Lover Boy BENNY BLANCO

One of the most influential producers and songwriters of our time—for artists from BTS to Rihanna (and Selena Gomez, to whom he’s blissfully engaged)—is also a down-to-earth dude who possesses hard-won wisdom and great cooking skills. By Ryan D’Agostino

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ELLE: You’ve worked with some incredible women. Which female artist has given you the most wisdom?

BENNY BLANCO: Most recently, it became Selena. When youre recording someone, it’s like a therapy session. You say, “Hey, how you doing?” They say, “Oh, I’m doing great.” And you say, “No, how you really doing?” They go, “No, I’m doing good!” And then you say, “How you really doing?” And then they’re like, “I hate this! I want to do this. I want to do that.” You get deep with someone, and you never know how it’s going to go. I learned from Selena that when you have patience and love for another person, it makes everything so much easier.

ELLE: Flip side: Who’s a female artist you haven’t worked with yet but would love to produce?

BB: Someone who has my attention lately, who I’m super blown-away by, is Doechii. I've been following her since the beginning, and it’s cool to see her getting so much light shining on her now.