Phil Tan is a 3 time Grammy Award winning and 14 time Grammy nominated Malaysian-American audio engineer and mixer. [1] [2] [3]
Tan was born in Malaysia. He attended Full Sail University in Florida in the U.S., where he attained a degree in Recording Arts in 1990. Afterwards he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he embarked on a career as a recording engineer. [4]
Tan's first big break came in 1992, working with Jermaine Dupri. [4]
As a mixing engineer, he worked on three Grammy Award winning albums: Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Best Contemporary R&B Album, 2005), Ludacris' "Release Therapy" (Best Rap Album, 2006) and Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" (Best Dance Recording, 2010). Tan was inducted into the Full Sail University Hall of Fame in 2009. [5] [6]
As of 2009, sales of albums and singles sold in the US with Tan listed in the credits as a mixer, engineer, remixer or producer totaled over 220 million. [7]
Modern Mixing has called him "one of the most successful mixing engineers of all time", noting he worked on "26 singles that have reached number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart". [8]
Mariah Carey is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records, she is known for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register. She was ranked as the fifth greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2023.
The 38th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 28, 1996, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. The awards recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Alanis Morissette was the main recipient, being awarded four trophies, including Album of the Year. Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men opened the show with their Record of the Year nominated "One Sweet Day".
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, and record executive. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. He discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross in 1991. Dupri wrote and produced their 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label, So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released through Island Records, Def Jam Recordings and The Island Def Jam Music Group in the United States on April 12, 2005. The album was considered Carey's "comeback album" by critics and became her highest-selling release in the US in a decade. In composing the album, Carey collaborated with many songwriters and producers throughout 2004, including Jermaine Dupri, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Twista, Nelly, Pharrell Williams, and James "Big Jim" Wright, many of whom appeared as featured guests on select tracks.
"It's Like That" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Fatman Scoop, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey and Dupri, the song borrows the hook "It's Like That Y'all" from the Run–D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go (Live)". Several other tracks were contenders for the album's lead single. However, plans were changed when Island Def Jam Music head L.A. Reid suggested to Carey she record a few more strong songs to ensure the album's success, thus "It's Like That" was written and chosen as the album's lead single, being released on January 25, 2005.
"We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song was released on March 15, 2005, through Island Records, as the second single from the album. "We Belong Together" was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin and produced by the former three. Since the song interpolates lyrics from Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" (1981) and the Deele's "Two Occasions" (1987), the songwriters of those respective songs are credited. "We Belong Together" is built on a simple piano arrangement with an understated backbeat. The lyrics chronicle a woman's desperation for her former lover to return.
"Say Somethin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Snoop Dogg, Chad Hugo, and Pharrell Williams, and produced by The Neptunes as the sixth and final single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song is one of few from Carey's catalog in which she does not share production credits. "Say Somethin'" features Dogg as a guest artist, and is influenced by R&B and hip-hop music genres. Lyrically, the song is a dialogue in between and male and female, that discuss sexual themes and acts of which they plan to engage in a restroom.
"Shake It Off" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey for her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was written and produced by Carey along with Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Johntá Austin. The song was serviced to radio on July 11, 2005, by Island and Mercury Records as the album's third single in the United States, while "Get Your Number" served as the album's third single elsewhere. Described by Dupri as "ghetto," the track is a R&B song that makes use of pop and hip hop influences and a simple, sparse production. Lyrically, the song follows Carey as she moves on from her relationship with an unfaithful lover, packing her things and breaking up with him over an answering machine.
Bryan-Michael Paul Cox is an American record producer and songwriter, known for his work with artists such as Usher, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, and Toni Braxton. His most notable productions are "Be Without You" for Mary J. Blige, "Burn", "Confessions Part II" and "U Got It Bad" for Usher, and "Shake It Off", "I Stay In Love" and "You Don't Know What To Do" for Mariah Carey.
"Fly Like a Bird" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on March 13, 2006, by Island Records as a single from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Written and produced by Carey and James "Big Jim" Wright, the song is influenced by Gospel, soul, and R&B music genres. Its arrangement is built on piano chords and guitar melodies, and features Carey's pastor Clarence Keaton, who recites two Biblical verses during the song's introduction and bridge. Carey described "Fly Like a Bird" as the most personal and religious track from The Emancipation of Mimi, with its lyrics featuring a veritable prayer to God: "Fly like a bird, take to the sky, I need you now Lord, carry me high!".
The 48th Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 8, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning from October 1, 2004, through September 30, 2005. Irish rock band U2 were the main recipients with five awards including Album of the Year. Mariah Carey, John Legend, and Kanye West were each nominated for eight awards and won three; Alison Krauss & Union Station also won three awards; and Kelly Clarkson won two. Green Day were amongst the big winners, winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
"Mine Again" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, from her tenth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was co-written and co-produced by Carey and James Poyser. It was recorded at MSR Studios and Honeywest Studios, both located New York City. It is a R&B and soul inspired ballad. The lyrics revolve around the protagonist wishing for a second chance at a seemingly failed relationship. The song garnered positive reviews from music critics, praising Carey and Poyser's production and her vocal performance. Upon the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, "Mine Again" debuted on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 82, and reached a peak of number 73. In 2006, it was nominated for the Best Traditional R&B Performance at the Grammy Awards.
"Runaway Love" is the third single released from Ludacris' fifth album, Release Therapy (2006). The song, which features Mary J. Blige on the vocals, was produced by Polow da Don and reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart only behind Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... Comes Around". The song was the first single from Release Therapy in the United Kingdom and was released as a double A-side with "Girls Gone Wild" included. The song was performed at the 2007 Grammy Awards show by Ludacris, Mary J. Blige and Earth, Wind & Fire. A remix of the song is available by T-Pain featuring Cassie.
"War with God" is a song on the album Release Therapy by rapper Ludacris. Released in July 2006, the song saw Ludacris return to music after some time off to concentrate on his acting career.
"Slap" is the fourth single from Ludacris' fifth album Release Therapy (2006).
E=MC² is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on April 15, 2008 in the United States, by Island Records, Def Jam Recordings and The Island Def Jam Music Group. The singer began recording the album in 2007 in Anguilla, after writing and composing most of its material during and after her 2006 Adventures of Mimi Tour. Carey worked with various songwriters and producers on the project, including Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Scott Storch and Danja.
Nathan "Mick" Guzauski is an American multi-platinum mixing engineer and sound engineer. He has nine Grammy Awards and eleven nominations.
Gimel Androus Keaton, professionally better known by his pseudonym Young Guru, is an American audio engineer, record producer, disc jockey, and record executive from Wilmington, Delaware. In 2019, Young Guru won a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album for recording the album Everything Is Love by The Carters. He has worked with many leading recording artists, most notably Jay-Z and Kanye West, and an April 2015 The Wall Street Journal profile called him "the most famous and successful engineer in the history of hip-hop".
Paul Boutin is a French-born American music mixer, audio engineer and a long-time collaborator with producer/songwriter/artist Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.
He may look almost unbecomingly young, but 37-year old Phil Tan is one of the most experienced and successful mixers in the American music scene.
Although – almost inexplicably – his name rings no bells with Malaysians in the music industry, the La Salle Klang-schooled Tan has two little gold-plated gramophones (the Grammy Awards, duh!) for his mixing duties on Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi (Best Contemporary R&B Album, 2006) and Ludacris' Release Therapy (Best Rap Album, 2007).
As one of the most successful mixing engineers of all time, Phil Tan has mixed and/or recorded 26 singles that have reached number one on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The amount of sales for albums and singles, Phil is credited on, have totaled in excess 250 million.