Cathy Dennis - Songwriting Career

Songwriting Career

See also: List of songs written by Cathy Dennis

Dennis has achieved immense critical and commercial success as a songwriter, winning a number of awards and penning dozens of hit singles. She has also contributed backing vocals to many of these recordings. Her association with Simon Fuller has facilitated this, with Dennis providing songs for Fuller acts including the Spice Girls, S Club 7 and the Idol franchise contestants. This began in 1996, when she co-wrote "Bumper to Bumper", the B-side to the Spice Girls' first hit single "Wannabe". Seven Dennis compositions have reached Number One in Britain. "Never Had a Dream Come True" and "Have You Ever", written with Chris Braide (both recorded by S Club 7), "Anything Is Possible" also written with Chris Braide (recorded by Will Young), and "Toxic" (recorded by Britney Spears) all reached the Number One spot, with "Toxic" and "Never Had a Dream Come True" also hitting the Top 10 in the United States. Her highest-selling composition, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (recorded by Kylie Minogue), spent four weeks at number one in Britain, rekindled interest in Minogue in America (where it hit #7 on the Hot 100), and sold over three million copies worldwide to become the world's second highest selling single in 2001. Her sixth penned number one single was "About You Now", which hit number one on downloads alone in September 2007 for Sugababes, and her seventh is the co-written "I Kissed a Girl" for Katy Perry, which also hit number one in the US.

"Can't Get You Out of My Head" also won Dennis an Ivor Novello Award as 2001's most performed composition. She also won an Ivor two years later for "Anything Is Possible". In the US, Dennis received the Billboard Award for 'Female Artist of the Year' in 1991. Her highest musical accolade stateside is the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for "Come Into My World", recorded by Kylie Minogue, as well as another Grammy for the Britney Spears' song "Toxic" in the same category a year later.

Dennis co-wrote the Pop Idol theme (re-used for numerous international remakes of the show, including American Idol), and many Idol contestants have recorded her songs, including Will Young, Gareth Gates, Kelly Clarkson, and Clay Aiken. Clarkson's single "Before Your Love" (a double a-side with "A Moment Like This") was Dennis' first US number 1.

Other artists who have recorded Dennis songs include Dannii Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Christina Aguilera, Carrie Underwood, Jordin Sparks, Céline Dion, Ana Torroja, Emma Bunton, Melanie C, Ronan Keating, Rachel Stevens, Janet Jackson, Thalía, Hear’Say, S Club Juniors, Pink, Brooke Hogan, Michelle McManus, Hooverphonic, Jentina, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Róisín Murphy, David Cook, Heidi Montag and LeToya Luckett.

Cathy Dennis also worked on Christina Aguilera's 2010 Album Bionic, co-writing the songs "Birds of Prey", "Little Dreamer" & the unreleased "Kimono Girl". These songs were described by fans and reviewers alike to be Bionic's best songs.

Cathy Dennis has contributed backing vocals to many of the songs she has written, including several songs for Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears' "Toxic".

Cathy Dennis is currently working with Heidi Montag on her debut album, Cathy wrote 'Turn Ya Head' for Heidi which was released as promotional single and co-wrote "Look How I'm Doin'" for her debut album.