Harvey Mason, Jr. has not only penned and produced songs for industry legends like Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Elton John, but also for today’s superstars, including Justin Bieber, Beyonce, John Legend, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, and Chris Brown. In addition, he has compiled an impressive list of film and TV music credits including writing and producing the music for “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” “Sing,” “The Wiz Live!,” “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “Shrek,” “Straight Outta Compton,” all three “Pitch Perfect” films, “Dreamgirls,” “Get On Up,” and “Over the Moon,” to name a few.
Harvey was born in Boston, Massachusetts where his parents attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music. His father, Harvey Mason, Sr., is a noted jazz drummer and founding member of the group Fourplay. Harvey grew up in Los Angeles where he tagged along to his father’s recording sessions with the likes of Quincy Jones, Carole King, The Brothers Johnson, and Herbie Hancock. At the age of eight, Harvey wrote and placed his first song, “Love Makes It Better,” for Grover Washington, Jr. Besides being a gifted musician, Harvey was also a skilled athlete. After being named a high school All-American, he attended the University of Arizona on a basketball scholarship and played in the 1988 Final Four with teammates Kenny Lofton, Sean Elliott, and Steve Kerr.
In addition to his work on the music side, Harvey leveraged his experiences in film and TV and expanded his business to include a new content production division. He produced and executive produced his first feature film project, the Lebron James movie “More than a Game,” for Lionsgate. Most recently, Harvey produced the highly anticipated MGM biopic, “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin. With three more projects in development at studios and slated to come in 2021, Harvey has an exciting future in TV and film.
In 2012, Harvey expanded his company into Asia. As the head of one of the first western companies into these new pop music markets, Harvey has built a reputation as one of the “go to” hit makers. He has worked with top Korean supergroups such as EXO, NCT 127, Girls Generation, and Red Velvet as well as many top Chinese artists such as Jane Zhang and Jackson Yee.
Harvey now proudly serves as the CEO of the Recording Academy. He is a member of the board of trustees for his alma mater, the University of Arizona. He also serves on the board of the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission. Harvey received the Spirit of Excellence Award in 2012 from the T.J. Martell Foundation for his philanthropic efforts and has served on its board. Harvey donates his time and resources to several charitable organizations including MusiCares Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, the American Cancer Society, and Los Angeles Children’s Hospital.