WRITER / PRODUCER / ARTIST
Christopher Braide is a Grammy-nominated, Ivor Novello award-winning British songwriter, producer, artist, and musician based in Malibu, California. Over decades, he’s crafted unforgettable pop classics with global impact, including 7 UK and US #1 hits like Sia’s “Unstoppable”, blending art pop and orchestral-driven productions in collaborations with icons like Sia, Lana Del Rey, Beyonce, and Hans Zimmer.
EARLY CAREER / COLLABORATIONS
From a small town in Northern England to a one bed flat in Central London, Chris left home and signed to Zomba music publishing aged 16, and launched into a songwriting obsession as a pianist and vocalist, working with renowned record producer Thomas Dolby in 1992, and Simply Red’s Mick Hucknall in 1993. Signed by Dave Stewart to Anxious Records in 1995, and Craig Kallman to Atlantic Records in New York in 1996, he released the album Life in a Minor Key (1997; Expanded Edition, 2025), featuring the East Coast US radio hit “If I Hadn’t Got You,” co-produced by the Eurythmics legend, and later re-recorded by UK soul diva Lisa Stansfield.
He toured and worked extensively with Glenn Tilbrook, contributing to the iconic Squeeze albums Some Fantastic Place (1993), Ridiculous (1995), even joining the legendary band for their European Domino tour shows with Blondie in 1999, and co-wrote songs on all of Tilbrook’s critically acclaimed solo albums, including the stand out track “Untouchable”.
In 2001 he contributed to the Soft Cell album Cruelty Without Beauty, and later produced and co wrote two studio albums, a live album and an EP, for Marc Almond, including “The Velvet Trail”, which garnered multiple 5 star reviews, and he also performed live with the celebrated singer, culminating in a special concert celebrating their writing partnership at the Royal Festival Hall to over 3,000 people in 2020.
Under the stewardship of pop mogul Simon Fuller, his early pop hits include “This Is The Night” (2003, US #1, 2x Platinum US, 6x Platinum Canada, Billboard Music Award, “Have You Ever” (2001, UK #1), “Dreams” (2004, US #1 Billboard Top Single Sales), “Invisible” (2003, US #8 Adult Contemporary, 2x ASCAP Awards 2003/2004), “Say Goodbye” (2003, UK #2), and “Anything Is Possible” (2002, UK #1), Ivor Novello Award.
Other notable tracks include, “30 Minute Love Affair” (2012, from Paloma Faith’s 2x platinum Fall to Grace, UK #2), “Save Yourself” (2008, from James Morrison’s Songs for You, Truths for Me, UK #3), “Ten Feet Tall” for Afrojack, (2014, US #10, Billboard Dance Chart), and “Lullabies” for Yuna (2012), which inspired Diplo and HUGEL’s recent EDM remake “Forever”. (2025, US #1, Beatport Chart), cementing his knack for chart-topping pop.
As a singer and artist, in 2011 he co founded the Downes Braide Association with YES keyboard legend Geoff Downes, a critically acclaimed duo whose studio albums (featuring artwork by the renowned painter Roger Dean), have achieved universal praise within the progressive rock world in the UK, including Halcyon Hymns (2021, UK #7), featuring the single “Love Among The Ruins” (2021, UK #1 Heritage Chart).
He was also a former member of experimental band Producers with record producer Stephen Lipson, and drummer Ash Soan, writing and performing all the songs on their sole album Made In Basing Street (Expanded Edition), and performed live with the band at the Royal Albert Hall in 2007.
RECENT SUCCESS
From his Malibu studio, Chris has written and produced well known songs for artists like Sia, Lana Del Rey, and Beyoncé, while collaborating with producers like Hans Zimmer, Diplo, and David Guetta, movie directors Baz Luhrmann and Brady Corbet, and Hollywood actors Natalie Portman and Kate Hudson.
His decade-long partnership with Sia has yielded global successes and multiple Billboard #1’s, including 1000 Forms of Fear (2014, US #1 Billboard 200) featuring “Big Girls Cry,” - (500 million Spotify streams), This Is Acting (2016, US #1 Billboard 200) featuring “Unstoppable” (2022, US #1 Adult Pop Airplay, US #1 Adult Contemporary, US #1 Adult Top 40), which earned a 2023 BMI Pop Award and over 1 billion Spotify streams, 2x APRA award for most performed Australian work overseas (2024/2025), becoming the first song in nearly a quarter of a century to spend 100 weeks in the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, and spent 12 weeks at #1, “She Wolf (Falling to Pieces)” (2012, US #1 Billboard Dance Club Songs, UK #8), (850 million streams), and “Flames” (2018, US #1 Billboard Dance Club Songs, UK #7) with David Guetta - the most - played song on European radio in 2018 (1.8 billion streams) - taken from the US #1 Electronic/Dance album 7.
With Lana Del Rey, he co-wrote and co-produced “Million Dollar Man” for Born to Die (2012, US #2 Billboard 200, UK #1), with the album selling over 20 million copies, and the track with over 200 million Spotify streams.
He wrote and produced the Vox Lux soundtrack album (2018) with Natalie Portman, including “Body Talks,” and co wrote and recorded Kate Hudson’s performance of the song “Music” with Sia for the film Music (2021). Additional tracks include “Kill and Run” for The Great Gatsby soundtrack (2013, US #2 Billboard 200), “Helium” for Fifty Shades Darker (2017, US #6 Billboard 200), and “God Made You Beautiful” for Beyoncé’s documentary Life Is But a Dream (2013, US #1 Billboard Top Music Videos).
He also co-wrote and produced the award winning song “Out There” with Sia and Hans Zimmer for the BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet (2019). Sir David Attenborough introduced the song’s trailer from the Pyramid stage to over 100,000 people, with a simultaneous broadcast in nearly 50 countries, showcasing his enduring pop influence.
ACCOLADES
• Winner, 2023 BMI Pop Award for “Unstoppable,” recognized as one of the year’s most-performed songs.
• Winner, APRA Award for “Unstoppable” most performed Australian work overseas (2025).
• Winner, APRA Award for “Unstoppable” most performed Australian work overseas (2024).
• Winner, Best Original Composition in a TV Trailer or Promo, Music and Sound Awards, with Hans Zimmer and Sia for “Out There” (Seven Worlds, One Planet, 2020).
• Winner, Ivor Novello Award for “Anything Is Possible” (2002) Best - selling UK single of 2002.
• Winner, 2x ASCAP Award for “Invisible” most performed song on US radio (2003/2004).
• Winner, Billboard Music Award for “This Is The Night” Best - selling US single (2003).
• Winner, Teen Choice Award for “This Is The Night” (2003).
• Grammy nominated, “This Is Acting” Producer - Best Pop Vocal Album (2017)
• Grammy nominated, “The Great Gatsby” Producer - Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media (2014).
• “Unstoppable” milestones: Over 1 billion Spotify streams, 100 weeks on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart, #1 US Adult Contemporary, #1 US Adult Top 40, and #1 US Adult Pop Airplay (2022), with over 2.8 million TikTok videos.