Vincent Berry II explained

Vincent Le'Carl Berry II
Birth Date:1985 8, mf=yes
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, United States
Alma Mater:Morehouse College
Module:
Embed:yes
Background:person

Vincent Berry is an American songwriter and producer, best known for writing "Sandcastles" from Beyoncé's 2016 album Lemonade, as well as various songs for Mary J. Blige and Tamar Braxton, among others. [1]

Berry, a Morehouse College student who dropped out in his senior year to pursue songwriting, was homeless at the time he penned what was initially titled "We Built Sandcastles That Washed Away", a song about the end of a decade-long relationship. [2] After several re-writes with the help of additional co-writers Midian Mathers, Malik Yusef, and Beyoncé Knowles, as well as a "tear-filled" pitching session with Parkwood Entertainment A&R executive Teresa LaBarbera Whites, the song was placed onto Knowles' Grammy-winning album with a "more hopeful" ending than was originally created. [3] Berry avoided signing a traditional co-publishing deal for the song, and consequently shares ownership. [4] He has since co-written "Blind", a Tamar Braxton single from her 2017 album Bluebird of Happiness that reached the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay charts. [5]

Songwriting, guitar and production credits

Credits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Spotify, and AllMusic.

TitleYearArtistAlbum
"Kill The Dragon"2014Kierra SheardGraceland
"Our Love"2015Nico & VinzCornerstone
"Sandcastles"2016BeyoncéLemonade
"Blind"2017Tamar BraxtonBluebird of Happiness
"How I Feel"
"Empty Boxes"
"Find the Love"Mary J. BligeStrength of a Woman
"Body" (Featuring Migos)Sean PaulMad Love the Prequel
"Don't Let Go" (Featuring Rico Love)Bone ThugsNew Waves
"Simple Song" (With Jussie Smollett & Rumer Willis)Empire Cast
"All to Myself"2019Baby RoseTo Myself
"Lolita"Take 3Star: Original Soundtrack From Season 3
"Mehr Als Mich"2020GentlemanBlaue Stunde

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gibbs . Adrienne . March 31, 2017 . Secrets of Sandcastles: Beyoncé's Producer on the Politics of Music . . March 27, 2023 . March 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327223233/https://www.forbes.com/sites/adriennegibbs/2017/03/31/secrets-of-sandcastles-beyonces-producer-on-the-politics-of-music/?sh=174c8ad54e54 . live .
  2. Web site: D. Kennedy . Gerrick . June 15, 2016 . How a homeless songwriter's story of heartbreak made it into Beyonce's album . . March 27, 2023 . August 27, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170827091820/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-beyonce-sandcastles-berry-20160613-snap-htmlstory.html . live .
  3. Web site: February 24, 2017 . From homeless to Beyonce collaborator: Vincent Berry on ASCAP Expo's role in aiding songwriters . americansongwriter.com . March 27, 2023 . March 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327223233/https://americansongwriter.com/homeless-beyonce-collaborator-vincent-berry-ascaps-role-aiding-songwriters/ . live .
  4. Web site: Weinkauf . Gregory . April 25, 2017 . Speaking with Songwriter Vincent Berry: Rising Force at the ASCAP EXPO . . March 27, 2023 . March 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327223233/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/speaking-with-songwriter-vincent-berry-rising-force_b_58ff9ae0e4b0fb8e503879b3 . live .
  5. Tamar Braxton . . March 27, 2023 . March 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327223233/https://www.billboard.com/artist/tamar-braxton/chart-history/hsi/ . live .
  6. Web site: Vincent Berry II . 2023-09-03 . . March 27, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230327223233/https://www.grammy.com/artists/vincent-berry-ii/19569 . live .