Rickard Göransson

Rickard Bertil Göransson is a Swedish songwriter, producer, and musician. He was the lead guitarist for American alternative rock band Carolina Liar. He has written and produced for artists including Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj, Avril Lavigne, Ellie Goulding, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Jonas, Charlie Puth, and Selena Gomez.

Göransson's songwriting credits include eight-times-platinum "Bang Bang", two-times-platinum "God Is a Woman", and "Husavik" (from the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga), which won the Society of Composers and Lyricists' Outstanding Original Song for Visual Media in 2021.

Personal life

Born and raised in Växjö, Sweden, he attended the Stockholm Conservatory of Music. He is based in Los Angeles, California.

Career Carolina Liar Rickard joined the band Carolina Liar in 2007. The band is best known for the songs "I'm Not Over" and Show Me What I'm Looking For from their 2008 major-label debut album, Coming to Terms, produced by Swedish producers Max Martin and Tobias Karlsson. The band was the supporting act on the David Cook/Gavin Degraw 2011 Fall Tour. In 2012, they were the opening act for the Kelly Clarkson/The Fray Tour. They also played as the opening act for Rob Thomas on his Thomas Cradlesong Tour in 2009–2010.

Songwriting and producing

In 2014 Rickard gained prominence with the release of the hit "Bang Bang" (Ariana Grande, Jessie J, and Nicki Minaj), which he co-wrote and co-produced. The song peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, debuted at number 1 in the UK, and has amassed 1.6 billion YouTube streams and nearly 900 million Spotify plays.

Rickard is signed to MXM Music Publishing and continues to write and produce for various artists. During 2015-2017 he produced and wrote the leadoff track on Flo Rida's EP My House (EP)), co-wrote Ellie Goulding's track Still Falling for You from the soundtrack to the film Bridget Jones's Baby, co-wrote "Bills" by LunchMoney Lewis, and co-wrote and co-produced Nobody Love, Tori Kelly's first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100. His co-writes included Nick Jonas's "Under You" and Tove Lo's "Don't Talk About It." In 2018 he co-wrote and co-produced "Empty Cups" from Charlie Puth's Voicenotes album. His biggest hit of this period was his co-write of Ariana Grande's double-platinum "God Is a Woman" in 2018.

Further major success came in 2020 with his co-write and co-production of "Husavik" for the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga. The song won the Outstanding Original Song for Visual Media award from the Society of Composers and Lyricists, received a nomination for the Best Song at the 26th Critics' Choice Awards, and was included in the February 2021 shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 93rd Academy Awards. The song reached #6 on the British iTunes chart and #9 in the US.

Awards and nominations

"God Is a Woman", Winner, ASCAP POP Music Award for Most Performed Songs in 2018 (2019) "Bang Bang", Winner, ASCAP POP Music Award for Most Performed Songs in 2014 (2015) "Husavik (My Hometown)" Winner, Society of Composers and Lyricists, Outstanding Original Song for Visual Media, 2020 (2021) Winner, New Mexico Film Critics Award, Best Original Song, 2020 (2021) Winner, Hollywood Critics Association, Best Original Song, 2020 (2021) Nominee, Academy Award for Best Original Song, 2020 (2021) Nominee, Critics Choice Awards for Best Original Song, 2020 (2021) Nominee, Music City Film Critics' Association Awards, Best Song, 2020 (2021) Nominee, International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA), Best Original Song, 2020 (2021) Nominee, Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA), Best Original Song – Feature Film, 2020 (2021) Nominee, Chicago Indie Critics Awards (CIC), Best Original Song, 2020 (2021)

Discography

Year Artist Title Album Label Role 2020 Will Ferrell, My Marianne "Husavik (My Hometown)" Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga Arista Records Producer, writer Joji "Upgrade" Nectar 88rising Writer Jeremy Zucker "Not Ur Friend" love is not dying Republic Records Writer 2018 Ariana Grande "God Is a Woman" Sweetener Republic Records Writer Charlie Puth "Empty Cups" Voicenotes Artist Partner Group Producer, writer Marc E. Bassy "Love Her Too (feat. G-Eazy)" Postmodern Depression (EP) Republic Records Writer 2017 Ellie Goulding "Still Falling For You" Bridget Jones's Baby Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Universal Music Group Writer Astrid S "Breathe" Party's Over Island Records Writer 2016 Nick Jonas "Under You" Last Year Was Complicated Island Records Writer DNCE "Pay My Rent" DNCE Republic Records Writer Tove Lo "Don't Talk About It" Lady Wood Island Records Writer 2015 Flo Rida "Once in a Lifetime" My House Atlantic Producer Tori Kelly "Nobody Love" Unbreakable Smile Capitol Records Writer, producer Tori Kelly "California Lovers (feat. LL Cool J)" Unbreakable Smile Capitol Records Writer, producer LunchMoney Lewis "Bills" Bills (EP) Kemosabe, Columbia Writer DNCE "Toothbrush" DNCE Republic Records Writer DNCE "DNCE" DNCE Republic Records Writer Zara Larsson "Rooftop" 1 TEN, Epic, Sony Writer Natalie La Rose feat. Fetty Wap "Around the World" Around the World Republic Records Writer 2014 Ariana Grande, Jessie J, Nicki Minaj "Bang Bang" My Everything, Sweet Talker Republic Records, Lava Writer, producer Enrique Iglesias "There Goes My Baby" Sex and Love Republic Records Writer, producer Jessie J "Burnin' Up" Sweet Talker Republic Records Writer Zara Larsson "Skippin a Beat" 1 TEN, Epic, Sony Writer 2013 Avril Lavigne "Rock N Roll" Avril Lavigne Epic Writer, producer Fifth Harmony "Better Together" Better Together (EP) Epic Writer, producer Fifth Harmony "Better Together (Acoustic)" Better Together (EP) Epic Writer, producer Emblem3 "Just for One Day" Nothing to Lose Columbia Records Writer Selena Gomez "I Like It That Way" Stars Dance Deluxe Edition Hollywood Records Writer 2012 Avril Lavigne "What the Hell (Acoustic)" Goodbye Lullaby (Expanded Edition) Epic Producer 2011 Carolina Liar "All That Comes Out of My Mouth" Wild Blessed Freedom Maratone Writer