Freddy Wexler
Freddy Wexler is an American songwriter, film and television producer, talent manager, and author based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for co-writing Billy Joel's "Turn the Lights Back On", and the Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande song "Stuck with U", as well as his work with artists such as Selena Gomez, BlackPink, Post Malone, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, and Celine Dion. He has been nominated for a Grammy and Golden Globe award. He was born and raised in New York City, and began writing songs at age 13.
Early life, personal life and education
Freddy Wexler grew up in New York City, where he learned to play piano by watching his mother play for cancer patients at Sloan Kettering hospital. His parents introduced him to the work of musicians such as Chet Baker, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, the Beatles, Paul Simon, and Billy Joel. He began writing songs at age 13. Wexler studied English at the University of Pennsylvania.Wexler is married to Olivia Wexler a music executive.
Career
Music
During an internship at Sony Music, Wexler enrolled in a music industry class at New York University. During this period, he encountered a young performer named Stefani Germonatta in his NYU class. After hearing her perform, Wexler recorded her demo tape in his parents' apartment building laundry room. He made an impromptu appearance at a meeting of Sony executives in the Sony Building on Madison Avenue to advocate for her signing, calling Stefani "the next Madonna". Sony sent representatives to watch her perform at The Bitter End, but they ultimately did not sign her. Germonatta went on to become Lady Gaga.In 2006, Wexler signed a record deal with Virgin Records. Some of Wexler's early music was featured on the television series Dancing with the Stars and The Bachelorette.
Wexler performed at several venues in summer 2008, including Warped Tour in Dallas, opening for Good Charlotte at the House of Blues, and headlining the July 4th celebration at Toyota Stadium, then Pizza Hut Park. He also shared stages with Maroon 5 and Gym Class Heroes.
His music gained exposure through Dallas radio DJ Kidd Kraddick's morning show, which aired in more than 70 cities. After being featured on Kraddick's "Music that Makes You Cooler" segment, Wexler completed a five-day tour from Philadelphia to Dallas. After being loaned a truck and piano by Kraddick, and having his tour documented by a volunteer film director, Wexler concluded his Dallas show by requesting help from Kraddick and the morning show to record his album. Over 50,000 listeners voted in an online poll, with 94% supporting Kraddick helping Wexler record an album.
Wexler returned to the University of Pennsylvania to finish his senior year of college. There, he met pianist Eric Wortham. After signing a management agreement with Wortham, Wexler facilitated Wortham's eventual position as Adele's pianist, a role he continued to maintain as of 2024. Wexler signed Rachel Platten as a management client in 2009 and arranged for her to work with Swedish producers who had worked with 'NSYNC and Cyndi Lauper, leading to her first Billboard-charting hit "1,000 Ships".
After moving to Los Angeles, Wexler founded a music management company called The Brain Music in 2012. He also created The Brain House, an "experimental songwriting collective" in the Hollywood Hills, where he invited a group of writers, musicians, and artists to live and work together. The arrangement allowed members to stay in exchange for publishing rights to songs created in the house. The Brain became a successful venture, producing work for prominent artists including Jill Scott, Demi Lovato, Shakira, and Selena Gomez. Eventually, Wexler earned writing credits on several notable songs, including "Slow Down" by Selena Gomez, "Be Kind" by Halsey and Marshmello, "Wolves" by Kanye West, "Novacane" by Lil Wayne, "Fire N Gold" by Bea Miller, and "Perfect Goodbye" by Celine Dion.
In 2017, Wexler began releasing his own music under the pseudonym Jackson Penn, without major promotion or label backing. His Penn releases included the songs "My Girl" and "Streetlights on Mars", with the latter reaching number 16 on Spotify's global chart. Wexler described Penn as an idealized version of himself that helped him reconnect with his own artistic voice after years of writing for others.
Wexler cowrote the single "Stuck with U" by Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande, which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and raised over $5.5 million for charity. Proceeds from the song benefitted families of COVID-19 first responders.
In 2020, he signed an administration agreement with Sony Music Publishing.
As of 2025, Wexler has collaborated with artists including BlackPink, Post Malone, Pink, Laufey, Diana Ross, Zayn Malik, Steve Aoki, and Wyclef Jean. He co-wrote the Golden Globe-nominated Robbie William song “Forbidden Road” for the soundtrack of Williams’ film, Better Man. He was also commissioned to write original music for Emily in Paris season two by series creator Darren Star, including "Mon Soleil" and "Beautiful Ruins". His record label, the Freddy Wexler Company, released the show's soundtrack.
Collaboration with Billy Joel
Wexler played a role in Billy Joel's return to recording after a 17-year hiatus. He began collaborating with Joel through an introduction arranged by his wife Olivia via a mutual connection with a doctor. Wexler met Joel at Dockside Restaurant in Long Island, New York. Their initial meeting extended from a planned 10 minutes to two hours, during which they discussed songwriting approaches and unfinished works. Wexler's Penn songs played a role in his connection with Billy Joel, who praised them as sounding like Lennon-McCartney compositions during their first meeting. Following this meeting, Joel shared some of his unfinished songs with Wexler.Wexler moved his family to Long Island for a time to work more closely with Joel. Their collaboration led to the creation of "Turn the Lights Back On", which Wexler co-wrote with Arthur Bacon and Wayne Hector. The song was recorded at Boathouse Studios in Water Mill, New York, and released on February 1, 2024. It debuted at number 1 on both classic hits and classic rock radio charts, reached number 2 on iTunes, and entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 62. The song received praise from NPR, which called it “one of Joel’s most affecting”. Wexler conceived and co-directed the song's music video. The video used AI tools in order to show versions of Joel spanning several decades. Joel also hired Wexler's company to manage the song's release.
Television, film, and theater
As of 2022, Wexler co-produced and co-directed “Unfinished Business”, an NFL feature film about Keith Adams and the Riverside Cubs, an all-deaf high school football championship team, and was producing a related feature film for MGM's Orion Pictures after acquiring the exclusive life rights to the Adams family story.In 2021, Variety reported that Wexler was the producer on the Westbrook Studios film "Soul Superhero". The next year, The Hollywood Reporter reported that he was the producer and co-writer for a film from Walt Disney Pictures called "Grace".
Wexler created Nickelodeon’s first ever original series made for YouTube, Kid Cowboy. Wexler also served as one of the principal composers alongside co-executive producer Emilio Estefan. The animated series incorporates Spanish dialogue and was designed to encourage interactive problem-solving among its viewers. The show was originally released in January 2025.
Wexler co-produced the 2025 Broadway adaptation of the musical The Last Five Years.
Wexler was an executive producer on Sebastian Maniscalco's 2025 Hulu comedy special "It Ain't Right".
Awards and recognition
- 64th Annual Grammy Awards Nominee – Album of the Year – Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) by Justin Bieber – 2022
- Music Business Worldwide – "World’s Greatest Songwriters" – 2020.
- Family Entertainment Impact Report List – Variety – 2020
- Webby Award - Turn the Lights Back On music video - Director - 2024
- 82nd Annual Golden Globe Awards Nominee - Best Original Song - "Forbidden Road" 2024.
- Clio Silver Award – Turn the Lights Back On – 2025