The pop world is full of big name acts who honed their craft writing tunes for others. Here are five noteworthy examples. <strong>Bruno Mars</strong> <span>After a string of rejections from record labels, Bruno Mars decided to </span><span>wedge his </span><span>foot in the door by songwriting. Before he became a superstar, he composed for a variety of pop acts, including Adam Levine, Brandy and Flo Rida. He landed hits with BOB's </span><span><em>Nothin'</em></span><span><em> On You</em></span><span> and </span><span><em>Billionaire</em></span><span> by Travie McCoy, with both songs </span><span>flying high in the US charts.</span> <strong>Lady Gaga</strong> After being spotted by Akon and signed to a publishing deal, Lady Gaga worked on her big-selling 2008 debut album <em>The Fame</em> while writing songs for others. The same year also saw a string of Gaga compositions for acts including Britney Spears (<em>Quicksand</em>), New Kids on the Block (<em>Full Service</em>) and even Michael Bolton (love song <em>Murder My Heart</em>). <strong>Ne-Yo</strong> Marques Houston's 2003 recording of unreleased Ne-Yo track <em>That Girl</em> not only landed him his first hit, but also established Ne-Yo as a talented tunesmith. He went on to develop a rather lucrative career in his own right, but in addition to his solo hits, Ne-Yo also found chart success with compositions for Beyonce (<em>Irreplaceable</em>), Rihanna (<em>Hate That I Love You</em>) and Lindsay Lohan's surprise club smash <em>Bossy</em>. <strong>Jessie J</strong> Jessie J's songwriting skills introduced her to the industry when 2009 track <em>Party in the USA </em>for Miley Cyrus landing at the top of the US charts. She followed it up that same year with Chris Brown's <em>I Need This</em>, and even after her solo career kicked off in 2011, she kept writing for various acts including Japan's Koda Kumi (<em>VIP</em>) and DJ Cassidy's UK hit <em>Calling All Hearts</em>. <strong>Kesha</strong> While shopping for a solo record deal, Kesha maintained her profile in the industry by scribing trademark anthems for other acts. These included the Britney Spears hit <em>Till the World Ends</em>, non-album track <em>Pink Champagne </em>by Ariana Grande and <em>This Love</em> by the Australian pop-rock twins The Veronicas.<span id="cke_bm_1373S" style="display:none"> </span><span id="cke_bm_1376S" style="display:none"> </span><span id="cke_bm_1379S" style="display:none"> </span> ________________________ <strong>Read more:</strong> <strong><a href="https://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/music/ziggy-marley-on-the-inspiration-for-his-new-album-i-am-frustrated-with-humanity-at-the-moment-1.750601">Ziggy Marley on the inspiration for his new album: 'I am frustrated with humanity at the moment'</a></strong> ________________________
