Bonnie McKee
Bonnie Leigh McKee (born January 20th, 1984)[1] is an American singer and songwriter.
Bonnie McKee
Bonnie Leigh McKee
January 20, 1984
Vacaville, California, U.S.
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
2002–present
Her debut album Trouble was released in 2004 by Reprise Records.[2] After being dropped, she took a musical hiatus and established herself as a songwriter.
She has written 10 singles that have reached number one in either the United States or the United Kingdom,[3][4][5][6] which have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide combined.[7][8][9][10]
In 2013, she made a return to music with the single American Girl.[11]
In 2015, she independently released the EP Bombastic.
McKee is particularly known for collaborating with pop singer Katy Perry. The duo wrote the hits "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", "Part of Me", "Wide Awake", and "Roar". McKee also co-wrote "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz, which became the second-best-selling song by a British artist in the digital era.[12] McKee co-wrote other hits including "Hold It Against Me" by Britney Spears and "C'Mon" by Kesha; she has written for Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, and Adam Lambert. McKee also has collaborated with Canadian acapella singer Mike Tompkins.
Early life[edit]
McKee was born in Vacaville, California, and raised in Seattle.[13] She studied classical piano and became a member of the Seattle Girls Choir Prime Voci at age 12; she toured with the choir throughout North America and Europe. She recorded two albums with the choir, titled Jackson Berkey Meets The Seattle Girls' Choir and Cantate 2000.[14] She briefly attended The Bush School[15] during her freshman year of high school, where she recorded a demo album with other student musicians as part of an experiential class project with The President’s musician Dave Dederer, an alumnus and former English teacher at the school; unrelatedly, she was kicked out soon afterward.[16] At age 12, McKee's mother gave a demonstration CD featuring her singing Bette Midler and Fiona Apple songs to a friend of hers who is the co-founder of the Sub Pop label, Jonathan Poneman. Poneman was intrigued by her songwriting talents. According to McKee, this was the moment when she realized she had to be "more than just a singer." She knew she had to be a songwriter as well.[13]
Personal life[edit]
McKee is bisexual, saying on an episode of In Bed with Joan, "I think it's one of those things where, you know, I think all little girls kind of play 'doctor' with their girlfriends, and then I kind of never grew out of it."[52]
Influences[edit]
McKee has cited Mariah Carey, Madonna, Tina Turner, Blondie, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Prince as major influences.[41][53]
Studio albums
Extended plays
Opening act