Naughty Boy

British producer and songwriter Naughty Boy used TV game show winnings to launch a career that has yielded hit collaborations with Sam Smith, Beyoncé, Emeli Sandé and others. • Naughty Boy was born Shahid Khan in Watford, northwest of London, to Pakistani immigrants. • While working as a pizza boy, he applied for a grant through the Princes Trust and entered to be a contestant on Deal or No Deal. He received a £5,000 grant and won £44,000 on the TV show—then used the money to build a recording studio and set up a record label. • Naughty Boy met Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé at a showcase in 2009 and struck up a writing partnership that would yield many hit records. The first of these was British rapper Chipmunk’s 2009 song “Diamond Rings”, featuring production from Naughty Boy and vocals from Sandé on the hook. The single went Top 10 in the UK. • In 2010, Naughty Boy scored his first solo Top 10 hit with “Never Be Your Woman”, featuring vocals from Sandé and British rapper Wiley. • Sandé worked closely with Naughty Boy on her 2012 debut, Our Version of Events. The LP reached No. 1 in the UK and became the biggest-selling album of 2012 (and the second-biggest-selling of 2013). • The deluxe version of Rihanna’s 2012 album Unapologetic features “Half of Me”, co-written by Naughty Boy and Sandé and co-produced by the former. • Naughty Boy’s 2013 debut album, Hotel Cabana, yielded the No. 1 UK hit “La La La”, featuring Sam Smith. Other guests on the star-studded LP include Wiz Khalifa, Ed Sheeran and of course, Emeli Sandé. • In 2015, Naughty Boy notched his second solo Top 5 hit with “Runnin’ (Lose It All)", featuring Beyoncé and British singer Arrow Benjamin. • In the years that followed, Naughty Boy released singles featuring superstars like Joe Jonas (2017’s “One Chance to Dance”), Wyclef Jean (2018’s “All or Nothing”) and Mike Posner (2019’s “Live Before I Die”). The run of songs built anticipation for Naughty Boy’s long-gestating sophomore album.