# RedOne
**RedOne** is the stage name of Nadir Khayat (born 1972), a Moroccan-Swedish songwriter and record producer whose work with [Lady Gaga](https://www.edgepedia.org/lady-gaga), Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Lopez, and other pop artists made him one of the most commercially successful producers of late-2000s pop.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) His credits include Gaga's "Just Dance", "Poker Face", and "Bad Romance", and Minaj's "Starships".[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and origin | Nadir Khayat, born 1972 in Tétouan, Morocco[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) |
| Move to Sweden | Immigrated in 1991 at age 19 to pursue a music career[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) |
| First major hit | "Step Up" for the singer Darin, which topped the Swedish singles chart in 2005[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) |
| FIFA work | "Bamboo" was named Official Melody of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and he was the tournament's lead music producer[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) • [3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) |
| Signature collaboration | Lady Gaga's debut album *The Fame* (2008), an international success that anchored his reputation[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) |
| Grammy | Won a Grammy Award in 2010 for his work with Lady Gaga[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) |
| Labels | Founded 2101 Records as a joint venture with Universal Music Group in 2010; later moved the label to Capitol and renamed it RedOne Records[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) |
## Early life and move to Sweden
Khayat grew up in Tétouan in northern Morocco in a family of nine children, many of whom played music; the siblings listened to different genres, from [Stevie Wonder](https://www.edgepedia.org/stevie-wonder) and [Led Zeppelin](https://www.edgepedia.org/led-zeppelin) to [Aretha Franklin](https://www.edgepedia.org/aretha-franklin) and African music, which he credits with shaping his taste.[4](https://www.svd.se/a/e985f7f4-8515-3af6-a395-e918514692e8/redone-stjarnornas-producent) He has said he was the ninth and youngest child in his family.[4](https://www.svd.se/a/e985f7f4-8515-3af6-a395-e918514692e8/redone-stjarnornas-producent)
In 1991, at 19, he moved to Stockholm to pursue music, citing Sweden's pop output, including ABBA, Europe, and Roxette, as his inspiration.[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) • [1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) He has said he began writing songs after hearing Europe's "The Final Countdown" at 16.[5](https://www.musicconnection.com/producer-crosstalk-redone/) In Sweden he worked odd jobs, including as a waiter and a vegetable seller, and fronted a local pub band called [Subculture](https://www.edgepedia.org/subculture) on weekends.[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) His stage name comes from his best friend Redouan.[4](https://www.svd.se/a/e985f7f4-8515-3af6-a395-e918514692e8/redone-stjarnornas-producent)
## Swedish career, 1991–2006
Around 1995 he shifted from performing to writing and producing for other artists, a transition helped by the Palestinian-Swedish producer Rami Yacoub, with whom he co-wrote songs for Swedish pop acts.[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) The pair wrote and produced hits for artists including A*Teens, Darin Zanyar, and Daniel Lindström.[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) His breakthrough came in 2005 when "Step Up", which he wrote for the singer Darin, reached number one on the Swedish singles chart.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462)
FIFA then commissioned him for the 2006 World Cup in Germany: his track "Bamboo" was named the tournament's Official Melody, and he served as the event's lead music producer.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) • [3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) A mash-up of "Bamboo" with Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" was performed at the final in Berlin.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/)
## The American years and Lady Gaga
Yacoub moved to the United States to work with [Max Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-martin), and RedOne followed the same path, relocating with his wife.[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) For nearly a year no American label would sign him; he has described borrowing $3,000 from his sister-in-law to stay in the country until his break came two months later.[2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078) After moving to New York he produced [Kat DeLuna](https://www.edgepedia.org/kat-deluna)'s album, including the single "Whine Up".[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/)
The turning point was his collaboration with Lady Gaga. His work on her 2008 debut, *The Fame*, including "Just Dance" and "Poker Face", helped make the album an international success and earned him considerable standing with [Universal Music Group](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-music-group).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462) He won a Grammy Award in 2010 for this work, along with four additional awards connected to *The Fame*.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) In 2009 [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson) brought him in to collaborate on material for the *This Is It* project.[6](https://medias24.com/2017/04/24/redone-portrait-dun-hit-maker-devenu-vrp-du-tourisme-marocain)
Through this period his collaborators expanded to include Akon, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull, Marc Anthony, Nicole Scherzinger, Sugababes, Backstreet Boys, and Cheb Khaled, whose career he helped revive.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) • [6](https://medias24.com/2017/04/24/redone-portrait-dun-hit-maker-devenu-vrp-du-tourisme-marocain) A trade directory entry credits him with more than 70 international hit singles, including 35 number-one singles.[7](https://starlightpr1.com/pdf/Starlight.pdf)
## Labels and later work
In 2010 he founded 2101 Records as a joint venture with Universal Music Group, signing the Swedish-Congolese singer Mohombi as its first artist, and became co-owner of RedOneKonvict with Akon.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) Through 2014 the label supported acts such as Havana Brown and [Jennifer Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lopez); he then moved the label to Capitol and renamed it RedOne Records.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462)
As a recording artist signed to Warner, he released the single "Don't You Need Somebody" in 2016, featuring Shaggy, Enrique Iglesias, Serayah, and R. City; it became a Top Ten pop hit in Sweden.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462)
His Moroccan and Arab connections run through his catalog. He partnered with the Swedish-Lebanese singer [Maher Zain](https://www.edgepedia.org/maher-zain), whose religious pop album "Ya Nabi Salam Alayka" was voted best religious song of 2009 in a Cairo radio competition.[8](https://www.seanfoley.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/maher_zains_hip_but_pious_soundtrack_0.pdf) His work also spans dance, electronic, soundtrack, and Moroccan pop projects.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/) In 2017, Moroccan business press described him as using his international profile to promote Moroccan tourism, including a digital campaign with music by [Saad Lamjarred](https://www.edgepedia.org/saad-lamjarred).[6](https://medias24.com/2017/04/24/redone-portrait-dun-hit-maker-devenu-vrp-du-tourisme-marocain)
## Style and reach
Trade coverage describes his sound as fusing house, pop, R&B, and urban elements.[9](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/BMI-Magazine/00s/BMI-Music-World-2008-09-Winter.pdf) His trajectory, from a one-bedroom apartment with a blow-up mattress to an eight-room Los Angeles studio within a decade, is the arc he himself recounts in interviews about the Swedish pop factory years, where he says he learned to write quickly and discard what did not work.[5](https://www.musicconnection.com/producer-crosstalk-redone/) • [2](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078)
## References
1. [RedOne Biography, AllMusic (David Jeffries)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/redone-mn0001513462)
2. [Exclusive: RedOne is launching a huge, new regional concert in the Middle East, The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/music/exclusive-redone-is-launching-a-huge-new-regional-concert-in-the-middle-east-1.833078)
3. [Redone Biography, Generation Dance](https://generation.dance/en/artists/redone/)
4. [RedOne – stjärnornas producent, Svenska Dagbladet](https://www.svd.se/a/e985f7f4-8515-3af6-a395-e918514692e8/redone-stjarnornas-producent)
5. [Producer Crosstalk: RedOne, Music Connection Magazine (Rob Putnam, 2016)](https://www.musicconnection.com/producer-crosstalk-redone/)
6. [RedOne : Portrait d'un hit-maker devenu VRP du tourisme marocain, Médias24](https://medias24.com/2017/04/24/redone-portrait-dun-hit-maker-devenu-vrp-du-tourisme-marocain)
7. [Starlight PR Second Quarter 2026 directory (RedOne Productions entry)](https://starlightpr1.com/pdf/Starlight.pdf)
8. [Maher Zain's Hip, But Pious, Soundtrack (Sean Foley)](https://www.seanfoley.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/maher_zains_hip_but_pious_soundtrack_0.pdf)
9. [BMI Music World, Winter 2008–09](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/BMI-Magazine/00s/BMI-Music-World-2008-09-Winter.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music institutions and events › Record labels and the music industry › Music industry › Music industry executives and personnel › Record label founders and owners*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license