So he hired Slaiby as his manager, then forged ahead writing for a growing network of superstars like John Legend and Gwen Stefani — and getting Grammy attention for his work with some of R&B’s coolest acts. Late last year, he earned a best R&B song nod for co-writing Skip Marley and H.E.R.’s chart-topping “Slow Down,” and he also contributed to Chloe x Halle’s Ungodly Hour, which is up for best progressive R&B album. A self-proclaimed “blue-collar songwriter,” Atweh sees the recognition as a helpful reintroduction: “With the Grammys, it’s like, ‘Does anybody new want to talk to me? Has there been anyone who has been hesitant to take a song who might not be hesitant now?’ ”
His chill studio presence — Atweh likens his role to “songwriter and party host” and is fond of pregaming with ping-pong — and comfort across genres have kept him in demand. He and longtime writing partner Adam Messinger recently moved Stefani to tears when they helped her finish a folk-reggae track she had been trying to write for years. “I care about the artist and what they’re feeling more than I do about the snare drum or BPM,” says Atweh. “When you’re with someone, whether they’re a country, reggae or R&B act, they just want to tell their story.”
And studio sessions haven’t kept him from telling his own. In January, he self-released his debut solo EP, Here for You, which had a more sensual, Sade-influenced sound that he’s eager to take on the road when touring can resume. Slaiby told him to self-release the project, saying it was too good to wait for a label. “It was one of those ‘Bro, I’m down, let’s go’ moments,” says Atweh. “When everybody believes in the music, no rules apply.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the March 13, 2021, issue of Billboard.
