Stargate (production team)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stargate is a Norwegian record production and songwriting team, originally consisting of Tor Erik Hermansen, and Mikkel S. Eriksen (often credited as Mikkel SE) working today in the genres of pop, R&B and hip hop.

Stargate started their successful career as producers and studio owners based in Trondheim, Norway in 1997. The production team were particularly successful on the British market with more than 40 Top 10 hits in the UK. In 2005 Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen relocated to New York, and quickly established themselves as associates of the hottest Hip Hop/R&B acts on the US market.

Their breakthrough single in the United States was the Billboard Hot 100 #1 "So Sick" by Ne-Yo, which they produced and co-wrote with Ne-Yo. Stargate also worked with Ne-Yo by co-writing and producing Rihanna´s world wide hit "Unfaithful" as well as US #1 single "Irreplaceable" for Beyoncé, which is the third single of the album B'Day. "Irreplaceable" became the second biggest radio-record measured by audience in a single week, and catapulted the album sales from less than a million to over 2 million copies in the US alone. The single was #1 in 11 countries, and Top 10 in 30 countries. Aside from mainstream production, Stargate also produced for Papoose, a mixtape legend in elite, underground hip-hop circles. They also produced the Nas feat Kelis track "Not Going Back" from the rappers latest album "Hip Hop Is Dead". Stargate became the #1 Hot Producers on the Billboard Year End Chart 2006.

In 2007 "Beautiful Liar" with Beyoncé and Shakira became another huge hit for the production team. It is one of very few songs to debut at number one on both the Hot Digital Tracks and Hot Digital Songs charts.