You may recognize Julia Michaels from her 2017 breakout single “Issues,” which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, or her 2020 smash with JP Saxe “If The World Was Ending.” But chances are, you’ve actually been listening to the Iowa-born singer’s catchy, emotive, often tongue-in-cheek lyricism for much longer than you think.
That’s because Michaels first started out in the industry as a songwriter, sans the “singer-,” penning hits for the likes of Fifth Harmony, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. Her co-writing catalog spans a range of diverse artists and genres, from pop radio material to rugged acoustic sounds and rock, and several of her creations for other performers have climbed the Billboard charts over the years.
With that in mind, Michaels already had a proven hitmaker on her songwriting team when setting out to make her debut in 2017: herself. By using her pen for her own songs, the musician has been able to score multiple entries on the Billboard 200 — including her debut EP Nervous System and first LP Not in Chronological Order — as well as a few solo singles on the Pop Airplay, Adult Contemporary and Adult Pop Airplay charts.
Through her solo efforts, however, Michaels hasn’t stopped writing for other artists. And even though she’s one of the most in-demand songwriters out there, the nature of her job means she shines the most behind the scenes — which is why there’s probably a number of tracks you’ve heard but had no idea she worked on.
Below, see 20 of such songs, from Sabrina Carpenter to Britney Spears and Nick Jonas.
