Shelly Peiken

She is best known for penning culturally resonant, female-empowerment anthems such as Christina Aguilera’s No. 1 smash, “What a Girl Wants” and Meredith Brooks’ GRAMMY-nominated, “Bitch.” 

Shelly has written for Jessie J, Keith Urban, Britney Spears, Brandy, SmashMouth, Natasha Bedingfield, Reba, Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, INXS, Backstreet Boys, Michelle Branch, DiVinyls, Pretenders, Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato. Her songs have appeared in numerous films and TV shows such as The Blind Side, The Hot Chick, Princess Diaries, Center Stage, What A Girl Wants, What Women Want, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Raising Helen, A Walk To Remember, The Bourne Identity, Orange Is The New Black, Glee, Orphan Black, Smash, 30 Rock, and Grey’s Anatomy. 

Shelly is also an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)  

Her memoir Confessions Of A Serial Songwriter which chronicles her journey from a young girl falling under the spell of magical songs to writing hits of her own, earned her a second GRAMMY-nomination for Best Spoken Word Album. 

Her experiences, accomplishments and the circles in which she has traveled give her a unique perspective on the music business: that of a professional woman who fought her way into a highly competitive industry, found a way to succeed, balanced a thriving career with a family and who has witnessed firsthand the changes that have turned the industry upside down. 

Along with her SONA colleagues, Shelly has found great purpose in advocating for creators’ rights while at the same time staying true to her first love:  the often elusive but always immensely satisfying act of writing a great song. You can follow her musings about the life of a professional songwriter in her popular Serial Songwriter blog.