Oak Felder

Warren "Oak" Felder
Warren "Oak" Felder
Birth name	Warren Felder III
Also known as	Oakwud
Born	November 9, 1980 (age 44); Istanbul, Turkey
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Genres	R&B; pop; hip hop;
Occupations	Songwriter; producer;
Years active	2005-present
Member of	Pop & Oak

Warren "Oak" Felder (born November 9, 1980)^[1] is a Turkish songwriter and record producer based in Atlanta and Los Angeles. He is known for his work as part of the production duo Pop & Oak, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2015.

Early life

Felder was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey.^[1]^[2] He studied network technologies and artificial intelligence at Istanbul Technical University,^[3] and then moved to the United States in 2001 to attend Georgia Tech.^[1]^[4] His nickname comes from his Turkish name, Okay.^[5]

Career

While at Georgia Tech, Felder recorded a demo with the singer/songwriter Sterling Simms, which led to a meeting with L.A. Reid and resulted in Felder writing and producing a track on a Mariah Carey album in 2005.^[1]

Around 2009, Felder became production partners with Pop Wansel as the production duo Pop & Oak.^[6] Their first big hit was "Your Love", the lead single on Nicki Minaj's 2010 debut studio album Pink Friday.^[1]^[2] Other notable songs they have written and produced include six tracks on Elle Varner's 2012 album Perfectly Imperfect, including the singles "Only Wanna Give It to You" and "I Don't Care";^[6] nine songs on Kehlani's debut album SweetSexySavage;^[1] and six tracks on Alessia Cara's 2015 debut album Know-It-All, including the singles "Here" and "Scars to Your Beautiful",^[7] which both went to number 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 charts.^[8]

Felder was nominated for a 2015 Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for writing Usher's single "Good Kisser";^[9]^[10] produced two songs on the Alicia Keys album Girl on Fire, which won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best R&B Album;^[11] wrote and produced "Invincible", the lead single from Kelly Clarkson's 2015 album Piece by Piece;^[11] wrote and produced "Clumsy", the second single from the 2016 Britney Spears album Glory;^[7] and wrote and produced five tracks on Demi Lovato's 2017 album Tell Me You Love Me, including the lead single "Sorry Not Sorry",^[1]^[12] winning a 2019 BMI Pop Award for the single.^[13] He has also written and produced songs for artists including Trey Songz, Rihanna, Miguel, Kehlani, Ariana Grande, Jennifer Lopez, Mario, Tamia, ZZ Ward, and Sabrina Carpenter.^[2]^[7]^[11]^[5]^[14] He was named as a top producer by BMI in 2012 and 2013,^[15]^[16] and won a 2017 BMI Pop Award for co-writing Alessia Cara's "Here",^[17] and a 2018 BMI Pop Award for co-writing her single "Scars to Your Beautiful".^[18] He also wrote and produced three tracks on Lizzo's 2019 major label debut Cuz I Love You,^[19] wrote and produced the top 40 single "Who Do You Love" by The Chainsmokers featuring 5 Seconds of Summer, and is working on new music with Kehlani, Demi Lovato, and Alessia Cara in 2019.^[20]

Felder is published by Reservoir, and managed by Lucas Keller and Peter Coquillard at Milk & Honey.^[21]^[22] He is on the board of directors of the Mechanical Licensing Collective, which works to increase the royalty money from streaming companies to songwriters.^[20]

Personal life

Felder is married and lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and has a studio in Los Angeles, California.^[11]

Awards

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2015	Grammy Award	Best R&B Song	"Good Kisser" by Usher	Nominated^[9]
2017	BMI Pop Award	Songs	"Here" by Alessia Cara	Won^[17]
2018	BMI Pop Award	Songs	"Scars to Your Beautiful" by Alessia Cara	Won^[18]
2018	BMI Pop Award	Songs	"Sorry Not Sorry" by Demi Lovato	Won^[13]
2022	Children's and Family Emmys	Outstanding Short Form Program	We the People	Won

Discography

Writing and producing credits

Song	Year	Artist	Album	Songwriter	Producer
"Ain't No Way (You Won't Love Me)"	2005	Chris Brown	Chris Brown	Y	Y
"Ain't Enough"	2006	3LW	Point of No Return	Y	Y
"Hurry Up"	2007	Che'Nelle	Things Happen for a Reason	Y	Y
"Lookin'"		Che'Nelle	Things Happen for a Reason	Y	Y
"Kryptonite" (featuring Rich Boy)		Mario	Go	Y	Y
"Why"		Mario	Go	Y	Y
"Mile In These Shoes"		Jennifer Lopez	Brave		Y
"Betcha Never Had"		J. Holiday	Back of My Lac'	Y	Y
"Superhuman" (featuring Keri Hilson)	2008	Chris Brown	Exclusive: The Forever Edition	Y	Y
"Single"		Sterling Simms	Yours, Mine & The Truth	Y	Y
"Jump Off" (featuring Sean P)				Y	Y
"Sex In the City"				Y	Y
"Chilosa"		Prima J	Prima J	Y	Y
"I Can Change Your Life"		Lloyd	Lessons in Love	Y	Y
"90's Baby"		Karina Pasian	First Love	Y
"Show Off"	2009	Ginuwine	A Man's Thoughts	Y	Y
"Open the Door"				Y	Y
"Orchestra"				Y	Y
"Hot Mess"		Ashley Tisdale	Guilty Pleasure	Y	Y
"Hair"		Ashley Tisdale	Guilty Pleasure	Y	Y
"Robot Love"		Allison Iraheta	Just Like You	Y	Y
"Your Love"	2010	Nicki Minaj	Pink Friday	Y	Y
"Save Me"		Nicki Minaj	Pink Friday	Y	Y
"Unusual" (featuring Drake)		Trey Songz	Passion, Pain & Pleasure	Y	Y
"Collard Greens & Cornbread"		Fantasia	Back to Me	Y
"Hands Tied"		Toni Braxton	Pulse	Y
"Top Floor"	2011	Wiz Khalifa	Rolling Papers	Y	Y
"Marvin & Chardonnay" (featuring Kanye West & Roscoe Dash)		Big Sean	Finally Famous	Y	Y
"Rainbow"		Jessie J	Who You Are	Y	Y
"I Need This"		Jessie J	Who You Are	Y	Y
"Only Wanna Give It to You" (featuring J. Cole)	2012	Elle Varner	Perfectly Imperfect	Y	Y
"Sound Proof Room"				Y	Y
"I Don't Care"				Y	Y
"Not Tonight"				Y	Y
"Leaf"				Y	Y
"So Fly"				Y	Y
"Right By My Side" (featuring Chris Brown)		Nicki Minaj	Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded	Y	Y
"Fire Burns"		Nicki Minaj	Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded	Y	Y
"Use Me"		Miguel	Kaleidoscope Dream	Y	Y
"Where's the Fun in Forever"		Miguel	Kaleidoscope Dream	Y	Y
"Fire We Make" (featuring Maxwell)		Alicia Keys	Girl on Fire	Y	Y
"Limitedless"		Alicia Keys	Girl on Fire	Y	Y
"Numb" (featuring Eminem)		Rihanna	Unapologetic	Y	Y
"Bassline"		Chris Brown	Fortune	Y	Y
"Wanted"	2013	Tiwa Savage	Once Upon a Time		Y
"Written All Over Your Face"					Y
"Without My Heart"					Y
"V.S.O.P."		K. Michelle	Rebellious Soul	Y	Y
"Allie Jones"		Mayer Hawthorne	Where Does This Door Go	Y	Y
"Her Favorite Song"				Y	Y
"Crime" (featuring Kendrick Lamar)				Y	Y
"Corsican Rose"				Y	Y
"The Crying Game" (featuring Jessie Ware)	2014	Nicki Minaj	The Pinkprint	Y
"Good Kisser"		Usher	Hard II Love (Japanese edition)	Y	Y
"Going Under"		K. Michelle	Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?		Y
"Something About the Night"					Y
"Drake Would Love Me"					Y
"Chasing Time"		Azealia Banks	Broke With Expensive Taste	Y
"Break Your Heart Right Back" (featuring Childish Gambino)		Ariana Grande	My Everything	Y	Y
"Seal Me With a Kiss" (featuring De La Soul)		Jessie J	Sweet Talker	Y	Y
"Wonderful"		Mary J. Blige	Think Like a Man Too (OST)	Y	Y
"Seventeen"	2015	Alessia Cara	Know-It-All	Y	Y
"Here"				Y	Y
"Outlaws"				Y	Y
"I'm Yours"				Y	Y
"Overdose"				Y	Y
"Scars to Your Beautiful"				Y	Y
"Deal"		Miguel	Wildheart	Y	Y
"What's Normal Anyway"				Y	Y
"Leaves"				Y	Y
"Invincible"		Kelly Clarkson	Piece by Piece	Y	Y
"Alone In Your Heart"		Monica	Code Red	Y	Y
"Trade Hearts" (featuring Julia Michaels)		Jason Derulo	Everything Is 4	Y	Y
"Love Falls Over Me"		Tamia	Love Life	Y	Y
"Sandwich and a Soda"		Tamia	Love Life	Y	Y
"Clumsy"	2016	Britney Spears	Glory	Y	Y
"Counterfeit"		Jordan Fisher	Jordan Fisher	Y	Y
"Sleep Like a Baby"		K. Michelle	More Issues Than Vogue	Y	Y
"Yes Girl"		Bea Miller	Non-album single	Y	Y
"How Far I'll Go"		Alessia Cara	Moana OST		Y
"Distraction"	2017	Kehlani	SweetSexySavage	Y	Y
"Piece of Mind"				Y	Y
"Not Used to It"				Y	Y
"Everything Is Yours"				Y	Y
"Advice"				Y	Y
"Escape"				Y	Y
"In My Feelings"				Y	Y
"Hold Me By the Heart"				Y	Y
"Thank You"				Y	Y
"Sorry Not Sorry"		Demi Lovato	Tell Me You Love Me	Y	Y
"Sexy Dirty Love"				Y	Y
"Daddy Issues"				Y	Y
"Only Forever"				Y	Y
"Games"				Y	Y
"The Deep" (featuring Joey Purp)		ZZ Ward	Non-album single	Y
"Ghost"			The Storm	Y	Y
"Let It Burn"				Y	Y
"Hold On"				Y	Y
"Burning Bridges"		Bea Miller	Chapter One: Blue	Y	Y
"Warmer"			Chapter Two: Red	Y	Y
"To the Grave"			Chapter Three: Yellow	Y	Y
"Either Way" (featuring Joey Bada$$)		Snakehips with Anne-Marie	Non-album single	Y	Y
"Out of Your Mind" (featuring Alison Wonderland)	2018	The Presets	Hi Viz	Y
"I Don't Lack Imagination"		E^ST	Life Ain't Always Roses	Y	Y
"Stop Myself (Only Human)"		Calum Scott	Only Human	Y	Y
"I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues"		Alessia Cara	Revamp: The Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin		Y
"Growing Pains"			The Pains of Growing	Y	Y
"7 Days"				Y	Y
"Trust My Lonely"				Y	Y
"All We Know"				Y	Y
"Easier Said"				Y	Y
"Sue Me"		Sabrina Carpenter	Singular: Act I	Y	Y
"Coming to My Senses"		Alina Baraz	The Color of You		Y
"I Don't Even Know Why Though"		Alina Baraz	Y	Y
"Who Do You Love" (featuring 5 Seconds of Summer)	2019	The Chainsmokers	World War Joy	Y	Y
"Like A Girl"		Lizzo	Cuz I Love You	Y	Y
"Soulmate"				Y	Y
"Better In Color"				Y	Y
"FML"		Mabel	High Expectations	Y	Y
"Just a Boy"		Olivia O'Brien	Was It Even Real?	Y	Y
"Pushing 20"		Sabrina Carpenter	Singular: Act II	Y	Y
"Take Off All Your Cool"		Sabrina Carpenter	Singular: Act II	Y	Y
"Sunday"		Jessica Mauboy	Hilda	Y	Y
"Birthday"	2020	Anne-Marie	Therapy (Japanese Edition)	Y	Y
"I Love Me"		Demi Lovato	Non-album single	Y	Y
"Ting Ting Ting" (with Oliver Heldens)		Itzy	It'z Me	Y	Y
"Change Your Life" (featuring Jhené Aiko)		Kehlani	It Was Good Until It Wasn't	Y	Y
"This Is What They Say"		Carly Rae Jepsen	Dedicated Side B	Y	Y
"Ooh Laa"		John Legend	Bigger Love	Y	Y
"Actions"				Y	Y
"Favorite Place"					Y
"Blossom"		Azealia Banks	Fantasea II: The Second Wave		Y
"The Art of Starting Over"	2021	Demi Lovato	Dancing with the Devil... the Art of Starting Over	Y	Y
"Lonely People"				Y	Y
"Melon Cake"					Y
"The Kind of Lover I Am"				Y	Y
"15 Minutes"				Y	Y
"My Girlfriends Are My Boyfriend" (featuring Saweetie)				Y	Y
"California Sober"				Y	Y
"Good Place"					Y
"Starting Now"		Brandy	Disney Princess Remixed — An Ultimate Princess Celebration		Y
"FREAK" (Feat. Yungblud)	2022	Demi Lovato	Holy Fvck	Y	Y
"SKIN OF MY TEETH"				Y	Y
"SUBSTANCE"				Y	Y
"EAT ME" (featuring Royal & the Serpent				Y	Y
"HOLY FVCK"				Y	Y
"29"				Y	Y
"HAPPY ENDING"				Y	Y
"HEAVEN"				Y	Y
"CITY OF ANGELS"				Y	Y
"BONES"				Y	Y
"WASTED"				Y	Y
"COME TOGETHER"				Y	Y
"DEAD FRIENDS"				Y	Y
"HELP ME" (featuring Dead Sara)				Y	Y
"FEED"				Y	Y
"4 EVER 4 ME"				Y	Y
You Only Love Me	2023	Rita Ora	You & I		Y

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Dale Kawashima, "Interview with Oak Felder, Hit Writer/Producer for Alessia Cara, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj And Other Artists," Songwriter Universe, September 7, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c DeVon Hyman, "Pop and Oak – Get Familiar With the Production Duo," Parle, April 29, 2012.
^ "GRAMMY-Nominated Oak Felder Gets and Gives Advice". BMI.com. July 19, 2018.
^ "Producers: A Q&A with Oak Felder". American Songwriter. June 18, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "How 'Oak' Felder Quietly Became One of R&B's Most Important Producers". Rolling Stone. October 17, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Producer Duo Pop and Oak Talk Sparkle, Elle Varner and Alicia Keys," Singersroom, February 1, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c Nolan Feeney, "Britney Spears' 'Glory': Inside the making of her ninth album," Entertainment Weekly, August 11, 2016.
^ Gary Trust, "Alessia Cara Scores Second Pop Songs No. 1 With 'Scars to Your Beautiful'," Billboard, January 23, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Warren 'Oak' Felder," grammy.com. Accessed October 20, 2017.
^ "Grammys 2015: Complete list of nominees," Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2015.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gail Mitchell, "Producer Oak Felder Talks Kelly Clarkson, Khalid and More: 'I Love That I Can Fly Under the Radar'," Billboard, May 23, 2017.
^ Nolan Feeney, "Demi Lovato: Fans will know 'exactly what I'm talking about' on my new album," Entertainment Weekly, September 12, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Sting, Imagine Dragons and Martin Bandier Honored at BMI's 67th Annual Pop Awards". BMI.com. May 15, 2019.
^ "Sabrina Carpenter New Single "Pushing 20"". 360 Magazine. March 8, 2019.
^ "Mariah Carey, Drake, Lil Wayne, EMI Music Publishing & More Honored at BMI Urban Awards," BMI, September 8, 2012.
^ "Just In: Pop Wansel & Oak Felder Recognized At BMI Awards As Top Producers In 2013," uwishunu.com, August 23, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "Barry Manilow Honored as BMI Icon at 65th Annual BMI Pop Awards," BMI, May 10, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Mark Ronson Receives the BMI Champion Award at the 66th BMI Pop Awards". BMI.com. May 8, 2018.
^ "REVIEW: Lizzo showcases vocal prowess on debut album". Daily Trojan. April 21, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "Producer Oak Felder Talks Lizzo, Demi Lovato and Need for More Female Producers: 'Music Can't Be One-Dimensional'". Billboard.com. September 13, 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
^ "Reservoir inks JV with Grammy-winning songwriter Warren 'Oak' Felder". Music Business Worldwide. 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
^ "Reservoir inks global publishing deal with songwriter and producer Warren 'Oak' Felder". Music Business Worldwide. 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-02-22.

External links

Oak Felder at AllMusic

[dkawashima-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Dale Kawashima, "Interview with Oak Felder, Hit Writer/Producer for Alessia Cara, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj And Other Artists," Songwriter Universe, September 7, 2017.

[dhyman-2] DeVon Hyman, "Pop and Oak – Get Familiar With the Production Duo," Parle, April 29, 2012.

[3] "GRAMMY-Nominated Oak Felder Gets and Gives Advice". BMI.com. July 19, 2018.

[as-4] "Producers: A Q&A with Oak Felder". American Songwriter. June 18, 2018.

[rs-5] "How 'Oak' Felder Quietly Became One of R&B's Most Important Producers". Rolling Stone. October 17, 2018.

[singersroom-6] "Producer Duo Pop and Oak Talk Sparkle, Elle Varner and Alicia Keys," Singersroom, February 1, 2012.

[nfeeney081116-7] Nolan Feeney, "Britney Spears' 'Glory': Inside the making of her ninth album," Entertainment Weekly, August 11, 2016.

[8] Gary Trust, "Alessia Cara Scores Second Pop Songs No. 1 With 'Scars to Your Beautiful'," Billboard, January 23, 2017.

[grammy-9] "Warren 'Oak' Felder," grammy.com. Accessed October 20, 2017.

[10] "Grammys 2015: Complete list of nominees," Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2015.

[gmitchell-11] Gail Mitchell, "Producer Oak Felder Talks Kelly Clarkson, Khalid and More: 'I Love That I Can Fly Under the Radar'," Billboard, May 23, 2017.

[12] Nolan Feeney, "Demi Lovato: Fans will know 'exactly what I'm talking about' on my new album," Entertainment Weekly, September 12, 2017.

[bmi2019-13] "Sting, Imagine Dragons and Martin Bandier Honored at BMI's 67th Annual Pop Awards". BMI.com. May 15, 2019.

[14] "Sabrina Carpenter New Single "Pushing 20"". 360 Magazine. March 8, 2019.

[15] "Mariah Carey, Drake, Lil Wayne, EMI Music Publishing & More Honored at BMI Urban Awards," BMI, September 8, 2012.

[16] "Just In: Pop Wansel & Oak Felder Recognized At BMI Awards As Top Producers In 2013," uwishunu.com, August 23, 2013.

[bmi2017-17] "Barry Manilow Honored as BMI Icon at 65th Annual BMI Pop Awards," BMI, May 10, 2017.

[bmi2018-18] "Mark Ronson Receives the BMI Champion Award at the 66th BMI Pop Awards". BMI.com. May 8, 2018.

[19] "REVIEW: Lizzo showcases vocal prowess on debut album". Daily Trojan. April 21, 2019.

[femaleproducers-20] "Producer Oak Felder Talks Lizzo, Demi Lovato and Need for More Female Producers: 'Music Can't Be One-Dimensional'". Billboard.com. September 13, 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.

[21] "Reservoir inks JV with Grammy-winning songwriter Warren 'Oak' Felder". Music Business Worldwide. 2017-12-05. Retrieved 2019-06-08.

[22] "Reservoir inks global publishing deal with songwriter and producer Warren 'Oak' Felder". Music Business Worldwide. 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2022-02-22.

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