Michael Ross Pollack (born April 26, 1994) is an American songwriter and record producer. He has written songs for artists such as Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Katy Perry, Jonas Brothers, Benson Boone, Lizzo, and Kelly Clarkson, among others. He co-wrote Maroon 5's 2019 single "Memories", which peaked atop Billboards Radio Songs chart, along with Justin Bieber's "Ghost" and Miley Cyrus' "Flowers", for which he won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. The latter also topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming his first co-writing credit to do so.
Early years Pollack and his older sister were raised by their parents in Roslyn, New York. He started playing piano, singing, and writing songs at a young age. In his youth, he performed with a Billy Joel cover band and with Richie Cannata, Billy Joel's longtime saxophonist.
After graduating from high school, Pollack moved to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Vanderbilt University. During his freshman year, Billy Joel hosted a Q&A session for college students at Vanderbilt University's Langford Auditorium. Pollack, who was in the audience, asked for permission to accompany Joel on piano for a rendition of New York State of Mind, to which Joel agreed. A video of the performance was posted online and quickly went viral, landing Pollack appearances on NBC's Today show, Good Day New York, the Morning Mashup on SIRIUS XM Radio, and The Jeff Probst Show.
Music career The video also led to Pollack signing a joint publishing deal during his sophomore year of college with Warner Chappell Music and Pete Ganbarg, President of A&R at Atlantic Records, for its "Songs With A Pure Tone" label. He soon started collaborating with other songwriters, including Ingrid Andress in Nashville, while he finished his degree.
After graduating from college, Pollack moved to Los Angeles, California to live with fellow musicians Ari Leff and Michael Matosic. The trio went on to write dozens of songs for Leff and others. Pollack has also co-written songs for Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Jason Mraz, Backstreet Boys, Lizzo, Jonas Brothers, Meghan Trainor, Demi Lovato, Michael Bublé, John Legend and Selena Gomez.
In 2021, he co-wrote and executive produced the album Reverie by Ben Platt.
Pollack was named Songwriter of the Year at the 2022 BMI Pop Awards. Variety also listed him among "55 Queer Artists and Decision-Makers to Know in 2022." Additionally, Pollack was #10 on Genius's "Top 25 Songwriters of 2022" list.
In 2023, Pollack wrote "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus with Aldae and Cyrus. The song debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Global 200, and Global 200 Excl. U.S. charts. In the song's first week it broke the Spotify record for most streams in a single week with more than 96 million streams. It broke that record the following week with more than 115 million streams in a week. In April 2023, "Flowers" became the seventh song ever to concurrently top Billboard's Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay, and Adult Contemporary charts.
Pollack wrote several songs on Cyrus' eighth studio album Endless Summer Vacation with Cyrus and Gregory "Aldae" Hein. They were conceived only with piano, then evolving into their final versions. Pollack said that Cyrus decided to focus on songcraft before tackling the production.
Pollack is managed by Jamie Zeluck-Hindlin, founder of Nonstop Management.
In 2024, Pollack was added as a principal and owner of Livelihood Music Company, an independent music publishing company.
Discography
Selected charting and certified singles +List of singles as songwriter, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released, artist, album, and song titleYearArtistAlbumSongPeak chart positionsCertificationsUSUS PopUS Adult PopUS AdultUS CountryUK2017Charli XCXNon-album single"Boys"—————31 RIAA: Gold BPI: Silver2018Alec BenjaminNarrated For You"Let Me Down Slowly" (solo or featuring Alessia Cara)79————31 RIAA: 4× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: PlatinumZara LarssonPoster Girl"Ruin My Life"761822——9 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Platinum BPI: Platinum2020Quinn XCIIA Letter to My Younger Self"Stacy"—————— RIAA: GoldLauv~how i'm feeling~"i'm so tired..." (with Troye Sivan)812121——8 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum BPI: Platinum"fuck, i'm lonely" (with Anne-Marie)—33———32 RIAA: Gold ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Gold"Mean It" (with LANY)—————83 RIAA: Gold ARIA: GoldKaty PerrySmile"Daisies"4027911—37 RIAA: GoldZeddNon-album single"Funny" (featuring Jasmine Thompson)—3322——— RIAA: GoldMiley CyrusPlastic Hearts"Prisoner" (featuring Dua Lipa)542321——8 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum2021Justin BieberJustice"Anyone"6121313—4 RIAA: 2× Platinum ARIA: Platinum BPI: Gold"Holy" (featuring Chance The Rapper)3318—7 RIAA: 3× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: Platinum"Ghost"5115—19 RIAA: 3× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum BPI: PlatinumMaroon 5JORDI"Memories" (solo or featuring Nipsey Hussle & YG)2111—5 RIAA: 4× Platinum ARIA: 6× Platinum BPI: 2× Platinum"Nobody's Love"4114714—84 RIAA: Gold ARIA: GoldEd Sheeran="Visiting Hours"75————5 ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold2022Benson BooneWalk Me Home..."In The Stars"823624——21 RIAA: 2× Platinum BPI: GoldBeyoncéRenaissance"Pure/Honey"64————— RIAA: GoldLewis CapaldiBroken by Desire to be Heavenly Sent"Forget Me"581679—1 ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: 2× Platinum2023Miley CyrusEndless Summer Vacation"Flowers"1111—1 RIAA: 7× Platinum ARIA: 10× Platinum BPI: 3× Platinum"Used To Be Young"8417—12 RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Gold BPI: Silver2024Selena GomezNon-album single"Love On"561714——61BeyoncéCowboy Carter"II Most Wanted" (with Miley Cyrus)61918——9 RIAA: GoldDavid GuettaArtificial Paradise"I Don't Wanna Wait" (with OneRepublic)963619——19 ARIA: Platinum BPI: PlatinumNon-album single"Forever Young" (with Alphaville, Ava Max)9014624——ShaboozeyWhere I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going"Good News"1265161— RIAA: 2x Platinum BPI: Silver
All songwriting credits
+List of songs as songwriter showing year released, artist, album, song title, and co-writersYearArtistAlbumSongCo-written withRef(s).2016KSHMRThe Lion Across the Field"Wildcard" (featuring Sidnie Tipton)Niles Hollowell-Dhar, Sidnie TiptonAttomNon-album single"Better" (featuring Justin Stein)Justin Phillip Stein, Kyle Stern, Patrick Turner HartmanViceNon-album single"Steady 1234" (featuring Jasmine Thompson & Skizzy Mars)Joe Khajadourian, Alex Schwartz, Myles Mills, Michael Leary, Ingrid Andress, Anna Graceman, Hayley Warner2017CadeNon-album single"Sorry For Myself"Trevor Edmund Dahl, Fadil El Ghoul, Cade Cameron Larson, Ari Leff, Jared MaldonadoFrancesca BattistelliThe Shack: Music From and Inspired By the Original Motion Picture"Where Were You"Nolan Sipe, Jacob Leslie Hawkes, Francesca BattistelliColton DixonIdentity"Autopsy"Colton DixonAutografNon-album single"Simple" (featuring Victoria Zaro)Jake Carpenter, Louis Kha, Larzz Principato, Andrew Taggart, Mikul Wing, Victoria ZaroCharli XCXNon-album single"Boys"Emily Warren, Ingrid Andress, Cass Lowe, Ari Leff, Jerker HanssonWingtipNon-album single"Cross Your Mind" (featuring Morgxn)Ari Leff, Nicholas Perloff-GilesJack & JackNon-album single"Beg" (solo or featuring Olivia O'Brien)Ari Leff, Louis Schoorl, Marco BorreroArlissaNon-album single"Every Time I Breathe"William Lobban-Bean, Arlissa JoAnn Ruppert, Jeffrey GitelmanMolly Kate KestnerNon-album single"Footprints"Ingrid Andress, Molly Kate KestnerKelly ClarksonMeaning of Life"Heat"Andre Davidson, Jessica Ashley Karpov, Mick Shultz, Sean Davidson"I Don't Think About You"Andre Davidson, Jessica Ashley Karpov, Sean Davidson2018Lootesingle."Out of My Head"Emma Lov Block, Jackson Foote, Jeremy DussollietCash CashSay It Like You Feel It"All My Love" (featuring Conor Maynard)Alexander Makhlouf, Ari Leff, Grace Fulmer, Jean Paul Makhlouf, Samuel Frisch"Jewel" (featuring Nikki Vianna)Alex Makhlouf, Ari Leff, Jean Paul Makhlouf, Samuel FrischAlina BarazThe Color Of You"Coming To My Senses"Alina Baraz, Warren FelderJacob SartoriusBetter With You"Up With It"Jackson Morgan, Larzz Principato, Rick MarkowitzAlec BenjaminNarrated For You"Let Me Down Slowly" (solo or featuring Alessia Cara)Alec Benjamin, Nolan LambrozaLauvI met you when I was 18. (the playlist)"Paris In the Rain"Ari Leff, Michael Matosic"Paranoid"Ari Leff, Jesse St. John Geller"The Story Never Ends"Ari Leff, Michael Matosic, Carlos Cid"Enemies"Ari Leff, Alexander O'Neill"Chasing Fire"Ari Leff, James Sunderland, Brett Hitte"Bracelet"Ari Leff, Andrew Goldstein"Never Not"Ari LeffNon-album single"Superhero"Ari Leff, Martin SchermDierks BentleyThe Mountain"My Religion"Ben Burgess, Jamie Kenney, Rick MarkowitzJess KentNon-album single"No Love Songs" (featuring Wes Period)Britt Burton, Jessica Kent, Jorgen Odegard, Wes PeriodAJ MitchellHopeful"Hopeful"Aaron Mitchell, Svante Clas Halldin, Jakob Gustav HazellHalestormVicious"Conflicted"Andre Davidson, Stephen Puth, Ingrid Andress, Joe Hottinger, Lzzy HaleJason MrazKnow."The Other Side (Japanese Bonus Track)"Jason Mraz, Michael MatosicMatomaOne In A Million"Lost At Sea"Andreas Schuller, Ingrid Andress, Tom Stræte LagergrenZara Larsson Poster Girl"Ruin My Life"Brittany Amaradio, Jackson Foote, Jamie Sanderson, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan JohnsonHailee SteinfeldBumblebee (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)"Back to Life"Hailee Steinfeld, Jorgen Odegard, Josh Gudwin, Kennedi Lykken, Wayne SermonChampionsleakNon-album single"Happy Sad Song" (featuring Symon)Choukri Gustmann, Emilie Adams, Lukas LoulesHARIZReminisce"Think of Me"Ari Leff, Justin Hariz2019Lost KingsPaper Crowns"Drunk As Hell" (featuring Jesper Jenset)Dallas Koehlke, Norris Shanholtz, Robert Abisi, Ari Leff"Anti-Everything" (featuring Loren Gray)Brittany Amaradio, Norris Shanholtz, Robert Abisi, William Lobban-BeanJaira BurnsNon-album single"Numb"Jaira Burns, Sarah Barrios, Thomas SlingerBackstreet BoysDNA"Chateau"Cole Citrenbaum, James Newman, Stephen Wrabel, Stuart CrichtonTerror JrUnfortunately, Terror Jr"Terrified"Simon Rosen, David Singer-Vine, Lisa VitaleDayaNon-album single"Insomnia"Grace Tandon, Jacob Kasher Hindlin, Oscar GörresBen PlattSing to Me Instead"Better"Ben Platt, Nate Cyphert"In Case You Don't Live Forever"Ben Platt, Jennifer Decilveo, Nate Cyphert"Older"Ben Platt, Jennifer Decilveo, Nate Cyphert"RAIN"Ben Platt, Sam Fischer, Alex Hope"So Will I"Ben Platt, Finneas Baird O'ConnellAlison WonderlandNon-album single"Peace"Alex Schwartz, Alexandra Sholler, Jacob Torrey, Jantine Heij, Joe Khajadourian, Roxanne EmeryLizzoCuz I Love You"Better in Color"Melissa Jefferson, Trevor David Brown, Warren Felder, William Zaire SimmonsEric NamBefore We Begin"Runaway"