The same would have been true at any time in the past decade. If you are reading this in an airport, a mall, a doctor’s office, or a hotel lobby, you are likely listening to one of their songs right now. If you flip on the radio, odds are that you will hear one of their songs. 16, “The Night Is Still Young” (Minaj), is Dr. 7, “Can’t Feel My Face” (The Weeknd), is Martin again No. 5, “Worth It” (Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink), was written by Stargate No. 3, “Hey Mama” (David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj), is an Ester Dean production No. 1 position on the Billboard pop chart is occupied by a Max Martin creation, “Bad Blood” (performed by Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar). As I write this, at the height of summer, the No. Most Americans will recognize their songs, however. He is responsible for more hits than Phil Spector, Michael Jackson, or the Beatles.Īfter Sandberg come the bald Norwegians, Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen, 43 and 44 Lukasz Gottwald, 42, a Sandberg protégé and collaborator who spent a decade languishing in Saturday Night Live’s house band and another Sandberg collaborator named Esther Dean, 33, a former nurse’s aide from Oklahoma who was discovered in the audience of a Gap Band concert, singing along to “Oops Upside Your Head.” They use pseudonyms professionally, but most Americans wouldn’t recognize those, either: Max Martin, Stargate, Dr.

Sandberg is the George Lucas, the LeBron James, the Serena Williams of American pop. The lead singer of an obscure ’80s glam-metal band, Sandberg grew up in a remote suburb of Stockholm and is now 44. The biggest pop star in America today is a man named Karl Martin Sandberg.

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