HIT-MAKING SONGWRITER CLAUDE KELLY RECEIVES GRAMMY® AWARD NOMINATION FOR PENNING FANTASIA'S "BITTERSWEET"

December 2, 2010 (New York, NY) - Last night marked yet another milestone for hit-making songwriter Claude "Studio Beast" Kelly, who received his career-first GRAMMY® Award nomination in the Best R&B Song category for co-writing Fantasia's "Bittersweet" with Charles Harmon.  Known for penning numerous chart-topping hits including Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You," Miley Cyrus' "Party In The U.S.A.," Britney Spears' "Circus," Jason Derulo's "In My Head," and Ke$ha's "Take It Off," the Studio Beast's work in 2010 with Fantasia has proved to be no different.  Together, he and Fantasia are nominated for three awards (one and two, respectively).  The 53rd Annual GRAMMY® Awards air live February 13, 2011 from Los Angeles, CA on CBS.
 
"Bittersweet," the lead single off Fantasia's comeback album, Back To Me, marked the long-awaited return of the platinum-selling songstress.  Not only did the Claude Kelly-scribed and Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Songs Top 10 single hold #1 for 5 weeks on the Urban AC Chart, it ("Bittersweet") is up for both Best R&B Song (a songwriter's award) and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance GRAMMY® nominations.  In addition to writing "Bittersweet" for her J Records release, Claude Kelly wrote the album's second single "I'm Doin' Me."  As a pair, both hit tracks arguably played an integral role in garnering Fantasia her Best R&B Album nod for Back To Me.
 
"To get nominated for a GRAMMY® has always been a dream of mine," says Claude Kelly.  "I'm so grateful to share this honor with my friend Chuck Harmon and to have worked with the incomparable Fantasia on such an emotionally powerful and important album.  Congratulations to all of my friends who were also nominated and thank you to my supporters who are overflowing me with praise."

Back in May, while on the American Idol stage during one of her soul-stirring performances of "Bittersweet," Fantasia expressed her excitement about getting back to her roots and "working with a lot of great people [including] Claude Kelly."

Recently Claude Kelly has crafted songs for Michael Jackson ("Hold My Hand" feat. Akon), Bruno Mars ("Grenade"), Christina Aguilera ("Express" and "Show Me How You Burlesque" for the feature film Burlesque), Flo Rida ("Who Dat Girl?" feat. Akon), Fefe Dobson ("Stuttering"), Lee DeWyze ("Stay Here" and "It's Gotta Be Love"), T.I. ("Dying In Your Arms" feat. Jazmine Sullivan), and David Archuleta ("Falling Stars"). Additional artists who have recorded Claude Kelly's tracks include Whitney Houston, Chrisette Michele, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Lambert, Brandy, R. Kelly, Jesse McCartney, Backstreet Boys, New Kids on the Block, Charice, Melanie Fiona and Jordin Sparks, among others.
 
For more information on Claude Kelly, please visit: http://www.claudekellyonline.com and http://www.simonesmallspr.net/clients/claudekelly/Bio.html