Harvey Mason Jr.

Harvey Mason Jr. is an American record producer, songwriter, music executive, and film-music producer whose work spans pop, R&B, hip-hop, musical cinema, and television. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he is the son of acclaimed jazz drummer Harvey Mason Sr. Mason Jr. studied at the University of Arizona and began building a professional career as a songwriter and producer in the 1990s.

His credits include recordings by artists such as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Toni Braxton, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, Chris Brown, Mary J. Blige, and Michael Jackson. He was among the writers and producers associated with several major R&B and pop releases, including Toni Braxton’s “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” a Grammy-winning recording. Mason has also worked extensively with television talent competition formats, helping develop, arrange, and produce performances for programs including American Idol and The X Factor.

Mason became especially prominent in Hollywood through his work as a music producer on major studio films. He served as music producer for Dreamgirls, the 2006 film adaptation of the Broadway musical starring Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx, and Anika Noni Rose. The soundtrack’s success included Jennifer Hudson’s version of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” while the film received multiple Academy Award nominations and Hudson won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

His film credits also include Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2, Pitch Perfect 3, Sing, Sing 2, Straight Outta Compton, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Respect, and The United States vs. Billie Holiday. On these projects, Mason’s responsibilities have included producing vocal recordings, supervising musical performances, and shaping soundtrack material. He was a producer of the music for Respect, the 2021 Aretha Franklin biographical film starring Jennifer Hudson.

In January 2020, Mason was named interim president and chief executive officer of the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards. In May 2021, the Academy announced that he had been appointed permanently as its chief executive officer. In that role, he has overseen the organization during a period of structural and voting-process reforms, while also serving as a public representative for the Grammys and its membership of music professionals.

Mason’s career is distinctive for combining hit-record production with large-scale screen-music work and music-industry leadership. His credits connect commercial recording artists, award-show performance culture, and film musicals, making him one of the relatively few contemporary executives with substantial experience on both the creative and institutional sides of the music business.