Songwriter · Musician · Producer
Multi-GRAMMY-nominated, multi-Ivor Novello-winning and 17-time BMI Award-winning songwriter — writer of some of the world’s biggest songs, and a member of the band, Snow Patrol.
Biography
It was an honest schooling.
On busking in London
Johnny McDaid is one of the most accomplished songwriters of the modern era — a two-time Grammy-nominated, twice Ivor Novello- and multi-BMI Award-winning writer, producer and musician whose songs have helped define the streaming age. Born in Derry, Northern Ireland, he is a member of Snow Patrol and a writing partner to many of the world’s biggest artists.
He moved to London in his late teens and learned the craft busking — playing covers to passing crowds and slipping in songs of his own to gauge an unvarnished reaction. He went on to front Vega4 for a decade; when the band split, he became the first writer signed to Snow Patrol’s Polar Patrol Publishing, in 2009, and joined the band itself two years later — as writer, producer, guitarist, pianist and programmer.
His partnership with Ed Sheeran runs through four of the defining albums of the streaming era — seven songs on ×, eight on ÷, ten on =, and 2025’s Play — among them “Photograph”, “Shape of You”, “Shivers”, “Bad Habits”, “Azizam” and “Sapphire”. “Shape of You” held the UK No.1 for fourteen weeks and the Billboard Hot 100 for twelve; “Bad Habits” spent eleven weeks at UK No.1, the longest-running UK No.1 of 2021.
The catalogue reaches far beyond any one partnership. His songs have been recorded by P!nk, BTS, Alicia Keys, Robbie Williams, David Guetta, Kelly Clarkson, Keith Urban, Shawn Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Backstreet Boys and Weezer, among many others — alongside film songwriting with Gary Lightbody for Gifted and Modern Love. In 2026 alone: KATSEYE’s “Animal”, written with Sheeran, Blake Slatkin and Omer Fedi; “These Alarms”, Snow Patrol’s duet with Kylie Minogue; and Backstreet Boys’ “Bottle Up” for PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. In January 2025, Concord Music Publishing acquired a share of his catalogue in a worldwide agreement that also covers his future work.
Career Highlights
Writer behind the most streamed song in history and the biggest digital album of all time.
“Shape of You” was the first song in Spotify’s history to pass two billion streams — it has now passed five. ÷ stands as the most streamed album of all time on Spotify, as of 2024.
Ed Sheeran · P!nk · BTS · Snow Patrol · Alicia Keys · Kylie Minogue · Backstreet Boys · Robbie Williams · David Guetta · Anne-Marie · Keith Urban · Shawn Mendes · Kelly Clarkson · Sam Smith · Weezer · Biffy Clyro · Kodaline · Maisie Peters · Tim McGraw & Faith Hill · Westlife
Landmark Works
Ed Sheeran · Co-writer
Fourteen weeks at UK No.1 and twelve atop the Billboard Hot 100 — the US year-end No.1 of 2017, and the first song ever to reach two billion Spotify streams.
Ed Sheeran · Co-writer & producer
One of the most-streamed ballads in Spotify history — a modern standard still building, more than a decade after release.
Ed Sheeran · Co-writer & producer
Eleven weeks at UK No.1 — the longest-running UK No.1 of 2021 — with a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year and the 2022 Ivor Novello for Most Performed Work.
Ed Sheeran · Co-writer & producer
Four weeks at UK No.1 — taking over the top spot from “Bad Habits” — and twice Ivor-nominated for Most Performed Work.
P!nk · Co-writer & producer
A socially conscious arena anthem — UK No.3, eight weeks in the Top 10, and a Grammy-nominated recording.
BTS · Co-writer
Debuted at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — BTS’s fifth US No.1 — at the centre of K-pop’s global expansion.
Ed Sheeran · Co-writer & producer
UK No.2 and Irish No.1 — Irish musical identity carried into global pop, and one of the biggest Irish-themed hits of the modern era.
David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi Leray · Co-writer
A global dance-pop hit built around Haddaway’s “What Is Love” — the catalogue’s reach into electronic music.
Ed Sheeran · Co-writer
A deeply personal ballad with exceptional long-tail performance — the emotional range of the catalogue, beyond the chart singles.
Selected Credits
Select songs from the catalogue — the full sweep is in the playlist below.
| Song | Artist | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animal | KATSEYE | 2026 | Co-writer |
| These Alarms | Snow Patrol & Kylie Minogue | 2026 | Writer (Snow Patrol) |
| Bottle Up | Backstreet Boys | 2026 | Co-writer |
| Azizam | Ed Sheeran | 2025 | Co-writer |
| Sapphire | Ed Sheeran | 2025 | Co-writer |
| Under the Tree | Ed Sheeran | 2024 | Co-writer & producer |
| Baby Don’t Hurt Me | David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi Leray | 2023 | Co-writer |
| TRUSTFALL | P!nk | 2023 | Co-writer |
| Who We Love | Sam Smith feat. Ed Sheeran | 2023 | Co-writer |
| Celestial | Ed Sheeran | 2022 | Co-writer |
| Bad Habits | Ed Sheeran | 2021 | Co-writer & producer |
| Shivers | Ed Sheeran | 2021 | Co-writer & producer |
| Permission to Dance | BTS | 2021 | Co-writer |
| The Joker and the Queen | Ed Sheeran feat. Taylor Swift | 2021 | Co-writer & producer |
| Visiting Hours | Ed Sheeran | 2021 | Co-writer & producer |
| Underdog | Alicia Keys | 2020 | Co-writer |
| Authors of Forever | Alicia Keys | 2020 | Co-writer |
| Broken & Beautiful | Kelly Clarkson | 2019 | Co-writer |
| Parallel Line | Keith Urban | 2018 | Co-writer & producer |
| Fallin’ All in You | Shawn Mendes | 2018 | Co-writer |
| Shape of You | Ed Sheeran | 2017 | Co-writer |
| Galway Girl | Ed Sheeran | 2017 | Co-writer & producer |
| Supermarket Flowers | Ed Sheeran | 2017 | Co-writer |
| What About Us | P!nk | 2017 | Co-writer & producer |
| The Rest of Our Life | Tim McGraw & Faith Hill | 2017 | Co-writer |
| A Different Way | DJ Snake feat. Lauv | 2017 | Co-writer |
| The Fire | Rag’n’Bone Man | 2017 | Co-writer & producer |
| Love My Life | Robbie Williams | 2016 | Co-writer |
| Howl | Biffy Clyro | 2016 | Co-writer |
| Wild Horses | Birdy | 2016 | Co-writer |
| Photograph | Ed Sheeran | 2014 | Co-writer & producer |
| Tenerife Sea | Ed Sheeran | 2014 | Co-writer |
| Bloodstream | Ed Sheeran | 2014 | Co-writer & producer |
| All of the Stars | Ed Sheeran | 2014 | Co-writer |
| Say Nothing | Example | 2012 | Co-writer |
In Their Words
Johnny is a true artist. His songwriting, whether with his band or for other artists, is both personal and universal.
Jim Selby — Chief Publishing Officer, Concord
“I just say these terrible things and he turns them into pure poetry.”
P!nk
“My musical therapist.”
Robbie Williams
“The song whisperer.”
Foy Vance
Listen
The essentials from a 174-song catalogue, in Spotify’s official songwriter playlist.
These songs that I am honoured to have been a part of creating are some of the most important things in the world to me.
Johnny McDaid
Press Notes