Joel Little

Joel Little (born 13 February 1983) is a New Zealand record producer, musician and Grammy Award-winning songwriter. He has worked as a writer and producer with artists such as Lorde, Taylor Swift, Broods, Sam Smith, Imagine Dragons, Ellie Goulding, Khalid, Elliphant, Jarryd James, Shawn Mendes, Marina Diamandis, Amy Shark, Goodnight Nurse, Noah Kahan, Years & Years, the Jonas Brothers, Gracie Abrams, and Niall Horan.

Career

Little trained at the Music and Audio Institute of New Zealand (MAINZ) in Auckland, and began his career as singer and guitarist of the pop punk band Goodnight Nurse. The band released two studio albums, Always and Never (2006) and Keep Me on Your Side (2008) both of which peaked at number five on the New Zealand top 40 albums chart. Over the two albums, the band had five singles in the New Zealand top-40 from 2004 to 2008.

Goodnight Nurse guitarist Sam McCarthy and Little produced and also co-wrote the majority of the debut album released by McCarthy's new group, Kids of 88. The album, Sugarpills was released in 2010 and debuted at number two in the New Zealand album chart. It featured three hit singles, "My House", "Just a Little Bit" and "Downtown" co-written by Little. "Just a Little Bit" went on to win Single of the Year at the 2010 New Zealand Music Awards.

In 2011, Little set up his own production studio, Golden Age, in Morningside, Auckland.

In 2012, Little co-wrote and produced, recorded and mixed The Love Club EP by Lorde at Golden Age. Singles "Royals" and "Tennis Court" both charted at number one in New Zealand in 2013, with the EP achieving gold certification in New Zealand and Platinum certification in Australia. Little also co-wrote, produced, mixed, engineered and played the instruments on the debut Lorde album, Pure Heroine, which was released worldwide on 30 September 2013.

In early September 2013, Little and co-writer Lorde were shortlisted for "Royals" in the 2013 Silver Scroll Award, which honours outstanding achievement in songwriting of original New Zealand pop music. They went on to win this award,

In 2019, Little co-wrote and co-produced four songs with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift for her seventh studio album Lover, including "Me!", "You Need to Calm Down", "The Man", and "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince". Little and Swift also co-wrote and co-produced a fifth track, "Only the Young" which was left off the album. The track was released in 2020 in conjunction with Miss Americana, a documentary on Swift's life and career; Little appeared in the documentary.

Little is based in Los Angeles.

Discography

With Goodnight Nurse

Always and Never (2006) Festival Mushroom Records Keep Me on Your Side (2008) Warner Music New Zealand

Production and writing credits YearArtist AlbumSongCo-writer:Producer or co-producer:2026Nick JonasSunday Best"The Greatest" (feat. Jonas Brothers)Josiah and the BonnevillesAs Is"Hell Without the Flames"Debbii DawsonWhere Have All the Good Men Gone (EP)"Where Have All the Good Men Gone"RuelKicking My Feet & Screaming"Don't Say That"Niall HoranDinner Party"Flowers"Suki WaterhouseLoveland"Any Man""Weirdo"2025Rita Ora "All Natural"Maren MorrisD R E A M S I C L E"Too Good"D R E A M S I C L E and Intermission"Cut"Noah RinkerThe Pines (EP)"The Pines"2024 Amy Shark Sunday Sadness "It's Nice To Feel This Way Again"2023Chelsea CutlerStellaria"Your Bones"Tove LoDirt Femme (Extended Edition)"Elevator Eyes"Goodnight Nurse"All Hail The Serpent Queen Part 3 of 3 (Trilogy) (Holy Hell!)"Niall HoranThe Show"Must Be Love""Science""You Could Start A Cult""The Show""Never Grow Up""Meltdown""If You Leave Me""Heaven"2022Vance JoyIn Our Own Sweet Time"Clarity"Years & YearsNight Call"...Muscle""Hallucination"James BayLeap"Nowhere Left To Go"Imagine DragonsMercury - Acts 1 & 2"Symphony"2021Noah Kahan I Was/I Am"Part Of Me""Animal""Caves""Bad Luck""Godlight""Someone Like You" feat. Joy Oladokun"Fear Of Water""Hollow""Bury Me""Howling"Gracie Abrams This Is What It Feels Like "Better""Wishful Thinking""For Real This Time"Alessia Cara In The Meantime"Apartment Song"Tate McRae & Khalid"Working"Vance JoyIn Our Own Sweet Time"Missing Piece"Noah KahanI Was / I Am"Part Of Me" ElliphantRocking Horse"Notorious"Imagine Dragons "Follow You"Elliphant Rocking Horse"Drunk & Angry" Jarryd JamesP.M."Slow Motion""Miracles""Stop Me"2020Isaac Dunbarevil twin"love, or the lack thereof'"Intimate Moments"Bishop Briggs"Higher"Amy Shark Cry Forever"Everybody Rise"Lennon StellaThree. Two. One."Jealous" Gracie Abrams "21"Taylor Swift "Only the Young"2019Tove Lo Sunshine Kitty"Mistaken"Bishop Briggs Champion"Jekyll & Hide"Foster The People Pick U Up"Pick U Up"Taylor SwiftLover"Me!" (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco)"You Need to Calm Down""The Man""Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince"Bishop BriggsChampion "Champion""Jekyll & Hide" "I Tried"K Flay Solutions"Sister"Noah KahanBusyhead"False Confidence""Mess""Hurt Somebody (with Julia Michaels)""Young Blood""Cynic""Save Me""Sink""Tidal"Jonas BrothersHappiness Begins James BayOh My Messy Mind"Peer Pressure"MARINALove + Fear"Handmade Heaven""To Be Human""Life Is Strange"Terror JrUnfortunately, Terror Jr"Pretty"Jarryd James"Slow Motion"BroodsDon't Feed the Pop Monster"Life After""Too Proud"2018Lennon StellaLove Me - EP"La Di Da"Imagine DragonsOrigins"Birds"NAOSaturn"Yellow of the Sun"Amy SharkLove Monster"Never Coming Back"6lackEast Atlantic Love Letter"Switch"Daya"Safe"Shawn MendesShawn Mendes"Youth (feat. Khalid)""Queen"Mikky Ekko"Moment"Robinson"Nothing To Regret"Alison WonderlandAwake"Church""No""Okay""Easy""Cry""Happy Place""Awake"Kailee MorgueMedusa"Unfortunate Soul"Noah Kahan "Come Down"Noah KahanHurt Somebody"Hurt Somebody""Catastrophize""Passenger"2017KeshaThe Greatest Showman Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"This Is Me"LordeMelodrama"Supercut""Green Light"Bebe RexhaAll Your Fault: Pt. 2"The Way I Are (Dance with Somebody) (feat. Lil Wayne)"Imagine DragonsEvolve"Whatever It Takes"Ruth BSafe Haven"Mixed Signals""Dandelions""Unrighteous""If This Is Love""Young""If By Chance""World War 3""Safe Haven""In My Dreams""First Time"KhalidAmerican Teen"Young Dumb & Broke""8teen""Therapy"Noah Kahan"Young Blood""Sink"2016Tove LoLady Wood"Imaginary Friend"Brooke FraserA Sides"Therapy"Jarryd JamesHigh"1000x (feat. Broods)""Claim My Love""How Do We Make It"BroodsConscious"Free""We Had Everything""Heartlines""Hold the Line""Freak of Nature (feat. Tove Lo)""Recovery""Couldn't Believe""Full Blown Love""Worth the Fight""Bedroom Door""Conscious"Fitz and the TantrumsFitz and the Tantrums"Do What You Want"2015ElliphantLiving Life Golden"Step Down""Where Is Home (feat. Twin Shadow)"Ellie GouldingDelirium"Paradise""The Greatest"Half Noise"Inside"Jarryd JamesThirty One"Do You Remember""Give Me Something""This Time (Serious Symptoms, Simple Solutions)""Underneath""Undone""Regardless" (feat. Julia Stone)"High""Sure Love"Daniel JohnsAerial Love EP"Aerial Love""Late Night Drive"Talk"Aerial Love""Cool On Fire""Warm Hands""Dissolve"LordeThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"Yellow Flicker Beat""Meltdown""Ladder Song""Flicker (Kanye West rework)"2014ElliphantOne More EP"One More (feat. MØ)"PrioryWeekend"Weekend" Sam SmithIn the Lonely Hour: Deluxe Edition"Reminds Me of You"BroodsEvergreen"Mother & Father""Everytime""Killing You""Bridges""L.A.F""Never Gonna Change""Sober""Medicine""Evergreen""Four Walls""Superstar"2013Broods"Never Gonna Change""Pretty Thing""Bridges""Sleep Baby Sleep""Taking You There""Coattails"LordePure Heroine"Tennis Court""400 Lux""Ribs""Buzzcut Season""Team""Glory and Gore""Still Sane""White Teeth Teens""A World Alone""No Better"2012The Love Club"Bravado""Royals""Million Dollar Bills""The Love Club""Biting Down"TimomaticTimomatic "AYO (That's What I Like)"2010 Dane Rumble The Experiment "What Are You Waiting For?"

Awards and nominations

APRA awards

APRA Awards (Australia)

The APRA Awards (Australia) are annually held by Australasian Performing Right Association to honour outstanding music artists and songwriters of the year. Ref.

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little Outstanding International Achievement Award

Jarryd James and Joel Little Pop Work of the Year

"Everybody Rise" by Amy Shark (Written by Shark and Joel Little) Song of the Year

Song of the Year Most Performed Australian Work of the Year

Most Performed Pop Work of the Year

APRA Silver Scroll Awards (New Zealand)

The New Zealand APRA Awards are held by the Australasian Performing Right Association to honour the finest songwriters and composers. Ref.

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little for "Royals" APRA Silver Scroll

Broods and Joel Little for "Bridges" APRA Silver Scroll

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little for "Team" Most Performed Work in New Zealand

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little for "Royals" Most Performed Work Overseas

Joel Little and Jarryd James for "Do You Remember" APRA Silver Scroll

Joel Little, Georgia Nott and Caleb Nott for "L.A.F." APRA Silver Scroll

Ella Yelich-O'Connor, Jack Antonoff and Joel Little for "Green Light" APRA Silver Scroll

ASCAP Pop Music Awards The annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards are held by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers to honour the songwriters and publishers of the most performed pop songs in the United States. Some of his works (like those for Imagine Dragons) are controlled in the US by ASCAP's largest competitor, Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Ref.

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little for "Royals" Most Performed Songs

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little - "Team" Most Performed Songs

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little - "Royals" Most Performed Songs

Ref.

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little for "Yellow Flicker Beat"

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Ref.

Lorde, artist; Joel Little, producer; Joel Little, engineer/mixer; Stuart Hawkes, mastering engineer for "Royals" 56th Annual Grammy Awards – Record of the Year

Ella Yelich-O'Connor and Joel Little, songwriters for "Royals" 56th Annual Grammy Awards – Song of the Year

New Zealand Music Awards

The New Zealand Music Awards are awarded annually to musicians of New Zealand origin, by Recorded Music NZ. Ref.

Joel Little for Pure Heroine Best Engineer

Joel Little for Pure Heroine Best Producer

Joel Little for Evergreen Best Producer

Joel Little for Conscious Best Engineer

Joel Little for Conscious Best Producer