Who Wrote ‘Shallow’?

If you turned on the radio within the past two months, you’ve probably heard Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga singing their Oscar-award winning song, “Shallow.” Yes, it’s an iconic ballad from A Star Is Born, but how did the song come to fruition? Who wrote the lyrics? Learn about the writers and musicians behind Billboard’s No. 1 hit, “Shallow.”

‘Shallow’ was featured in ‘A Star is Born’

Contrary to popular belief, “Shallow” wasn’t exclusively written by Lady Gaga. The actress, activist, and musician wrote the hit alongside a songwriting team, consisting of Andrew Wyatt, Anthony Rossomando, and Mark Ronson.

Mark Ronson played a large role in composing some of A Star is Born’s soundtrack. As a prominent writer in the music industry and a friend of Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, wrote alongside the actress in the past.

In addition to being in Lady Gaga’s documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two, Ronson collaborated with artists like Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lily Allen, Miley Cyrus, and Bruno Mars. He also has the Grammy Award, “Record of the Year,” for his work on Bruno Mars’ album, Uptown Funk.

The song climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100

After being well received by fans, the song earned a slew of awards. In 2019, it won the Academy Award for “Best Original Song,” giving credit to Lady Gaga and the rest of the songwriting team.

“We love making music. We love making art. I love being an actress and the truth is, when this Oscar was handed to me tonight, I looked right in the eyes of it and I saw a lot of pain,” Lady Gaga said in her Post-Oscar win interview. “I saw all the things that I’ve been through and I also felt the camaraderie and the truth of the pain of the men standing next to me.”

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Mark Ronson revealed that the song was initially written for Lady Gaga’s character, Ally. It wasn’t until the writer saw the film that he realized Bradley Cooper’s modifications — the final version of the song became a duet between the two lead characters.

“It felt like someone hugging my soul,” Mark Ronson said, describing the atmosphere when they wrote “Shallow.” The song also won the 2019 Grammy Award for “Best Song Written for Visual Media” and the 2019 Golden Globe Award for “Best Original Song.”

Lady Gaga had an important role in writing the music for ‘A Star is Born’

Bradley Cooper had a role in directing and in writing the music for A Star Is Born. Lady Gaga, who is credited for co-writing “Shallow,” is also listed as one of the soundtrack’s primary composers, alongside Diane Warren, Lukas Nelson, and Jason Isbell.

There is no word whether Lady Gaga will act in or write music for future movies. However, the artist tweeted that her sixth Lady Gaga album is already in the works.