Christopher John Baran (born February 13, 1990) is an American record producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He is known for his work with artists including Melanie Martinez, Carly Rae Jepsen, Panic! At The Disco, and Nessa Barrett, among many others. He is a founding member of theatre company Woolf and the Wondershow and co-writer, creator, and producer of their Los Angeles future theater musical CAGES.
CJ Baran | |
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| Birth name | Christopher John Baran |
| Born | February 13, 1990 Melville, New York, U.S. |
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| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Pulse Music Group, MXM Music, VAMP |
Early life
editBaran is originally from Melville, New York, where he took an early interest in music, learning several instruments and beginning his first band at 11, Kaution.[1] Whilst attending St. Anthony's High School.
Career
editBaran joined Steve Scarola, Nick DeTurris and Derek Ries to form Push Play. Baran was lead vocalist, keyboard player, and rhythm guitarist for the Long Island-based band.[1][2] They recorded their debut album in Baran's basement, before receiving a record deal from Wind-Up Records and Sony Music. Following a tour with the band, Baran realized he preferred to make music rather than tour and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in production. Baran went on to sign with Pulse Recording for his writing and production work in 2011. In 2013, Baran met producer Max Martin, who brought Baran on to his recording company, MXM. Baran was co-signed with both Pulse and MXM from 2015 to 2023.[3]
Baran initially received critical acclaim for his work on Carly Rae Jepsen's E-MO-TION album, which Billboard ranked as the #2 best pop album of the year, under 25 by Adele.[4] He wrote and produced Panic! at the Disco's "Victorious", which climbed to number one on Apple Music and No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 in fall 2015. The song is part of the Grammy-nominated album, Death of a Bachelor, which became the number one album on the Billboard 200 in January 2016. Baran co-wrote and produced Melanie Martinez's "Pity Party", which was certified 2x platinum by the RIAA in 2021. The song was the lead single from Martinez's album Cry Baby, which peaked at number six on the Billboard 200. He has provided music for the TV series Empire, most notably his song "Do it" featuring Becky G.[5]
In 2015, Baran and composer Benjamin Romans set out to combine forces and create a genre bending multimedia musical as Woolf and the Wondershow. They began performing their future theater show CAGES in a converted warehouse in The Arts District of Downtown Los Angeles. Baran and Romans co-wrote the music and lyrics as well as co-directed.[6] For the LA run, Baran performed live on stage as main character Woolf, while Romans performed the live score. The show was a first of its kind, blending ghost holograms interacting with live actors using projection mapping.[7] The show was successful, enjoying a 6th month run of sold-out performances, before being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CAGES returned in late 2021, with the release of an official soundtrack recording and film. The show enjoyed an additional run of London performances in 2022.[8] CAGES has been noted as an innovative experience that blends Broadway, pop music and film, and was called 'groundbreaking' by the Los Angeles Times.[9] As described by Forbes, CAGES "is breathtaking...one part Les Mis, another part Kanye West, a dash of Broadway here, and a sprinkle of cinema there - all mixed together in an entirely new kind of immersive blender complete with earth-shattering sound."[10]
Most recently, Baran executive produced Melanie Martinez's third album, PORTALS, which was released in 2023 and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200.[11] [12] His work on PORTALS positioned him at number one on the weekly Billboard Alternative Producers Chart.[13] Additionally in 2023, Baran founded his own production and publishing company, VAMP, focused on world-building and creating niches in the alternative genre. The name is a multi-acronym for "very alternative music publishing" and "very alternative music production."[14][15]
Selected discography
edit| Year | Artist | Song | Album | Writer | Producer | Engineer |
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| 2024 | Nessa Barrett | "AFTERCARE" | AFTERCARE [a] | 
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| "PORNSTAR" | ||||||
| "HEARTBEAT" | ||||||
| "DISCO (feat. Tommy Genesis)" | ||||||
| "RUSSIAN ROULETTE" | ||||||
| "BABYDOLL" | ||||||
| "GIVEN ENOUGH" | ||||||
| "EDWARD SCISSORHANDS" | ||||||
| "GLITTER AND VIOLENCE" | ||||||
| "PINS AND NEEDLES" | ||||||
| "STAY ALIVE" | ||||||
| "DIRTY LITTLE SECRET" | ||||||
| COIN | "Growing Song" | I'm Not Afraid of Music Anymore |
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| Zinadelphia | "Knock The Wind" | The Magazine |
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| Mars Argo | "Lick It Like A Kitten" | I Can Only Be Me EP |
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| Baby Storme | "Rest In Pieces" | N/A |
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| Noga Erez | "AYAYAY" | THE VANDALIST |
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| "Come Back Home" |
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| Caity Baser | "I'm A Problem" | Still Learning |
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| bludnymph | "The Things I Do For Love" | N/A |
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| 2023 | Melanie Martinez | "DEATH" | PORTALS [a] |
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| "VOID" |
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| "TUNNEL VISION" |
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| "FAERIE SOIRÉE" |
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| "LIGHT SHOWER" |
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| "SPIDER WEB" |
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| "LEECHES" |
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| "BATTLE OF THE LARYNX" |
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| "THE CONTORTIONIST" |
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| "MOON CYCLE" | ||||||
| "NYMPHOLOGY" | ||||||
| "EVIL" | ||||||
| "WOMB" |
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| "POWDER" | PORTALS (Deluxe) |
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| "PLUTO" | ||||||
| Baby Storme | "Sunglasses At Night" | Forever Halloween |
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| "This City is a Graveyard" | N/A |
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| Mars Argo | "I Can Only Be Me" | I Can Only Be Me EP |
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| 2022 | Woolf and the Wondershow | CAGES (Official Cast Recording) [a] |
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| ONE OK ROCK | "When They Turn the Lights On" | Luxury Disease |
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| Chicago | "You've Got To Believe" | Born For This Moment |
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| "If This Is Goodbye" | ||||||
| Mars Argo | "Angry" | I Can Only Be Me EP |
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| Au/Ra | "plz don't waste my youth" | N/A |
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| 2021 | Au/Ra | "Bite Marks" | N/A |
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| Darren Criss | "let's" | Masquerade |
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| "walk of shame" |
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| "f*kn around" |
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| "for a night like this" |
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| "i can't dance" |
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| 2020 | Aly & AJ | "Attack of Panic" | We Don't Stop |
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| "Joan of Arc on the Dance Floor" |
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| Carly Rae Jepsen | "It's Not Christmas Til Somebody Cries" | N/A |
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| "Let's Be Friends" | Dedicated Side B (Japan Edition) |
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| "Always On My Mind" | ||||||
| COIN | "Cemetery" | Cemetery |
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| 2019 | K.Flay | "Only The Dark" | Solutions | |||
| Carly Rae Jepsen | "Everything He Needs" | Dedicated |
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| Kailee Morgue, Hayley Kiyoko | "Headcase" | N/A |
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| ONE OK ROCK | "Grow Old Die Young" | Eye of the Storm |
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| 2018 | Kailee Morgue | "Medusa" | Medusa |
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| "Discovery" | ||||||
| 2017 | COIN | "Talk Too Much" | How Will You Know If You Never Try |
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| Betty Who | "Mama Say" | The Valley |
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| Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness | "So Close" | Zombies on Broadway |
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| ONE OK ROCK | "One Way Ticket" | Ambitions |
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| 2016 | Carly Rae Jepsen | "Store" | EMOTION SIDE B |
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| Nelly, Simple Plan | "I Don't Wanna Go to Bed" | Taking One for the Team |
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| 2015 | Panic! at the Disco | "Victorious" | Death of a Bachelor |
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| Pentatonix | "Cracked" | Pentatonix (album) |
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| Melanie Martinez | "Pity Party" | Cry Baby |
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| "Cake" |
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| Hilary Duff | "Rebel Hearts" | Breathe In. Breathe Out. |
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| MIKA | "Promiseland" | No Place In Heaven |
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| Bea Miller | "Dracula" | Not An Apology |
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| Carly Rae Jepsen | "Emotion" | E•MO•TION |
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| "Let's Get Lost" |
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| "Love Again" | E•MO•TION (Deluxe Expanded Edition) |
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| 2014 | The Vamps | "Lovestruck" | Meet The Vamps |
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| The Cab | "These Are The Lies" | Lock Me Up |
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| 2011 | Pixie Lott | "Everybody Hurts Sometimes" | Young Foolish Happy |
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| "Till The Sun Comes Out" |
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Notes
- ^[a] signifies an executive producer credit
References
edit- ^ a b La Gorce, Tammy (March 30, 2008). "Making Music, and Their Own Rules". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 20, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ Howes, Lewis (July 14, 2014). "What a Musical Genius Can Teach You About Creativity and Chasing Your Dreams with CJ Baran". lewishowes.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ "CJ Baran". Pulse Recordings. Archived from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
- ^ "Critic Lists for Carly Rae Jepsen - E•MO•TION". Album of The Year. August 7, 2024.
- ^ "CJ Baran". cjbaran.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "Woolf & The Wondershow". August 27, 2019. Archived from the original on August 27, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "'CAGES'". PLSN Magazine. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "CAGES | A fantastical tale of love in a loveless world". August 8, 2022. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "Is it theater? Is it film? 'Cages' doesn't care. Just don't call it a 'musical'". Los Angeles Times. February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Live Experiential Entertainment Awaits & Will Astound - Once We Are Ready (In a Post Coronavirus World)". Forbes. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
- ^ PORTALS - Melanie Martinez | Album Credits | AllMusic, retrieved August 8, 2024
- ^ Cabison, Rosalie (January 2, 2013). "Billboard 200™". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ Cusson, Michael (May 26, 2022). "Alternative Producers". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "VAMP (very alternative music publishing)". VAMP. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "VAMP introductory post on Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved August 8, 2024.