In our new feature, Power Hitters, we shine a spotlight on the brilliant songwriters and producers behind the biggest smashes in the biz, the players who regularly step up to the plate and deliver a hit—and frequently drive it clear out of the park.

Daniel Nigro, former frontman for Long Island emo act As Tall as Lions, co-wrote and produced 2021’s first bona fide breakout, “drivers license,” with Geffen artist Olivia Rodrigo.

But Daniel’s no overnight success; “license” follows a decidedly hot 2020 for the versatile writer/producer. He helmed Conan Gray’s debut album, Kid Krow, which boasts platinum singles “Maniac” and “Heather” (1.5m in activity to date on the latter). Prior to that, he leveraged a handful of co-writes on Sky Ferreira’s critically acclaimed debut, Night Time, My Time, into collaborations with Carly Rae Jepsen, Lewis Capaldi, Freya Ridings, FINNEAS and Empress Of. He hit his stride collaborating with Caroline Polachek, attracting Republic’s attention and setting the stage for his highly productive work with Gray.

Sony/ATV’s Jennifer Knoepfle and Nick Bral inked Nigro in 2018. He's repped by State of the Art’s Ian McEvily.

Nigro has been an essential collaborator on Rodrigo’s forthcoming debut full-length, playing the same key role he did with Gray. Expect the Rodrigo-Nigro tandem to make more noise this year. New music with Gray is also on the horizon.

Enjoy an assortment of tracks bearing Nigro's stamp below.

Nigro (right) writing with Rodrigo