| Dan Nigro | |||||
| Birth Name: | Daniel Leonard Nigro | ||||
| Birth Date: | 14 May 1982 | ||||
| Birth Place: | Long Island, New York, U.S. | ||||
| Children: | 1 | ||||
| Years Active: | 2001–present | ||||
| Module: |
| ||||
Daniel Leonard Nigro ([1]) is an American musician, songwriter, instrumentalist, and record producer.[2] He was the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band As Tall as Lions.[3] Nigro has produced, written, and co-written songs for Sky Ferreira, Kylie Minogue, Caroline Polachek, Olivia Rodrigo, Chappell Roan, and Conan Gray. He won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album for producing Sour in 2021.[4] He was named as the Songwriter of the Year at the 2024 ASCAP Pop Music Awards.[5]
Daniel Leonard Nigro[6] was raised in Massapequa Park, New York on Long Island,[7] to Louis, a second-generation business owner[8] and Claire, an artist specializing in oil painting.[9] In his youth he took piano, guitar, and voice lessons.[10] His sister, Alexa, co-founded the Scough fashion company[11] and his brother, Leonard, is an international chef.[12]
Nigro attended Catholic schools from kindergarten through high school. He said that he "never felt the need to go to college,"[13] but studied philosophy at Fordham University for three years.
He married Emily in September of 2020.[14] Together they have a daughter, Saoirse Raine,[15] who can be heard in the final seconds of Olivia Rodrigo's song "Teenage Dream".[16]
With high school friends Saen Fitzgerald and Cliff Sarcona, Nigro formed the indie rock band As Tall as Lions around 1998, self-producing a four-song demo that included "King of the World", which became a local fan favorite.[17] [18] During the next few years, the band endured lineup changes.[19] In 2002, they released their first EP Blood Aphorisms. In 2003, they signed a record deal with Island and Triple Crown Records[20] and left college with the full support of their parents to pursue music full-time.[21]
In 2004, the band released their debut album Lafcadio and began touring. In 2006, they released As Tall as Lions and began a headlining tour. In July 2007, they appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[22] In 2009, You Can't Take It with You was released, peaking at number 88 on the Billboard 200 chart. By September 2010, the band split up. Upon the announcement of the news, their last shows sold out and more were added to the schedule. They immediately planned their "reunion", which was performed in 2015 without new music to supplement it.[23]
Nigro moved to Los Angeles, California to become a songwriter, collaborating with childhood friend Justin Raisen.[24] He found initial success with a jingle for a McDonald's advertisement,[25] then with Sky Ferreira.[26]
| Album | Release Date | Label | Billboard 200 peak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafcadio | May 18, 2004 | Triple Crown Records | – | |
| As Tall as Lions | August 8, 2006 | Triple Crown Records | – | |
| You Can't Take It With You | August 18, 2009 | Triple Crown Records | 88 |
| Indicates songs solely written or produced by Dan Nigro |
| Year | Artist | Song | Album | Written with | Produced with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Kimbra | "Cameo Lover" | Vows[27] | Kimbra | – |
| 2012 | Sky Ferreira | "Lost in My Bedroom" | Ghost | Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen | – |
| 2013 | "You're Not the One" | Night Time, My Time[28] | – | ||
| "I Blame Myself" | Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen, Jordan Benik | – | |||
| "I Will" | Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen | – | |||
| "Love in Stereo" | Sky Ferreira, Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen, Jeremiah Raisen | – | |||
| 2014 | Kylie Minogue | "If Only" | Kiss Me Once | Ariel Rechtshaid, Justin Raisen | – |
| "Golden Boy" | – | ||||
| Billy Idol | "Can't Break Me Down" | Kings & Queens of the Underground | Billy Idol, Greg Kurstin | – | |
| Dillon Francis | "Hurricane" (featuring Lily Elise) | Money Sucks, Friends Rule | Dillon Hart Francis, Leah Hayes, Oliver Goldstein | Dillon Francis, Oligee | |
| 2015 | Twin Shadow | "When the Lights Turn Out" | Eclipse | George Lewis, Wynne Bennett | – |
| Little Boots | "Help Too" | Working Girl | Little Boots | Solee | |
| Carly Rae Jepsen | "When I Needed You" | Emotion | Carly Rae Jepsen, Ariel Rechtshaid, Nate Campany, Tavish Crowe | Ariel Rechtshaid | |
| JR JR | "Gone" | JR JR | Joshua Epstein, Mike Higgins, Daniel Zott | – | |
| 2016 | A-Trak | "Parallel Lines" (featuring Phantogram) | A-Trak, Joshua Carter, Sarah Barthel, Dave 1, Cory Enemy, Mereki | – | |
| Zella Day | "Man on the Moon" | Man on the Moon / Hunnie Pie | Zella Day Kerr | Sole production | |
| "Hunnie Pie" | |||||
| Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness | "Walking in My Sleep" | Zombies on Broadway | Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, Morgan Kibby | – | |
| 2017 | Lo Moon | "This Is It" | Lo Moon | Matt Lowell | – |
| "Thorns" | – | ||||
| Lewis Capaldi | "Mercy" | Bloom | Lewis Capaldi | Sole production | |
| 2018 | Rae Morris | "Physical Form" | Someone Out There | Rae Morris | – |
| Finneas | "Heaven" | Finneas O'Connell | Finneas O'Connell | ||
| Lo Moon | "Tried to Make You My Own" | Lo Moon | Matt Lowell, Christian Baker | – | |
| "My Money" | Matt Lowell | – | |||
| "Real Love" | – | ||||
| "The Right Thing" | Matt Lowell, Samuel Stewart | – | |||
| Empress Of | "When I'm with Him" | Us | Jim-E Stack, Empress Of | Jim-E Stack, Empress Of | |
| Conan Gray | "Generation Why" | Sunset Season | – | Sole production | |
| "Crush Culture" | – | Conan Gray | |||
| "Greek God" | – | Sole production | |||
| "Lookalike" | – | ||||
| Lo Moon | "For Me, It's You" | Matt Lowell | Matt Lowell | ||
| 2019 | Grace VanderWaal | "The City" | Letters Vol. 1 | Grace VanderWaal | Ido Zmishlany |
| Riverdale cast | "These Are the Moments I Remember" | Riverdale: Season 1 (Original Television Soundtrack) | Christopher Gabriel | – | |
| Conan Gray | "The King" | Conan Gray | Solee | ||
| Hey Violet | "Better by Myself" | Casey Moreta, Gabe Simon, Rena Lovelis, Nia Lovelis | |||
| Freya Ridings | "Castles" | Freya Ridings | Freya Ridings | Mark Crew, Dan Priddy, Yves Rothman | |
| Caroline Polachek | "I Give Up" | Pang | Caroline Polachek, James Stack | Caroline Polachek, Jim-E Stack, Dan Carey | |
| "Look at Me Now" | Caroline Polachek, Daniel Eisner Harle | Caroline Polachek, Danny L Harle | |||
| "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" | Caroline Polachek, Teddy Geiger | Caroline Polachek | |||
| "Door" | Caroline Polachek, James Stack, Daniel Eisner Harle | Caroline Polachek, Jim-E Stack, Daniel Eisner Harle | |||
| Conan Gray | "Checkmate" | Kid Krow | – | Sole production | |
| "Comfort Crowd" | Conan Gray | ||||
| "Maniac" | |||||
| 2020 | "Wish You Were Sober" | ||||
| "The Cut That Always Bleeds" | – | ||||
| "Fight or Flight" | – | ||||
| "Affluenza" | Conan Gray | ||||
| "(Can We Be Friends?)" | – | ||||
| "Heather" | – | Jam City | |||
| "The Story" | – | Sole production | |||
| Lyn Lapid | "Producer Man" | Lyn Lapid | |||
| Chappell Roan | "California" | The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz | ||
| "Love Me Anyway" | |||||
| "Pink Pony Club" | The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | ||||
| 2021 | Half Alive | "Time 2" | Josh Taylor, J. Tyler Johnson, Brett Kramer & Ariel Rechtshaid | – | |
| Cautious Clay | "Roots" | Deadpan Love | – | Johan Lenox, Jim-E Stack, Cautious Clay | |
| Rosie | "100 Headaches" | Rosaileen Scher | – | ||
| Olivia Rodrigo | "Brutal" | Sour | Olivia Rodrigo | Sole production | |
| "Traitor" | |||||
| "Drivers License" | |||||
| "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back" | – | Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, St. Vincent | Sole production Olivia Rodrigo | ||
| "Deja Vu" | |||||
| "Good 4 U" | Olivia Rodrigo | ||||
| "Enough for You" | – | Olivia Rodrigo | |||
| "Happier" | – | Sole production | |||
| "Jealousy, Jealousy" | Olivia Rodrigo, Casey Smith | ||||
| "Favorite Crime" | Olivia Rodrigo | Sole production | |||
| "Hope Ur Ok" | |||||
| Conan Gray | "People Watching" | Superache | Conan Gray, Julia Michaels | ||
| "Astronomy" | Conan Gray | ||||
| 2022 | "Movies" | ||||
| "Best Friend" | |||||
| "Yours" | |||||
| "Jigsaw" | |||||
| "Family Line" | |||||
| "Footnote" | |||||
| "Memories" | |||||
| "The Exit" | Conan Gray, Julia Michaels | Ryan Linvill | |||
| Hatchie | "Quicksand" | Giving the World Away | Harriette Pilbeam, Joe Agius | Sole production | |
| Maisie Peters | "Good Enough" | Maisie Peters | |||
| Chappell Roan | "Naked in Manhattan" | The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Skyler Stonestreet | Sole production | |
| "My Kink is Karma" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Justin Tranter | ||||
| "Femininomenon" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz | Mike Wise | |||
| "Casual" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Morgan St. Jean | Ryan Linvill | |||
| 2023 | "Kaleidoscope" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz | Sole production | ||
| "Picture You" | |||||
| "Red Wine Supernova" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Lisa hickox, Amy Kuney, Annie Schindel | Noah Condrad, Lixa | |||
| "Hot to Go!" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz | Sole production | |||
| "After Midnight" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Casey Smith | ||||
| "Coffee" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Maya Kurchner, Eric Leva | ||||
| "Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Annika Bennett, Jonah Shy | Mike Wise, Jonah Shy | |||
| "Guilty Pleasure" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Marcus Andersson, Nate Campany | Sole production | |||
| Caroline Polachek | "Welcome To My Island" | Desire, I Want to Turn Into You | Caroline Polachek, James Stack | ||
| Olivia Rodrigo | "Vampire" | Guts | Olivia Rodrigo | Sole production | |
| "Bad Idea Right?" | |||||
| "All-American Bitch" | |||||
| "Lacy" | |||||
| "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl" | |||||
| "Logical" | Olivia Rodrigo, Julia Michaels | Ryan Linvill | |||
| "Get Him Back!" | Olivia Rodrigo | Alexander 23, Ian Kirkpatrick | |||
| "Love is Embarrassing" | Sole production | ||||
| "The Grudge" | Ryan Linvill | ||||
| "Pretty Isn't Pretty" | Olivia Rodrigo, Amy Allen | Sole production | |||
| "Teenage Dream" | Olivia Rodrigo | ||||
| "Can't Catch Me Now" | The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By) | ||||
| 2024 | "Obsessed" | Guts (Spilled) | Olivia Rodrigo, St. Vincent | ||
| "Girl I've Always Been" | – | ||||
| "Scared of My Guitar" | Olivia Rodrigo, Amy Allen | ||||
| "Stranger" | – | ||||
| "So American" | Olivia Rodrigo | ||||
| rowsp | Chappell Roan | "Good Luck, Babe!" | Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Justin Tranter |
| Award | Year | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Pop Music Awards | 2022 | "Drivers License" (with Rodrigo) | Winning Songwriters and Publishers | [29] | |
| "Good 4 U" (with Rodrigo, Williams and Farro) | |||||
| "Deja Vu" (with Rodrigo, Clark) | |||||
| 2024 | "Vampire (with Rodrigo) | Songwriter of the Year | [30] | ||
| Bad Idea Right? (with Rodrigo) | |||||
| Gold Derby Film Awards | 2024 | "Can't Catch Me Now" (with Rodrigo) | Best Original Song | [31] | |
| Gold List | 2024 | [32] | |||
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | 2024 | Best Song Written and/or Recording Created for a Film | [33] | ||
| Grammy Awards | 2022 | Sour | Best Pop Vocal Album (Producer and Engineer) | [34] [35] | |
| Album of the Year | |||||
| "Drivers License" | Record of the Year | ||||
| Song of the Year | |||||
| 2024 | Guts | Best Pop Vocal Album (Producer and Engineer) | [36] | ||
| Album of the Year | |||||
| "Vampire" | Record of the Year | ||||
| Song of the Year | |||||
| "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl" | Best Rock Song | ||||
| Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2023 | "Can't Catch Me Now" | Best Original Song in a Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Horror Film | [37] | |
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | 2023 | Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production | [38] | ||
| Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards | 2024 | Outstanding Original Song for a Dramatic or Documentary Visual Media Production | [39] |