Jan 20, 2026 7:00am PT Class on Hitmaker Max Martins Work to Be Introduced at New York Universitys Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music By Jem Aswad Plus Icon Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music jemaswad Latest Green Day to Kick Off Super Bowl LX Opening Ceremony Music Industry Moves: Joy Oladokun Signs With Concord Bad Bunny Delivers Defiant Multi-Cultural Message in New Super Bowl Trailer: The World Will Dance See All Chelsea LaurenVarietyShutterstock The Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at NYUs Tisch School of the Arts has announced a new course launching this spring: Max Martin: The Musical Architecture of the Number Ones. This class will examine the musicianship, theoretical foundations, and structural design behind the work of Martin, who is the single most successful hitmaker of the last 30 years: He has co-written and produced 28 Billboard Hot 100 No.
1 hits, performed by Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, the Weeknd, the Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Coldplay, Ariana Grande and many more. Related Stories LISTEN: Paramount Skydance Takes the Fight for Warner Bros.
Discovery to Court; WWE Takes a Victory Lap With Netflix Enola Holmes 3 First Look Drops as Netflix Touts 2026 Film Slate: Heartstopper Finale, 'Peaky Blinders,' Tyler Perry and More He has won five Grammy Awards amid 25 nominations, but that is just one reflection of the ubiquity of the Swedish-born musicians hits since the mid-1990s. The course will provide some much-needed perspective on his craft, as Martin (real name: Karl Martin Sandberg) rarely gives interviews.
Popular on Variety The course will be taught by Associate Arts Professor Jeff Peretz, who is Music Director and Area Head of Musicianship and Songwriting at the Clive Davis Institute. According to the announcement, over 14 weeks, students will explore the harmonic language, melodic design, rhythmic vocabulary, lyrical construction, production principles, and signature devices that define Max Martins chart-topping catalog.
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