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Grounded in hip-hop yet never averse to pop, Mark Ronson has applied his voracious musical obsessions to become one of the most commercially successful producers from the mid-2000s onward. The DJ-turned-recording artist made his true solo debut with "Ooh Wee" (2003), a collaboration with Ghostface Killah and Nate Dogg that went Top 20 in his native U.K., but he truly set himself apart as the co-producer of Amy Winehouse's throwback-styled Back to Black (2006), a global smash that earned him his first three Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year. Ronson's subsequent solo albums, all stocked with high-profile guest appearances, have either crowned or nearly topped the U.K. charts. Uptown Special (2015) was particularly fruitful -- and a Top Five pop, Grammy-winning LP in the U.S. -- driven by the Bruno Mars-fronted "Uptown Funk," another international hit that earned multiple Recording Academy nods itself. Ronson has since produced material for Lady Gaga (Joanne and the Grammy-winning "Shallow") and Queens of the Stone Age (Villains), teamed up with Diplo as Silk City (the Grammy-winning "Electricity"), and returned as a solo headliner with Late Night Feelings (2019). Ever collaborative, he paired with Raissa Khan-Panni for "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" (2020) and Diplo for "New Love" (2021). He also served as executive producer on the Grammy-winning soundtrack to the hit Barbie movie in 2023.

The son of Laurence Ronson, who managed Bucks Fizz, and the stepson of Foreigner's Mick Jones, Mark Ronson spent the first eight years of his life in England. He started playing guitar and drums at an early age and fell particularly hard for hip-hop, including Run-D.M.C. and the Beastie Boys. Around his mid-teens, after he and mother had relocated to New York, Ronson began listening to DJ mixtapes and was inspired enough to seize his father's record collection and try his hand at mixing. A quick study with a level of eclecticism that belied his age, Ronson soon caught the ears and eyes of various socialites and New York celebrities, including fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger, who featured Ronson, along with other sons and daughters of celebrities, in a 1997 fashion campaign. A year later, hip-hop mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs hired Ronson to spin records at his 29th birthday bash.

These and other high-profile gigs boosted Ronson's profile and helped advance his fledgling music career, which continued modestly with some underground beatmaking, a role in the Flip Squad All-Star DJs (a collective that released a self-titled album for MCA in 1998), and sessions with the likes of Nikka Costa and Sean Paul. Combining his various talents, budding songwriting ability, and growing list of contacts, Ronson embarked on his first solo album project with support from major-label Elektra. He enlisted artists ranging from Sean Paul and Mos Def to Jack White and Rivers Cuomo, and made his debut in 2003 with Here Comes the Fuzz. The album fared best in the U.K., where the single "Ooh Wee," assisted by Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg, Saigon, and Trife, became a number 15 hit. The LP was eventually certified silver by the BPI.

Ronson kept busy behind the scenes and was in full stride during 2006 and 2007. He scored with Christina Aguilera's "Hurt" (number 11 U.K., number 19 U.S.) and Lily Allen's "Littlest Things" (number 21 U.K.), and had a hand in Rhymefest's Blue Collar (number ten U.S. R&B/hip-hop), which he released through his J Records-affiliated Allido label. These significant achievements paled in comparison to where he went during the same period with Amy Winehouse. Though the production load of Back to Black, Winehouse's 2006 blockbuster, was almost evenly divided between Ronson and Salaam Remi, the former was responsible for most of the singles, including "Rehab" (number seven U.K., number nine U.S.) and "Back to Black" (number eight U.K.). At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, Back to Black won Best Pop Vocal Album, "Rehab" took Record of the Year, and Ronson was hailed as Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.

Capitalizing upon the momentum, Ronson followed up in 2007 with his second album, Version, on which the likes of Winehouse, Allen, and Robbie Williams helped him reimagine mostly contemporary British material. It narrowly missed the top of the U.K. album chart (and later achieved double-platinum status), with the Daniel Merriweather collaboration "Stop Me," a melding of classics by the Smiths and the Supremes, as its biggest single (number two U.K.). Between solo releases, Ronson added to his list of hit productions with Adele's "Cold Shoulder" (number 18 U.K.) and Merriweather's "Change" (number eight U.K.), and continued to cross genres and bridge generations as he aided Solange, Bebel Gilberto, Foreigner, Wale, the Like, and Quincy Jones.

Ronson himself entered the U.K. album chart a second time at number two with Record Collection, a 2010 set credited to Mark Ronson & the Business Intl. The producer's third LP -- and the first on which he sang -- led off with the number six U.K. hit "Bang Bang Bang," featuring MNDR and Q-Tip, and boasted a previously unthinkable pairing, Simon LeBon and Wiley, on the title song. Ronson deepened his association with LeBon as the producer of Duran Duran's All You Need Is Now, provided music for the film Arthur, and then produced the majority of Black Lips' Arabia Mountain.

Ronson's longest between-albums phase yet was then highlighted by the co-production of Bruno Mars' 2012 hit "Locked Out of Heaven" (number two U.K., number one U.S.), a Grammy nominee for Record of the Year. Additional studio time with Paul McCartney and the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger preceded Ronson's November 2014 return with another Mars meeting, "Uptown Funk," which topped charts across Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and elsewhere. Eventually certified diamond platinum in the States, "Uptown Funk" anchored Uptown Special, Ronson's fourth album, issued in January 2015. Featuring lyrics written by novelist Michael Chabon and additional featured performances from Kevin Parker (Tame Impala), James Ford (Simian Mobile Disco), and Mystikal, Uptown Special topped the U.K. chart and entered the Billboard 200 at number five. The 2015 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance went to "Uptown Funk."

The wait for Ronson's fifth album exceeded four years, but the producer remained occupied during this intermediary phase. Throughout the remainder of 2015 alone, he placed credits on albums from Elle King, Action Bronson, A$AP Rocky, Duran Duran, Cee Lo Green, and Adele. He was also involved in the making of the documentary Amy, the music of which was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. During 2016 and 2017, his primary projects were Lady Gaga's Joanne and Queens of the Stone Age's Villains. He co-produced the entirety of the Gaga LP, which topped the Billboard 200, and carried out the principal production duties for Villains.

In 2018, Ronson partnered with fellow production superstar Diplo as Silk City and released the track "Electricity" featuring Dua Lipa. The song went to number four in the U.K. and topped the dance chart in the U.S. That same year, he also co-wrote "Shallow," the lead single from the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper vehicle A Star Is Born. Both songs were cross-continental hits, and by the end of the year "Electricity" had won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording while "Shallow" had taken home both the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

On the heels of his awards-season success, Ronson released the single "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart," featuring Miley Cyrus. A number two hit in the U.K., it recalled Dolly Parton's disco crossover bids and previewed the "sad bangers" approach of his fifth studio album, Late Night Feelings. Released in June 2019, the set also included collaborations with Lykke Li, Camila Cabello, King Princess, and others. It reached number four in the U.K. and 61 on the Billboard 200. A non-album single, "I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight" featuring Raissa Khan-Panni, arrived in 2020 before Ronson rejoined Diplo for the 2021 Silk City track "New Love" featuring Ellie Goulding. Also in 2021, he hosted the Apple TV+ documentary series Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson. A non-album track, "Too Much" (featuring Lucky Daye), arrived the following year. In 2023, Ronson served as the executive producer of Barbie: The Album and contributed both production and songwriting to several of the film's songs, including "Dance the Night" and "I'm Just Ken," among others. The set took home the prize for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 66th Grammy Awards. ~ Andy Kellman

A Grammy-winning singer with a soulful voice and earnest tenor, YEBBA is the childhood nickname and stage alias of Abbey Smith. She backed Chance the Rapper on Saturday Night Live and made a fan of Ed Sheeran before presenting her debut single, "Evergreen," in 2017. YEBBA went on to collaborate with such A-listers as Sheeran, Sam Smith, and PJ Morton, the latter of whom featured her on his 2019 track "How Deep Is Your Love," which won the Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance. She also collaborated with Mark Ronson, who in turn produced her 2021 debut full-length, Dawn. She collaborated with Robert Glasper, among others, before returning in late 2023 with her own "Waterfall (I Adore You)," which by then had been sampled by Drake on his For All the Dogs LP.

A native of West Memphis, Arkansas, Smith was called Yebba (Abbey spelled backwards) by her mother throughout her childhood. Raised in a religious household, her biggest singing inspirations growing up were the Clark Sisters. While pursuing a career in singing as an adult, she was featured on songs by American Idol alum Clark Beckham and Nashville musician Luke Levenson in 2015 before she was championed by Ed Sheeran, who was moved by a live performance of her original song "My Mind" from 2016. Around that time, she started going exclusively by YEBBA in tribute to her mother, whom she lost to suicide soon after the performance. She made her Saturday Night Live debut as a guest of Chance the Rapper in October of 2016.

YEBBA issued her first official single, "Evergreen," in late 2017. In the meantime, she co-wrote "No Peace" for Sam Smith's chart-topping album The Thrill of It All, which arrived the same year. The Rudimental song "They Don't Care About Us" from late 2018 featured YEBBA alongside Maverick Sabre.

In February of 2019, YEBBA won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her featured spot on PJ Morton's "How Deep Is Your Love." She went on to appear as featured vocalist on the Sheeran track "Best Part of Me" in mid-2019 as well as Mark Ronson's "Don't Leave Me Lonely" and the title track of Robert Glasper's Fuck Yo Feelings LP before the end of the year. "Best Part of Me" marked her debut in the Hot 100. She issued her second solo track, "Where Do You Go," in late 2019. YEBBA's full-length debut, Dawn, arrived in September 2021 and again found her working with producer Ronson. It landed in the Top Ten of the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart.

The singer reunited with Glasper for "Over" from his 2022 album, Black Radio III, and released the concert EP Live at Electric Lady before returning with new solo material in the form of the mellow, flute-accented "Waterfall (I Adore You)" in October 2023. It was sampled on the closing track of Drake's album For All the Dogs, which saw release the same month. ~ Marcy Donelson

Few jazz players have experienced the meteoric rise to prominence in their youth that pianist and composer James Francies did. Possessed of a crystalline tone and deeply syncopated, polyrhythmic approach to jazz's complex harmonic architecture, the New York City-based pianist was already an in-demand sideman and touring musician for artists ranging from Chris Potter and Pat Metheny to the Roots and Chris Dave and the Drumhedz -- all before his 23rd birthday. Flight, his 2018 Blue Note leader debut, was celebrated, as was his work with Lauryn Hill, Bilal, Kodak Blac, and José James. The album won Francies a prominent place in the pop, R&B, and hip-hop worlds as a composer and session player. His sophomore outing, Purest Form, appeared on the Blue Note label in 2021.

Francies was born in Houston, Texas and began playing piano with classical training at age five. Thanks to his parents, he simultaneously received an education in Houston culture through the music of the church and classic R&B. He was blessed with perfect pitch and synesthesia (the ability to hear in colors). By all accounts, he was a prodigy. Francies attended his first jazz concert at age six (by fellow Houston native pianist Joe Sample) and his course was clear even at that tender age. He began studying jazz in junior high, though his influences then were deemed surprising by teachers and peers. While pianists such as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Mulgrew Miller, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, and Taylor Eigsti were prominent, Francies also absorbed the technique and compositional practices of electric guitarists such as Allan Holdsworth and Mike Moreno and trumpet aces ranging from Nicholas Payton and Freddie Hubbard to Roy Hargrove and Lee Morgan.

He attended Houston's prestigious High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (previously attended by Robert Glasper, Jason Moran, Kendrick Scott, Beyoncé, and Chris Dave). His tenure at HSPVA primed him for the vocation of professional musician. While there, he won the Ruth and Eli Nadel Scholarship Award at Stanford Jazz Workshop (2012 and 2013) and a full scholarship to Skidmore Summer Jazz Institute in Saratoga Springs, New York. He was also awarded the Moran Scholarship Award from pianist and 2010 MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran. Francies got to play with the Monterey Jazz Festival's Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, the Thelonious Monk Institute All-Star Jazz Sextet, and the Grammy Jazz Session Combo. His participation helped to earn Francies a full scholarship to Manhattan's New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

While earning his undergraduate degree, he studied with NEA jazz master and pianist Joanne Brackeen. Francies began to circulate on the New York jazz scene, securing a standing gig in drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts' live group. Watts proved an invaluable mentor, guiding Francies' tour through the benefits and pitfalls of the music business; the protégé subsequently branched out to tour and play club and touring gigs on his own and with Metheny and Potter. Along the way, he encountered Roots drummer Questlove. The pair became fast friends and the drummer, impressed with the caliber of Francies' playing, arranging, and composing, enlisted him as a replacement for the Roots' in-demand keyboardist James Poyser for shows and appearances he couldn't make. These included several stints on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Thanks to Questlove, Francies also participated in the Roots-produced Hamilton cast recording. In addition, the drummer recruited him as a co-composer for the score of the feature film Vincent N' Roxxy.

In late 2017, Francies signed to Blue Note Records and began recording his leader debut with co-producer (and Robert Glasper Experiment bassist) Derrick Hodge. For Flight, Francies composed or co-composed all but one of the set's 11 tracks. He called on the assistance of mentors such as Potter and Moreno, alongside vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Burniss Travis II, and drummers Jeremy Dutton and Mike Mitchell, as well as three guest vocalists -- YEBBA, Chris Turner, and Kate Kelsey-Sugg -- on a track each. Flight was released to blanket critical acclaim in October 2018 and subsequently entered the upper rungs of the jazz charts. In addition to supporting the recording, Francies began collaborating with the Roots' emcee Black Thought on a Broadway show later that year.

In May 2021, Francies issued Purest Form, his sophomore Blue Note date. His core trio of bassist Burniss Travis and drummer Jeremy Dutton were supported by an all-star guest cast that included alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Mike Moreno, and vocalists Peyton, Elliott Skinner, and Bilal Oliver. ~ Thom Jurek