Amy Rose Allen (born January 31, 1992) is an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. She is credited with songwriting for artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Tate McRae, Halsey, Rosé, and Shawn Mendes, among others.
Allen was nominated for the inaugural Songwriter of the Year award at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for her work on releases by King Princess, Alexander 23, Lizzo, Charli XCX, Carpenter, and Styles. At the same ceremony, she won Album of the Year for her contribution to the latter's Harry's House (2022). She received the award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards for her work on releases by Leon Bridges, Carpenter, Koe Wetzel, Jessie Murph, McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, and Justin Timberlake. Allen won the award for a second time at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
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Early life and education
Amy Rose Allen was born on January 31, 1992 in Maine, U.S. She grew up in Windham, Maine, northwest of Portland, with her two sisters. While in elementary school she played bass in her sister's band Jerks of Grass. As a teenager she played folk and bluegrass music at bars and pubs. She graduated from Waynflete School in 2010. Allen then attended Boston College and later graduated from Berklee College of Music, where she was taught by singer and producer Kara DioGuardi.
Personal life
Allen is in a relationship with actor Tom Rhys Harries
Career
In 2015, Allen was featured in Teen Vogue after releasing two solo EPs. She began her career by working on a number of solo projects and formed Amy & The Engine, a four-piece indie pop rock group, before moving to New York City for a year. The band released their first single "Last Forever" on February 14, 2015. TandeMania, their debut EP, was released on September 22, 2016.
Amy & The Engine announced their EP Get Me Outta Here! in 2017 and an East Coast tour in the summer of 2017 and a U.S. tour in 2018. Allen described the sound of Get Me Outta Here! as being "a bit darker and heavier than the first". Amy & The Engine released the EP's lead single "Chasing Jenny" in January 2017. Going to Los Angeles in November 2017, she began collaborating with Scott Harris and eventually signed to Artist Publishing Group. Allen subsequently began writing and producing music with other singers, including Glades and JELLO.
In 2018, Allen co-wrote "Back to You" with Selena Gomez and "Without Me" with Halsey which reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100. In 2019, Allen signed to Warner Records and it was expected that her debut solo album would be released in 2020. Also in 2019, she collaborated with Harry Styles on his single "Adore You", and collaborated with Halsey again on the single "Graveyard". Allen also collaborated with alternative rock band Pvris on their 2019 EP, Hallucinations. She was named as one of Variety's "2019 Hitmakers" for the single "Without Me".
In January 2020, Allen was featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music. She has been announced as a panelist for the 2020 ASCAP Experience. On January 22, 2020, it was announced that Allen would be performing at the annual St. Jude Songwriters Showcase to benefit the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, along with Gretchen Peters. On March 9, 2020, the ASCAP Experience event was cancelled due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Variety named Allen a "2020 Hitmaker" for co-writing Harry Styles' "Adore You".
After signing a recording deal with Warner Records, Allen released five singles over the next two years: "Queen of Silver Linings", "Difficult", "Heaven", "What a Time to Be Alive", and "One". Her debut solo EP, AWW!, was released on November 5, 2021 with singles "A Woman's World" and "End of a Dark Age" having been released in the preceding two months. In 2024, Allen released new singles "Girl with a Problem," "Darkside," "Even Forever," and "To Love Me" from her debut album, Amy Allen, released September 6, 2024. In advance of her album release, she opened for Bleachers on their 2024 European tour.
Style and influences
Allen has cited bands like The Cranberries and The Cure as being influences for Amy & The Engine. In a 2020 interview with Variety, she said that she prefers to write darker, more serious songs and she felt the single "Adore You" was her first "feel-good song". Joseph Coscarelli with the New York Times wrote that Allen's influences are the "'90s" girls - Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, and Melissa Etheridge in addition to the Cocteau Twins and Edie Brickell.