga's Monster Ball". November 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "This Rocker Has Been Writing All Of Your Favorite Pop Songs". November 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  6. ^ Coscarelli, Joe (January 2016). "How an Unlikely Duo Became the Hottest Songwriters in Pop Music". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  7. ^ "Gwen Stefani: How Making My New Album Saved My Life". March 18, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  8. ^ "20 Biggest Breakouts of 2015". December 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  9. ^ "WARNER/CHAPPELL NAMED MUSIC PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR AT BMI POP AWARDS". May 10, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  10. ^ "Justin Drew Tranter". Grammy.com. The Recording Academy. November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Britney Spears, Pink, Selena Gomez Join 'Hands' for Orlando: How the All-Star Song Came to Life". Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  12. ^ "Hitmaker Justin Tranter Joins GLAAD's National Board of Directors: 'I'm Using the Success I've Had to Help Other People Shine'". February 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  13. ^ "GLAAD Media Awards: Songwriter Justin Tranter Raises $123K With Auction for Studio Sessions". May 17, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  14. ^ "ACLU SoCal to Honor Don Cheadle, Justin Tranter & Judy Balaban at Annual Bill of Rights Dinner". October 19, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  15. ^ "Justin Tranter Sings for the Animals". September 25, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "Semi Precious Weapons Official Bio". April 2010. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  17. ^ Newman, Sabrina (February 7, 2008). "StyleHive Sneak Peek: Justin Tranter's Exclusive DKNY Sneaker Line". Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  18. ^ "Guest Appearance on Chelsea Lately". November 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  19. ^ "MTV MADE: Rock Star. Season 9, Episode 30". December 6, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  20. ^ "Telephone (Video)". November 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  21. ^ Hiler, James (November 25, 2013). "'Jobriath A.D.,' Documentary on 'The True Fairy of Rock and Roll,' Acquired by Factory 25". Indie Wire.

External links[]

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