• Benny Blanco and Selena Gomez just released a joint album, "I Said I Love You First."
• Blanco has produced and written songs for stars like Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, and Britney Spears.
• He also worked with Gomez on "Same Old Love," years before they started dating.

If Chappell Roan is your favorite artist's favorite artist, Benny Blanco is their favorite producer.

Take it from Grammy-nominated artist Halsey, who told iHeart Radio in 2017, "He's incredible. He's a genius and he's responsible for a lot of everyone's favorite pop songs whether they know it or not."

Blanco, whose real name is Benjamin Levin, has been a force in the music industry for nearly two decades as a producer, songwriter, and artist in his own right, creating songs for stars like Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, and even his fiancée, Selena Gomez.

Throughout his career, Blanco has earned 11 Grammy nominations for categories like album of the year, song of the year, and producer of the year, non-classical. He's also won five BMI Songwriter of the Year awards, was iHeart Radio's producer of the year in 2017, and earned the Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

"My job is to be a therapist, that's my job more than even a musician," Blanco told Daniel Wall's "Behind The Wall" podcast in 2024, adding that "being a producer sometimes is like being a spotter at the gym."

Now we can finally hear his latest project, a joint album with Gomez called "I Said I Love You First," which was released on March 21.

Here's a look back at some of the most iconic songs in his discography.

"Circus" — Britney Spears (2008)

Early in Blanco's career, he was mentored by producer Dr. Luke (full name Lukasz Gottwald) who signed him to his production company, Kasz Money Productions.

In a July 2018 episode of "The Zach Sang Show," Blanco said he learned how to produce pop music from producers like Gottwald and Max Martin.

"From those guys, I learned so much about how to write songs and how to craft the perfect pop hook," he said.

One of Blanco's early projects with Dr. Luke was Britney Spears' 2008 hit "Circus," which they wrote with fellow producer and songwriter Claude Kelly. Blanco was only 20 years old at the time of its release.

"Circus" reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

"Tik Tok" — Kesha (2009)

Also in 2008, Blanco and Dr. Luke worked together to write and record Kesha's "Tik Tok."

Kesha told Vulture in 2024 that she was encouraged to make the lyrics of the song "dumber."

"After I wrote them, I was like, 'This is too dumb, right? It doesn't make sense to brush your teeth with a bottle of Jack Daniel's.' But I remember Benny Blanco was like, 'No, it's sick. Just don't overthink it.' That's what we ended up with," she said.

The song was certified 12x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has more than one billion streams on Spotify.

In 2014, Kesha sued Dr. Luke, alleging he had drugged and raped her, and psychologically abused her during their working relationship. They settled the suit, and his subsequent countersuit for defamation, in 2023. Gottwald denied the accusations and was never charged with a crime.

"Teenage Dream" — Katy Perry (2010)

Blanco told the "Behind the Wall" podcast that it took eight days to write the lyrics to "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry.

"There's a version that says like, 'Before you know it, you're just a mom in a minivan' and it was all about like coming of age," he said, adding, "We just changed it like a million times."

Perry, Blanco, Bonnie McKee, Dr. Luke, and Max Martin were all songwriters on the project, while Blanco, Dr. Luke, and Martin produced it.

The rewrites paid off, as "Teenage Dream" was certified Diamond by the RIAA and was Perry's second-consecutive No. 1 single after "California Gurls," which Blanco also helped produce.

"Diamonds" — Rihanna (2012)

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Rihanna singing "Diamonds," but that's exactly what Blanco, Sia, and Stargate (a Norwegian songwriting and production duo) had in mind when they wrote and produced their demo in the early 2010s.

Blanco told "The Howard Stern Show" in 2024 that they originally wanted to give the song to Kanye West or Eminem. "But then, once Rihanna sang it, I was like 'Oh my God, this is something,'" he said.

But getting the song finished came down to a mad rush; Blanco told The Source in October 2012, "We had one day to finish it. We didn't even have her vocals yet. We had to finish all the music around it without even having her vocals, and I was like 'There's no way this is happening.' Then, we get the song the next day, we had to mix the song the same day and master it and then it was out like a few days later."

"Diamonds" was released in September 2012 as the lead single on Rihanna's seventh studio album, "Unapologetic," and went on to become her 12th No. 1 single — tying Madonna and the Supremes — and was certified Diamond by the RIAA.

"Payphone" — Maroon 5 feat. Wiz Khalifa (2012)

After achieving massive mainstream success with "Moves Like Jagger," Blanco teamed up with Maroon 5 again in 2012 for the song "Payphone," featuring Wiz Khalifa.

In 2012, Blanco told Rolling Stone, "I love when things don't make sense," adding, "I like when bands dip into a whole different genre."

In 2013, Maroon 5 front man Adam Levine told The New York Times, "It's almost as if [Blanco] has the Midas touch in putting the right people together at the right time to create a musical moment. He's about the collaboration. And he's so good at nailing down who does everything best."

"Payphone" was a commercial success and was nominated for the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance in 2013, but ultimately lost to Gotye and Kimbra for "Somebody That I Used to Know."

"Happier" — Ed Sheeran (2017)

Blanco was a key collaborator on Sheeran's third studio album, "Divide" (2017), which included hits like "Shape of You," "Castle on the Hill," and "Happier."

After starting the song with Ryan Tedder, Blanco and Sheeran continued to write and produce "Happier" on a cruise ship — Blanco has a fear of flying — from New York to London.

Filmmaker Murray Cummings documented the process in the 2018 documentary "Songwriter," capturing Sheeran and Blanco recording vocals and brainstorming lyrics in a studio on the ship.

"Love Yourself" — Justin Bieber (2015)

Speaking of Ed Sheeran, he and Blanco also wrote "Love Yourself" while working on "Divide."

Blanco told "The Howard Stern Show" they wrote the song on a tour bus from Canada to the US, and that it was inspired by Sheeran's lack of wanting to discuss his personal life in a song.

However, Blanco famously changed the original lyrics of the song from "F— Yourself" to "Love Yourself."

"I don't like to curse unless it's really important to curse in the song," he said, adding, "I wanna leave a little bit up to the audience, 'cause you know you're saying go f— yourself, you don't have to say it."

Ultimately, the pair gave the song to Justin Bieber, who was finishing his album "Purpose."

"Same Old Love" — Selena Gomez (2015)

Long before Gomez and Blanco started dating, the pair worked together on the 2015 hit "Same Old Love."

The song was largely written by fellow pop star Charli XCX and Ross Golan, though producers Blanco and Stargate contributed to the lyrics, too.

Charli XCX told Grazia in 2016 that she actually wished she'd kept the song for herself, "But then, I kind of realised it was actually the perfect home for that song because coming from [Gomez], it meant kind of a lot more than coming from me."

"Now or Never" — Halsey (2017)

In 2017, Halsey spoke with iHeart Radio about creating "Now or Never," the lead single from her album, "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom."

"Benny Blanco and I did 'Now or Never' together and he is one of my favorite people in the whole world," she said, adding, "When he and I were working together, he had a lot of faith in me and he knew that he could pull a really really incredible song out of me, and he was so respectful of me."

The song went on to be certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA and Halsey was included in Blanco's debut single, "Eastside," with Khalid in 2018.

"Issues" — Julia Michaels (2017)

In 2017, Julia Michaels told Billboard's "How It Went Down" series that she wrote "Issues" with Justin Tranter, Blanco, and Stargate in about an hour after getting into a fight with her boyfriend.

"I just thought, well I've got issues and he's got 'em, too, and it's really crazy that nobody's written a song like this because everybody goes through something like this," she said, adding, "Once we figured out that that was the concept, words just kind of flew out of me 'cause I was so in it."

"It was the first time in my life that I kept a song for myself," Michaels added.

Similar to Blanco, Michaels has had a prolific career as a songwriter in addition to her work as a solo artist; some of her writing credits include Justin Bieber's "Sorry," Hailee Steinfeld's "Love Myself," and Fifth Harmony's "Miss Movin' On." More recently, she contributed to songs on Sabrina Carpenter's album, "Short n' Sweet."

Blanco and Stargate produced the song, which was nominated for song of the year at the Grammys in 2018.

• Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco first met when she was a Disney star. They began dating in 2023.
• Gomez announced their engagement the following year.
• The couple recently released a collaborative album titled "I Said I Love You First."

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco originally toyed with teaming up when she was a teen starlet on Disney Channel. After over a decade of friendship, the two musicians got engaged.

The news came one year after Gomez and Blanco went public as a couple. Here's a detailed timeline of their relationship.

According to Gomez, she first met Blanco when she was 'around 16, 17'

During the couple's first joint interview with Mel Ottenberg for Interview magazine, Gomez recalled her first encounter with Blanco as a teenager.

"It's actually very difficult to figure out," she said. "I was around 16, 17."

"Her mom set up a meeting between the two of us," Blanco added. "This is right when I became big and she wasn't a singer yet."

Blanco made a name for himself in 2008 by co-producing hits like Britney Spears' "Circus" and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl." At the time, Gomez was signed to Disney's Hollywood Records as a result of her starring role on "Wizards of Waverly Place." She released three albums with the label under the name Selena Gomez & the Scene before breaking out as a solo artist with 2013's "Stars Dance."

"When she started putting out music, I was so into it," Blanco told Ottenberg. "I feel like she was the original sad girl."

"Everyone was like [beatboxes], and she was like, 'I just want to look good for you,'" he added, singing a lyric from Gomez's single "Good For You," released in 2015. "I was drawn to it."

When Ottenberg asked if the two remained "pals" in the years after they met, Blanco replied, "Mm-hmm." Gomez added, "The first time I remember meeting him, he was very endearing but goofy."

October 9, 2015: Gomez releases 'Revival,' which includes two collaborations with Blanco

By the time Gomez released her second solo album in 2015, Blanco had built a reputation as a sought-after pop producer, helping to create mega-hits like Kesha's 2009 breakthrough "Tik Tok" and Katy Perry's beloved "Teenage Dream" in 2010.

Blanco earned production credits on two songs from Gomez's second solo album "Revival," the Charli XCX-written "Same Old Love" and "Kill Em With Kindness," which were both released as singles.

Gomez and Blanco are also credited as cowriters on "Kill Em With Kindness," which she has described as "lyrically my favorite song" from "Revival."

At the time of the album's release, Gomez was still heavily associated with her on-and-off boyfriend Justin Bieber, though she was actively trying to change that narrative.

February 28, 2019: Blanco releases 'I Can't Get Enough' featuring Gomez, Tainy, and J Balvin

Blanco began making his own music in 2018. The following year, he released "I Can't Get Enough" as a stand-alone single.

The song features Gomez, who sings the lead vocal in English, and J Balvin, who sings his verse in Spanish. It was coproduced by Tainy. All four artists appear together in the music video.

Blanco promoted the song on Instagram, sharing several photos of himself cuddling with Gomez on set.

"Benny has a cool way of bringing people together, even in the weirdest ways," Gomez said in behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot.

October 26, 2020: Blanco seems to throw shade at Gomez while promoting a new song with her ex-boyfriend

Blanco started working with Bieber in 2009 and told Variety the two musicians were like "brothers." The pair worked together on hits like "Eenie Meenie," "Love Yourself," and "Cold Water."

In a 2020 interview with Zach Sang, Blanco discussed his close friendship with Bieber after he cowrote and coproduced "Lonely," the second single from Bieber's sixth album, "Justice."

"Justin's not one of those cookie-cutter pop artists," Blanco said. "Like you know, they're like, 'This is my new single and here's my makeup line.' And he's like, Justin's like, 'Yo. I have a pimple and I have anxiety today.' He's always been upfront about that stuff."

Gomez had unveiled her own makeup line, Rare Beauty, earlier that year. Fans were quick to interpret the comment as a thinly veiled insult.

At the time, representatives for Blanco did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment, nor did he publicly address the backlash.

August 25, 2023: Gomez releases 'Single Soon,' coproduced by Blanco

Gomez and Blanco teamed up again for "Single Soon," released as a standalone song.

In the music video, Gomez pays homage to Carrie Bradshaw and celebrates a boyfriend-free lifestyle.

Earlier that summer, Gomez posted a TikTok confirming her single status for a group of soccer players. "I'm single! I'm just a little high maintenance," the singer said in the video.

Sometime in 2023, the pair begin dating

During their chat with Interview magazine, Gomez said she realized she had feelings for Blanco when they were back in the studio together.

"We just talked; that's how easy it was for me," Gomez told Ottenberg. "I liked him before he liked me."

Blanco said he had "no idea" how Gomez felt, even when they went on their first date.

"We were in the session and I was like, 'You should meet some of my friends. I can hook you up with some dates,'" he recalled. "I hadn't thought about it at all. And then we were texting afterwards and we decided to get dinner the next day."

"I guess she thought it was a date and I had no idea it was a date," Blanco continued. "The second time we hung out, our second date, I was like, 'Wait, does she like me?' I was clueless. From then on, it was easy. You know when you think you met the right person, you're like, 'Oh my god.' But it feels so different. The second we started hanging out, I was like, 'This is my wife.' I was telling my mom, 'This is the girl I'm going to marry.'"

December 2023: Gomez and Blanco become Instagram official

In late 2023, fans began to speculate that Gomez and Blanco were dating.

Gomez confirmed her romance with Blanco in her Instagram story on December 7, 2023. She shared a photo of the couple cuddling and a photo of herself wearing the letter "B" on her left ring finger.

When fan accounts picked up the news, some reacted with disappointment or concern — mostly due to Blanco's perceived insult from 2020, as well as his enduring friendship with Bieber, whom Gomez accused of emotional abuse.

Gomez replied to several negative comments on Instagram, defending Blanco and describing him as "the best thing that's ever happened to me." Although it's unclear when their relationship turned romantic, Gomez implied they'd been dating for six months.

She also addressed a critic who alluded to Blanco's "cookie-cutter" comment, saying Blanco is "still better than anyone I've ever been with."

Throughout the month, Gomez continued to post photos with Blanco on Instagram. She shared another black-and-white shot of the couple cuddling on December 12, 2023, and a photo of him kissing her cheek on December 30, 2023.

Blanco even made it onto Gomez's Instagram grid that month; he appears twice in a slideshow she posted with the caption, "New York, my favorite moments w you this week."

January 3, 2024: The couple has their first public outing at a basketball game

Blanco and Gomez sat courtside at Crypto.com Arena to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Miami Heat.

That same day, Blanco shared two snaps of Gomez in his Instagram story.

"She seems to be really feeling herself at the moment," a source close to Gomez told People. "Maybe that's Benny or maybe that's just where she's at personally and professionally."

"Everyone is so happy that she's happy," the source added.

January 7, 2024: Gomez brings Blanco as her date to the Golden Globes

Gomez attended the 2024 Golden Globes as a nominee; she earned a nod for best performance by a female actor in a TV series, musical or comedy, for "Only Murders in the Building."

Although they didn't walk the red carpet together, Gomez and Blanco weren't shy about PDA inside the event.

Gomez shared several photos with Blanco from the event on Instagram.

March 8, 2024: Gomez shares birthday Instagram tribute for Blanco

Gomez posted in her Instagram feed celebrating Blanco's 36th birthday, sharing a roundup of pictures with the caption: "Happy birthday baby! Your emotional endurance, positive disposition, unbelievable talent (that blows me away), undeniable humor and loving, kind heart absolutely kill me. I love you @itsbennyblanco."

May 24, 2024: Blanco says he didn't realize he was on a date with Gomez on their first date

Appearing on an episode of SiriusXM's "The Howard Stern Show," Blanco said he didn't realize his relationship with Gomez had turned romantic during their first date.

"She was like, 'Hey, you want to hang out,' and I was like, 'Yeah,' we go and we hang out," he said. "I remember sitting there, and she's like, 'Well, I would have worn something different for this date, and I was like, 'What? We're on a date?'"

Blanco said they continued hanging out and described Gomez as his "best friend."

In the interview, Blanco said he wanted to marry Gomez but hadn't planned anything yet. He also said his next goal was to have children.

July 22, 2024: Blanco shares tribute for Gomez's 32nd birthday

In the Instagram post, Blanco reshared the photo from the music video of his 2019 song "I Can't Get Enough" and shared a new photo of Gomez holding a white teddy bear.

"I used to play a teddy bear in ur music video and now i get to b urs in real life… happy bday bb ! i love u!" he captioned the post aluding to the music video for their collaboration back in 2019.

Gomez commented on the post: "I love you 🧸."

September 9, 2024: Gomez reacts to Blanco's comments about marriage and shares she can't have kids

During Gomez's Vanity Fair cover interview in September 2024, she was asked about Blanco's wishes to get married.

"He can't lie. After the interview, I was dying laughing. Like, 'Anything else you wanted to put out there?'" She said, adding later that neither she nor Blanco are in a rush to get married.

Later in the interview, Gomez said she plans to start a family by 35 but that she can't carry a child and would want to adopt.

"I haven't ever said this, but I unfortunately can't carry my own children," Gomez said. "I have a lot of medical issues that would put my life and the baby's in jeopardy. That was something I had to grieve for a while."

She added she's "in a much better place" about the situation."At the end of the day, I don't care. It'll be mine. It'll be my baby," she said.

November 20, 2024: Gomez says she shares so much about Blanco on social media because she sees a future with him

When asked about why she has been very public about her relationship with Blanco, Gomez told The Hollywood Reporter: "I guess this is the safest I've ever felt in one, and I see a future with this person. And when you put a little bit out there, people are not as hungry to hunt you down."

Gomez was asked about Blanco again during an interview with CBS Sunday on November 30, but this time about her thoughts on Blanco's inclusion in 2024's People's Sexiest Man Alive issue.

"That's my man," Gomez said.

December 11, 2024: Gomez and Blanco get engaged

Gomez announced that she and Blanco are engaged on Instagram on Wednesday evening. She marked the engagement with a slideshow of pictures showing the ring and captioned the post: "Forever begins now…"

Blanco commented: "hey wait… that's my wife."

Fellow stars congratulated Gomez on the post, including Gomez's close friend Taylor Swift, who wrote, "Yes I will be the flower girl."

When asked how Blanco proposed, Gomez told Ottenberg, "That I want to save for our kids. It was really sweet and the right things were said."

Blanco added, "It was the sickest surprise that she had no idea about."

February 14, 2025: Gomez and Blanco release 'Scared of Loving You,' the lead single from their collaborative album

Gomez and Blanco announced their new album, "I Said I Love You First," on February 13, 2025. In her Instagram caption, Gomez said she made the album with her "best friend."

The following day, they released the first single, "Scared of Loving You," a sparse guitar ballad cowritten by Gomez, Finneas O'Connell, and Benjamin Levin. It was coproduced by Blanco and O'Connell.

"I'm not scared of loving you / I'm just scared of losing you," Gomez sings in the chorus. "I'm not scared of anyone or dying young / Or if you're gonna find somebody new / 'Cause how could they love you / As much as I do?"

Referring to the album title, Blanco clarified to Interview magazine: "She said it."

"The thing that Selena does that not a lot of artists do is she's never afraid to tell the truth, even if it might not be the most popular thing," he added.

"Sometimes she's sad, sometimes she hasn't figured out love, but she always says it in the realest way that so many people can connect with. So many pop stars are unattainable, but somehow she's the largest person in the room and makes each person feel like she's exactly like them."

March 21, 2025: The couple release 'I Said I Love You First'

Gomez and Blanco are credited as joint performers on all 14 tracks on "I Said I Love You First." Gomez serves as the lead vocalist, while Blanco is credited as the album's lead producer.

The third single, "Sunset Blvd," was directly inspired by the couple's first date. Other tracks like "Cowboy" and "Bluest Flame" explore themes of lust and obsession.

"That's the most intimate I've ever been in a studio," Gomez told Rolling Stone. "We did everything from home, and we created it with people that we love."