Sostrin Client Spotlight - Stuart Crichton

Not everyone can say that they’ve worked on four Grammy-nominated projects over a thirty-three-year career as a songwriter, producer, and audio mixer—but Stuart Crichton isn’t just anyone.  His credits include songs and remixes for a range of chart-topping artists, including Tiësto, the “Godfather of EDM” (Electronic Dance Music); “Princess of Pop” Kylie Minogue; and the highest selling boyband in music history, the Backstreet Boys.

Mr. Crichton comes from a musical family in his native Scotland.  He began playing the cello when he was 7 years old, and spent his school years in various orchestras, before joining local pop bands.

“I put my first self-released record out in 1989,” he notes, after starting to create electronic music in 1987.  As an artist, Mr. Crichton released music under various names, including as a member of the electronic dance duo Narcotic Thrust, which won an International Dance Music Award for their song “I Like It.”

Mr. Crichton began writing and producing songs in the 1990s for multi-platinum selling artists such as the Pet Shop Boys and the Sugababes.

In 2015, Mr. Crichton and his family moved to the United States.  He explains, “We were living in Australia, and I decided that I had to have one big push to have some major success, so we decided to uproot ourselves and come to LA.”

Since his move, Mr. Crichton has achieved several major successes, writing and producing songs for some of the most recognizable names in pop music like Selena Gomez, Louis Tomlinson, Delta Goodrem, Stan Walker, Gin Wigmore, and DNCE.

Chief among his recent musical achievements, Mr. Crichton was involved in bringing back the Backstreet Boys, writing and producing songs on their 2019 album DNA, including the group’s lead hit single, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”  The song received a Grammy Award nomination, making it the band’s first nomination since 2002, while the album became the group’s first number one release since 2000.  For this feat, Mr. Crichton was featured in Rolling Stone and Billboard, two of the most influential music magazines in the United States.

Mr. Crichton also received Grammy Award nominations for his brilliant musicmaking with such acclaimed artists as Kygo, Toni Braxton, and Kesha.

Sostrin Immigration Lawyers has had the honor of assisting Mr. Crichton with an O-1 visa and, most recently, obtaining permanent residence.  We are proud to work with this exceptional songwriter and can’t wait to see where his work will take him next!