When you come across Amy Allen’s name, you would probably say you don’t know who she is. If you are told that she’s a songwriter, it’s natural that you’d think she’s one of those indie artists who are still up and coming, and you would say that you haven’t heard any of the songs she’s written.
But then, you’d be wrong because she’s been in the industry for more than a decade now, and you HAVE heard songs she has helped write before, like Sabrina Carpenter’s massive summer hit “Espresso,” and even the LSS-inducing “APT.” by Blackpink’s ROSÉ and Bruno Mars. To surprise you even further, she also helped the 68th Grammy Awards Best New Artist winner, Olivia Dean, with her massive hit “So Easy (To Fall In Love).”
As of writing, her songwriting credits span 223 songs for pop artists such as those mentioned earlier, Harry Styles, Tate McRae, Selena Gomez, Halsey, Olivia Rodrigo, Niall Horan, Shawn Mendes, and more. As of the recent Grammy Awards, her efforts have earned her two wins for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical—a category first introduced to the awards show in 2023.
But then comes the question, how come you’ve never heard of her before? You’d think that songwriters who have played integral roles in the production of a lot of pop hits would be well-known beyond their own circles. Unfortunately, a lot of songwriters who aren’t pop artists with their own brand and fanbases end up in the shadows of their creations. There is also a noticeably smaller number of women songwriters who are put in the spotlight. For instance, the songwriters who are inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an institution focused on honoring those who helped in the creation of popular music, are predominantly men.
Fortunately, there are a few award-giving bodies and organizations that have sprouted to recognize their efforts. Entrepreneur and Songwriter Dr. Janice McLean DeLoatch founded the Women Songwriters Hall of Fame after realizing that the policies surrounding songwriter awards served as a hindrance to many women in receiving the same recognition as male songwriters. Record label High Moon Records has been focused on reissuing songs of forgotten female artists and songwriters from previous decades, with the intention of introducing them to newer generations.
However, recognition isn’t the only problem songwriters face. They also face a lack of sufficient support for their work. In an article by Variety, songwriters were reported to take the lowest percentage of profit for every stream of a song they wrote on Spotify. Apparently, the $.004 generated per stream is divided among the recording side (56%), streaming site (30%), and publishing side (14%). As songwriters are part of the publishing side, they get 68% of the 14%, which they will also have to split if there are multiple songwriters who worked on the song or if they have managers.
Allen spoke about this herself during an interview with Music Week last November 2025.
“There are so many phenomenally talented songwriters out there that can’t really ever fully get both feet in the door because they are financially struggling. They could be doing six sessions a week, but they’re doing one a month because they have to be working multiple jobs,” she said.
“I feel like a lot of people think of it as a glamorous lifestyle. It can be lucrative when you get to a certain point, but for 99% of songwriters, it’s really hard,” she added.
Without question, there are many female songwriters like Amy Allen whose talents are essential in the music industry. Their skill in crafting songs has played an important role in the rise to stardom of many artists and musicians. However, the lack of support and recognition has possibly halted many of them from pursuing the career that they are incredibly good at.
It is a tragedy to think that there are a great number of women songwriters out there who could have received the same success as Allen if only they had the opportunity to sustain themselves while continuing their craft. There needs to be a shift in how songwriters are recognized and valued to help more talented women like her thrive within the industry and, eventually, have their songs reach the people who have been unknowingly needing them.
Sources:
- Amy Allen is a songwriter: https://artists.spotify.com/songwriter/1YH0NMJEWHxG6AoyYZivZX
- Grammy early winners include Lady Gaga, Kehlani, Gloria Estefan and Amy Allen (MSN): https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/grammy-early-winners-include-lady-gaga-kehlani-gloria-estefan-and-amy-allen/ar-AA1Vs3Bw
- Grammy winner Amy Allen on Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and new measures to support songwriters (MusicWeek): https://www.musicweek.com/talent/read/grammy-winner-amy-allen-on-sabrina-carpenter-ed-sheeran-and-new-measures-to-support-songwriters/092838
- This Record Label Is Bringing Forgotten Female Songwriters Out From Obscurity (MSN): https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/this-record-label-is-bringing-forgotten-female-songwriters-out-from-obscurity/ar-AA1GerKt?apiversion=v2&noservercache=1&domshim=1&renderwebcomponents=1&wcseo=1&batchservertelemetry=1&noservertelemetry=1
- Women Songwriters Hall of Fame: https://womensongwritershalloffame.org/about-1
- Spotify Paid Over $4.5 Billion to Music Publishers Over the Last Two Years, So Why Are Songwriters Struggling? (Variety): https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/spotify-paid-4-billion-music-songwriters-struggling-1236334752/
Bio:
Ever since she was nine, Abigail Adriatico has always known she’d be a writer. Decades later, her love for the craft has led to a degree in Communication from the University of Santo Tomas, and hundreds of written pieces kept in old notebooks, literary folios, news publications, and even geeky websites you’ve probably never heard of. With a bulky bag filled with sentimental trinkets and a mind buzzing with a plethora of random ideas, you’ll most likely find her in the corner of the room, writing her heart out on her notes app or on the first piece of paper she can grab—unless she finds you first. Then you’ll probably figure out why some people call her “a bee.”
