Claudia Brant Named 2023 Herb Alpert Visiting Artist for Berklee’s Songwriting Department

Grammy- and Latin Grammy–winning songwriter and producer Claudia Brant has been named the 2023 Herb Alpert Visiting Artist for Berklee's Songwriting Department. During the spring semester, Brant will teach the course Latin Songwriting, which focuses on song formation and structure, lyrical concepts, melodic structure and development, and effective lyric translations from English to Spanish.

“The Songwriting Department at Berklee is honored to have Claudia Brant as a Herb Alpert Visiting Artist,” said Rodney Alejandro, department chair. “Her creative talent and passion for songs shine in her work through every lyric and melody. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to gain incredible knowledge in the craft of songwriting from a venerable artist.”

The Buenos Aires–born Brant’s music career began at the age of 6, when she was gifted a guitar by her parents. At 12, she began writing songs, and by 22 she was signed to Warner Music, which released her debut album, Claudia Brant, in 1992 and her sophomore album, Tu Marca En El Alma, in 1995. Three years later, she moved to California to continue developing her career as a songwriter and producer.

Over the past two decades, she has been recognized by her peers and the music industry with nine Latin Grammy and Grammy Award nominations as a songwriter, artist, and producer. In 2016, she was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame and was also named Latina Songwriter of the Year by ASCAP in 2015 and in 2012, respectively. After years of writing songs for other artists, Brant earned her first Grammy in 2019 for her own record, Sincera, which won for Best Latin Pop Album. In 2008, Billboard named her hit song “No Me Doy por Vencido,” cowritten with Luis Fonsi, as the song of the decade.

“I am delighted to work with such a wide array of students from all over Latin America,” says Brant. “We have already started writing, picking titles, and analyzing other writers' work. Thank you, Berklee, for such a wonderful and unique opportunity. Let’s do this!”

The prolific songwriter and producer releases close to 40 songs per year in various genres and languages, with her music spanning from pop, salsa, and bolero to rock and alternative. Her songs have been interpreted in a half-dozen languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Korean, and recorded by Christina Aguilera, John Legend, Camila Cabello, Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez, Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, Michael Bublé, and many others.

A passionate advocate for inclusivity and representation in the music industry, Brant is one of the founding members of the nonprofit organization She Is the Music Latin, whose mission is to uplift women in all corners of the global industry, from songwriters and choreographers to engineers and producers. For the past 18 years, Brant has also served on the Los Angeles chapter of the Recording Academy; in 2022, she was elected to another two-year term as governor for the L.A. chapter.