Editor’s Note: “Boston Thriving” is an ongoing series from Vanyaland highlighting and honoring the national and global success of Boston- and New England-based bands and artists.
The truth is, there’s no one “right” way to frame this Boston Thriving article regarding Amy Allen.
For instance, we could highlight the fact that the Maine-born musician helped write three of pop’s most ubiquitous current radio hits: “Feather” by Sabrina Carpenter, “Greedy” by Tate McRae, and “Selfish,” Justin Timberlake’s quasi-comeback single. Or we could raise the stakes and mention that all of those songs concurrently appear in the top 10 of Mediabase’s Top 40 chart, which monitors airplay throughout North America. The jams keep coming, too; today (April 12), Carpenter dropped her seductive new tune “Espresso”, another track shaped by Allen’s pen.
And that’s only what’s happened in the past week.
Once the frontwoman of Maine band Amy & the Engine, Allen’s recently been working as a solo act and songwriter for musicians like Harry Styles, Halsey, Justin Bieber, and Selena Gomez. Her knack for hooky lyricism shines extra bright this spring, as her work with the three aforementioned chart-toppers — plus Olivia Rodrigo, nbd — dominates pop music. As of print time, “Feather” ranks at No. 2 on Mediabase’s Top 40 chart (after peaking at No. 1), “Greedy” sits at No. 6, and “Selfish” climbs to No. 9. Based on her track record, we suspect “Espresso” won’t be far behind.
Take a peek at Allen’s time in the studio with each artist below.