"I remember sending it to Max Martin, going, 'look at this!'" the hit songwriter-producer recalls of the 2012 pop hit currently topping Billboard's global charts.
“I didn’t even meet him during ‘Beauty and a Beat,” recalls hit songwriter-producer Savan Kotecha, who co-wrote the Justin Bieber pop hit alongside Max Martin, Zedd and Nicki Minaj. “I was in Sweden when [Justin] was in L.A. recording it. But he’s super sweet — obviously a gifted, generational talent.”
Over the course of his over 20-year-long career, Justin Bieber is far from the only superstar Kotecha has written for. His credits include songs for Britney Spears, One Direction, Lizzo and Katy Perry. And after some time away to focus on his family (“I was so deep in it and I felt like I was missing my kids’ childhood… If I was in the middle of writing a song, I would be tweaking until two in the morning,” he says), he returned to churning out hits. He co-wrote 2025 hits for Ed Sheeran(“Azizam”) and Tate McRae (“It’s OK I’m OK”) among others.
advertisement
But his new music isn’t the only thing making noise today. During Justin Bieber’s headlining Coachella performance, during which he sang along to YouTube clips of his early hits — including “Beauty and a Beat” during weekend one — his music is finding its way back onto the charts. “Beauty and a Beat” is enjoying the biggest gains, topping both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart 14 years after it first came out.
In the midst of the resurgence of “Beauty and a Beat,” Billboard spoke with Kotecha about the story behind the song and the experience of having an old hit make a comeback with audiences new and old.
Take me back to the experience of writing “Beauty and a Beat.” Are there any particular moments from that songwriting process that stick out to you today?
I remember [Max Martin] calling me saying he needed help with idea, and I remember him sending it to me. I remember sitting on my bed in my apartment in Stockholm working on it. After it was recorded — I was in Sweden at the time — [Max] told me that it went great.
advertisement
I also remember when Scooter [Braun, Bieber’s former manager] showed me the music video. I remember going to L.A., before I moved there, and I went to Scooter’s old office in West Hollywood. That I remember, because I was like, “Oh my God.”
And I remember when we got Nicki’s verse and hearing the “Selener” line, because it was when all that stuff was happening. And it was so exciting — I mean, she’s controversial now, but back then to get Nicki Minaj… We were just pop writers and to get Nicki Minaj on the song was like, “Whoa.” She just elevated it.
What is it like hearing a song you wrote performed by the artist for the first time?
If it’s good, it’s magical. A lot of my biggest songs, I have been there during the recording. But, back in those days when I was in Sweden, like I am now, if we had a big artist in L.A. and if I was working with Max and he was there, I had to wait for the recording. And then you get it the next morning and it’s so exciting. I remember doing “DJ Got Us Falling In Love,” recording Usher and going, “Oh my god.” And then when Pitbull got on, going, “Oh my god, Pitbull’s on it.” Everything is just so exciting.
advertisement
It brings back a lot, “Beauty and a Beat” being big. It really does. I’m very lucky that things went great after and there were a lot of big songs. But it brings me back to the time when you had those few hits and you’re still climbing in your career, and every single one is like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this.” It’s really fun to have something come back like this.
advertisement
Were you at Coachella this year?
No, I’m too old and unattractive to be at Coachella.
How did you learn that the song was on the setlist? What was your reaction to seeing it?
Like millions of people addicted to their phones, I wake up and the first thing I do is doom scroll. I woke up and I remember seeing clips of it. I was like, “Oh, that’s fun.” And then two days later when it was No. 3 globally, I remember sending it to Max [Martin], going, “Look at this!” And then the next day, it’s No. 1. It’s wild, super fun. I’ve slowed down very heavily on songwriting the last five-six years to just focus on other things. But these old catalog songs are popping up and I’m like, “Oh, that’s really how that feels.” It’s really special.
What was your initial reaction when you saw “Beauty and the Beat” on the setlist?
When he did the song at Coachella, I was like, “Wow, deep cut.” And it did make me excited that a new audience was going to hear it, because those were the days where we really spent a lot of time crafting the songs. Every phonetic in the lyric was carefully fine tuned. I remember just on the lyric side, spending little bit more than a week everyday trying to crack what sounds best.
Why do you think of all the songs Justin performed that this is the one catching on?
If I remember correctly, Max had the melody set and brought it to me to help. I remember it was a lot of work just getting everything, every part, to sound great. But those were the days when we used to do that, and really try and make things as bulletproof as possible. Now, some people do that but it’s more of an emotion thing So what’s nice to see is, from this whole amazing catalog, that’s the one that’s sticking. My kids weren’t alive when that song came out, so they think it’s a new song. Their friends are singing it at school in Sweden as if it’s a new song. And we spent a lot of time making that song, so it’s nice to see that it is appreciated even years later, and that it went to a new audience. They’re like, “Oh, we like this. This is great,” and it sticks.
advertisement
“Beaty and a Beat“ has now hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. How does it feel to see a song that’s nearly 15 years old enjoy this kind of resurgence?
There’s been a lot of negatives, I think, in the streaming era. But the positive is that because everything’s on the same technology, [listeners] just want to hear great stuff. Like, for my kids, it feels like every boy goes through an Eminem phase because it’s just objectively good. I remember one day my youngest came home from school, two or three years ago, and he goes, “Papa, have you heard this new song called ‘Mama Said Knock You Out’ [by LL Cool J]. It’s so good.”
advertisement
They just want s–t that’s great. They don’t reference this as old. When it’s on a TV show and they hear a song that’s great, they stream it. And if it’s really great, it’s ear candy — they just listen again and again and again and again, and it’s new to them. So that’s really fun.
What is another song that you’ve written that you would like to see make a comeback this year?
Whenever anyone asks me my favorite songs that I’ve been lucky to be a part of, it’s usually the ones that haven’t really worked. But “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande is really important to me. And “What Makes You Beautiful” [by One Direction] obviously, because it’s about my wife, is really important to me. So I wouldn’t mind them having a resurgence.
Anytime people are listening to songs I’ve being able to be a part of with my very talented friends, I feel very lucky that I got to do it and that the songs have connected. It’s nice to know that the thing you dedicated your life to means something to people.
