Who Is Shellback? Meet the Secret Producer Behind Taylor Swift’s Biggest Hits

If you’re a Taylor Swift fan, chances are you’re familiar with the name Shellback. But if you’re not, or you just enjoy her music without taking a deep dive into who produces it, you might not be. Shellback is a well-known name in the music industry, not just for his ties to Taylor but also for his own musical contributions. He’s produced many of Taylor’s songs and is also believed to have worked on her 12th album, "The Life of a Showgirl."

Taylor announced the album was ready for pre-order at 12:12 a.m. on Aug. 12 during the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce.

Right after dropping that news, she also released her “And, baby, that’s show business for you” playlist on Spotify, a collection of tracks from her "Red," "Reputation," and "1989" albums, all of which Shellback helped produce. With Shellback playing such a big role in Taylor’s music, it’s worth knowing who he is and how their collaboration began. So, let’s get into it.

Shellback, whose real name is Karl Johan Schuster, is a Swedish producer, songwriter, and four-time Grammy Award winner. Before jumping into pop music production, he had a career as a heavy metal guitarist, according to his Wikipedia bio.

Shellback often teams up with Max Martin when producing songs, and the duo has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including Taylor Swift. Some of the tracks they’ve collaborated on with her include “Bad Blood,” “Shake It Off,” “End Game,” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”

The 40-year-old musician (born in February 1985) has also worked with Britney Spears, Usher, Adam Lambert, Adele, Ariana Grande, Benny Blanco, and even P!nk.

Together, Shellback and Max Martin not only produce but also write and co-write songs for these artists.

One track you might recognize (and would have never known Shellback was involved) is Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” featured in the hit animated film Trolls (2016). He and Max co-wrote and co-produced that song, which earned them an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Basically, Shellback, often alongside Max, is one of the behind-the-scenes musical geniuses helping shape the pop landscape.

Shellback reportedly met Max at a young age through a mutual friend. While Shellback was heavily involved in heavy metal rock, Max became curious about his talent and how it could translate to pop music. They started working together, and Shellback was later signed to Max’s company, Maratone Studios, which he co-founded.

Shellback’s producing career kicked off with Britney Spears, followed by work on the Backstreet Boys’ "This Is Us" album. His collaboration with Taylor began in 2012 on her "Red" album, working on hits like “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “22.” And clearly, it was the perfect pairing, because Shellback, Max, and Taylor have continued working together ever since.