Twice As Nice members Khaled Rohaim and Te Whiti Warbrick join 1,000,000,000 List for Rihanna track
Khaled Rohaim and Te Whiti Warbrick, two members of the production and songwriting collective Twice As Nice, have been added to APRA AMCOS’ 1,000,000,000 List for their work on Rihanna’s track ‘Needed Me’.
‘Needed Me’ is lifted from Rihanna’s highly successful 2016 album, ANTI, which made its debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The track recently hit a combined 1 billion streams from all major services and is a certified platinum single in Australia.
Rohaim’s composition and production work can also be found on songs from Ariana Grande, Juice WRLD and Ty Dolla $ign. He has also played a part in the development of 17-year-old rapper The Kid LAROI, who recently topped the ARIA Albums Chart with his record F*ck Love (Savage).
“Being part of such a massive song like ‘Needed Me’ by Rihanna was such an honour. It means a lot to me to receive this award and to join the small group of Australians who have been acknowledged for their contribution to a song reaching 1,000,000,000 streams,” Rohaim said in a statement.
“Thank you APRA AMCOS for putting the behind-the-scenes creatives into the spotlight with this award.”
As for Warbrick, his production and songwriting credits can be found on tracks by Lil Wayne, Future, Ty Dolla $ign and Post Malone.
“It’s hard to believe that I made this song on an old laptop with some broken headphones in a tiny bedroom on the back of a farm with a view of cows,” he said.
“From Sanson to the world, ‘Needed Me’ was born, and it’s such an honour to be a part of an anthem sung by one of the biggest artists of our time – Rihanna. Thank you to APRA AMCOS for awarding me with this Billions award to represent my achievement.”
Twice As Nice co-founders Lewis Audino and Nick Hughes received their awards last year for their work on ‘Needed Me’. The songwriters’ publishers, BMG (Rohaim), Universal (Warbrick) and Sony/ATV (Audio and Hughes), have also received awards for the achievement.
The new members of the 1,000,000,000 List join previous inductees Sia, Gotye, Flume, Troye Sivan, Vance Joy and 5 Second of Summer, among others.
“Honouring Khaled, Te Whiti, Nick and Lewis for the role they played in the songwriting and production of Rihanna’s ‘Needed Me’ drives home what this award is about – and that is showcasing the creators of a song that connects with fans globally,” said APRA AMCOS CEO, Dean Ormston.
“Twice As Nice are trailblazers for Australian and New Zealand music creators and I couldn’t be more proud to welcome them to The 1,000,000,000 List.”