Rob Fusari (born February 26, 1967), also known as 8Bit, is an American record producer and songwriter. He has worked with Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland, Will Smith, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga, before she was famous and went by the name Stefani Germanotta.
Early life
editRob Fusari was born on February 26, 1967, and raised in Livingston, New Jersey.[1][2] A child prodigy, Fusari won numerous piano competitions at Radio City Music Hall at 8 years old.
Career
editFusari began writing songs while a student at William Paterson University.[3] He started recording demos, and subsequently met hit songwriter Irwin Levine,[4] who was known for writing "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and several other hits for Tony Orlando & Dawn.
In the late 1990s, Fusari became producing partners with Vincent Herbert. It was at this time that he wrote his first hit single, "No, No, No", which launched Destiny Child's career. In 2001, Fusari produced "Bootylicious" for the group's third studio album Survivor. The song peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In 1999, Fusari produced Will Smith's successful single "Wild Wild West" from the film of the same name.
In 2002, he produced the songs "Train on a Track" by Kelly Rowland and Whitney Houston's "Love That Man", which were both released as singles to varying degrees of success in 2003. The same year, Fusari first worked with Britney Spears on a track titled "Love's Supposed 2 Be", which failed to be included on In the Zone.[5][6]
In 2008, Fusari served as producer on Lady Gaga's Grammy-winning debut album, The Fame.[7] He produced and is credited on five songs: "Paparazzi", "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich", "Again Again", "Brown Eyes" and "Disco Heaven". Fusari also produced and co-wrote "Vanity", "Glitter & Grease", and "Retro Dance Freak".[8]
In 2012, he started an independent music label, Last Quarter Records which is based in New York City. Fusari is currently signed to Sony ATV Publishing.
In May 2016, ABC's follow-up to the classic The Lexicon of Love album was released called The Lexicon of Love II. Fusari co-wrote "Confessions of a Fool", "Singer Not the Song" and "The Ship of the Seasick Sailor" with lead singer Martin Fry. The album entered the UK album charts at #5, the band's first UK Top 10 release since 1990. Fusari toured with ABC on their Lexicon of Love II UK Tour (with full orchestra conducted by Anne Dudley), autumn 2016. In December Fusari and Fry wrote and produced ABC's first ever Christmas song "A Christmas We Deserve" together. BBC Radio 2 put it on the A-list upon release.
Production discography
edit| † | Indicates single release |
| # | Indicates promotional single release |
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Co-writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "No, No, No"† | 1997 | Destiny's Child | Destiny's Child | 
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| "Wild Wild West"† | 1999 | Will Smith (featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee) |
Wild Wild West and Willennium |
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| "Bootylicious"† | 2001 | Destiny's Child | Survivor |
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| "Apple Pie à la Mode" |
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| "Happy Face" |
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| "Outro (DC-3) Thank You" |
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| "You're the Only One" | Destiny's Child (European reissue) |
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| "Winter Paradise" | 8 Days of Christmas |
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| "A "DC" Christmas Medley" |
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| "This Christmas" |
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| "This Goes Out" | 2002 | 3LW | A Girl Can Mack |
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| "Past 12" | Kelly Rowland | Simply Deep |
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| "Train on a Track"† |
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| "No Coincidence" |
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| "Love That Man"† | Whitney Houston | Just Whitney |
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| "Paparazzi"† | 2008 | Lady Gaga | The Fame |
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| "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"# |
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| "Again Again" | The Fame |
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| "Brown Eyes" |
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| "Disco Heaven" | The Fame (revised international edition) |
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| "Vanity"# | Non-album single |
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| "Retro Dance Freak" | 2009 | The Fame (Japanese edition) |
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| "Bang Bang"† | Melanie Fiona | The Bridge |
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| "Fever"† | Adam Lambert | For Your Entertainment |
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| "Glitter and Grease" | 2011 | Lady Gaga | Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden |
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| "Shadow" | 2013 | f(x) | Pink Tape |
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| "Brave Honest Beautiful" | 2015 | Fifth Harmony (featuring Meghan Trainor) |
Reflection |
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References
edit- ^ Rose, Lisa. "Lady Gaga files lawsuit of her own against Rob Fusari", The Star-Ledger, 20 March 2010. Accessed 24 February 2011. "The Livingston native, who helped pen and produce such hits as 'Bootylicious' by Destiny's Child and 'Wild Wild West' by Will Smith, was singing a different tune during a taped interview with The Star-Ledger in January."
- ^ Kawashima, Dale. Rob Fusari Co-Writes & Produces Top Hits For Destiny's Child, Will Smith And Other Artists, SongWriterUniverse.com. Accessed 24 February 2011.
- ^ "William Paterson University – News". Wpunj.edu. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ "Irwin Levine, 58; Wrote 'Yellow Ribbon'". The New York Times. 27 January 1997.
- ^ "Rob Fusari Co-Writes & Produces Top Hits For Destiny's Child, Will Smith & Other Artists". Singer Universe. 2003. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "ROB FUSARI PRODUCTIONS". Rob Fusari's Official Website. 2003. Archived from the original on 25 April 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga Win Early Grammys". Billboard. 31 January 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
- ^ "Names and Faces: Kathy Griffin speaks out against 'don't ask, don't tell'". The Washington Post. 20 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.