Vincent Berry II


Vincent Berry is an American songwriter and producer, best known for writing "Sandcastles" from Beyoncé's 2016 album Lemonade, as well as various songs for Mary J. Blige and Tamar Braxton, among others.
Berry, a Morehouse College student who dropped out in his senior year to pursue songwriting, was homeless at the time he penned what was initially titled "We Built Sandcastles That Washed Away", a song about the end of a decade-long relationship. After several re-writes with the help of additional co-writers Midian Mathers, Malik Yusef, and Beyoncé Knowles, as well as a "tear-filled" pitching session with Parkwood Entertainment A&R executive Teresa LaBarbera Whites, the song was placed onto Knowles' Grammy-winning album with a "more hopeful" ending than was originally created. Berry avoided signing a traditional co-publishing deal for the song, and consequently shares ownership. He has since co-written "Blind", a Tamar Braxton single from her 2017 album Bluebird of Happiness that reached the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay charts.

Songwriting, guitar and production credits

Credits are courtesy of Discogs, Tidal, Spotify, and AllMusic.
TitleYearArtistAlbum
"Kill The Dragon"2014Kierra SheardGraceland
"Our Love"2015Nico & VinzCornerstone
"Sandcastles"2016BeyoncéLemonade
"Blind"2017Tamar BraxtonBluebird of Happiness
"How I Feel"2017Tamar BraxtonBluebird of Happiness
"Empty Boxes"2017Tamar BraxtonBluebird of Happiness
"Find the Love"2017Mary J. BligeStrength of a Woman
"Body" 2017Sean PaulMad Love the Prequel
"Don't Let Go" 2017Bone ThugsNew Waves
"Simple Song" 2017Empire Cast
"All to Myself"2019Baby RoseTo Myself
"Lolita"2019Take 3Star: Original Soundtrack From Season 3
"Mehr Als Mich"2020GentlemanBlaue Stunde
"No Restrictions"2024Jordin SparksNo Restrictions

Awards and nominations