Philip Martin Lawrence II (born July 17, 1974) is an American songwriter, record producer, singer, performer and entrepreneur from Evansville, Indiana. He is best known for his longtime creative partnership with Bruno Mars and as a member of the songwriting and production team The Smeezingtons. Lawrence has co-written and produced numerous internationally successful songs, including “Just the Way You Are,” “Grenade,” “Locked Out of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man,” “Treasure,” “That’s What I Like,” “Uptown Funk,” “Nothin’ on You,” “Billionaire” and CeeLo Green’s “Fuck You.”
Lawrence has received numerous Grammy Awards and nominations for his songwriting and production work and has also performed extensively as a member of Bruno Mars and the Hooligans.
Early life in Evansville
Lawrence was born and raised in Evansville in a musical family. His father, Philip Lawrence Sr., worked as a disc jockey and concert promoter, while his mother, Cheryl Lawrence, was a singer. Lawrence has recalled growing up surrounded by records ranging from Stevie Wonder and the Isley Brothers to the Eagles, Led Zeppelin and Billy Joel.
He began performing at approximately four years old, singing alongside members of his family. As a child in Evansville, Lawrence also developed an interest in dancing and performing. At age 10, he helped choreograph dance numbers for a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Tekoppel Elementary School.
As a teenager, Lawrence performed in an Evansville R&B group called Vision and began writing songs.
Lawrence attended Reitz Memorial High School, graduating in 1992.
Early career
Following high school, Lawrence attended Tennessee State University in Nashville. He studied communications and theater but increasingly devoted his time to writing songs and organizing singing groups.
Lawrence eventually decided to leave college and pursue entertainment professionally. He worked in theater before moving to Florida, where he spent several years performing at Walt Disney World and other attractions in the Orlando area.
Lawrence later described those years as an important part of his development as a professional performer and songwriter.
He eventually moved to California to pursue songwriting and music professionally.
Bruno Mars and The Smeezingtons
While attempting to establish himself in Los Angeles, Lawrence was introduced to Bruno Mars. The two quickly developed a songwriting partnership.
Lawrence and Mars initially attempted to write material for Mars as a recording artist but struggled to attract record-label interest. They subsequently began writing songs for other performers.
Their early work included “Long Distance” for Brandy, followed by a major breakthrough with Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2009.
Lawrence and Mars joined engineer and producer Ari Levine to form the songwriting and production team The Smeezingtons.
The trio became one of the most successful songwriting and production teams of the early 2010s.
Among their notable compositions and productions were:
“Nothin’ on You” — B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
“Billionaire” — Travie McCoy featuring Bruno Mars
“Fuck You” — CeeLo Green
“Just the Way You Are” — Bruno Mars
“Grenade” — Bruno Mars
“Locked Out of Heaven” — Bruno Mars
“When I Was Your Man” — Bruno Mars
“Treasure” — Bruno Mars
The Smeezingtons also wrote and produced material for artists including Adele, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Matisyahu and Adam Lambert.
Bruno Mars and the Hooligans
Lawrence became an important part of Bruno Mars’ career beyond songwriting and production.
He joined Bruno Mars and the Hooligans as a vocalist and performer and appeared on Mars’ recordings, concert tours and television performances.
Lawrence’s energetic stage presence and vocal interplay with Mars made him one of the most recognizable members of the Hooligans.
He performed during Mars’ Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show in 2014, which also featured the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Lawrence returned to the Super Bowl stage when Mars appeared during the Super Bowl 50 halftime show in 2016.
Lawrence later stepped away from touring in 2018 before eventually rejoining Mars and the Hooligans.
Unorthodox Jukebox and Grammy success
Lawrence was extensively involved in Mars’ second studio album, Unorthodox Jukebox, released in 2012.
The album included several songs co-written by Lawrence, including “Locked Out of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man” and “Treasure.”
Unorthodox Jukebox won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album in 2014, giving Lawrence one of his early Grammy victories.
His success continued with Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”
Lawrence contributed to the recording, including the distinctive vocalized bass sounds heard in the song. “Uptown Funk” became an international No. 1 hit and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
24K Magic
Lawrence again played a major role in Bruno Mars’ third studio album, 24K Magic.
The album became one of the most successful releases of Mars’ career and dominated the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018.
Lawrence shared in several of the album’s major awards. “That’s What I Like,” which he co-wrote, won both Song of the Year and Best R&B Song. The 24K Magic album won Album of the Year, while its title track won Record of the Year.
Lawrence’s work with Mars established him as one of the most successful songwriters and producers to emerge from Evansville.
Work with Adele
Lawrence also worked with Adele on her 2015 album 25.
He co-wrote “All I Ask” with Adele, Bruno Mars and Christopher Brody Brown.
The album became an enormous commercial success and won Album of the Year at the 2017 Grammy Awards, giving Lawrence another Grammy victory for his contribution to the project.
Solo career
In 2013, Lawrence released his debut solo album, Letters I Never Sent.
The project allowed Lawrence to step outside his role as a songwriter, producer and supporting performer and release music under his own name.
Film and voice work
Lawrence has also worked in film and animation.
He provided the voice of Felipe in the 2014 animated film Rio 2. He also wrote, produced and performed “It’s a Jungle Out Here” for the film and co-wrote “Welcome Back,” which was performed by Mars.
Lawrence later became heavily involved with the Netflix musical film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, released in 2020. He served as a lead songwriter and co-music producer for the film, which starred Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key and Phylicia Rashad.
Disney
Lawrence’s later career brought him back professionally to the company where he had spent years working as a young performer.
For Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, Lawrence co-wrote the original song “The Magic Is Calling,” which was used as part of the resort’s anniversary celebration.
The assignment connected Lawrence’s songwriting career with his earlier years performing at Walt Disney World before achieving success in the recording industry.
Business career
In addition to songwriting and performing, Lawrence founded CMNTY Culture, an entertainment company involved in music, film, television and other creative projects.
In 2016, Lawrence and his business partners acquired the historic Record Plant recording studio in Los Angeles, a facility associated with recordings by numerous major artists. The studio closed in 2024.
Later work
Lawrence has continued his songwriting partnership with Bruno Mars.
He was among the writers of “APT.”, the 2024 collaboration between ROSÉ and Bruno Mars. The song became an international hit and earned Lawrence another Grammy nomination for Song of the Year at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Lawrence has also continued writing material with Mars for subsequent recording projects.
Evansville connections
Despite spending much of his professional career in Los Angeles and touring internationally, Lawrence has maintained connections to his hometown.
His musical development began in Evansville, where he grew up in a musical family, performed as a child, attended local schools and graduated from Reitz Memorial High School before leaving Indiana to pursue a career in entertainment.
Lawrence has returned to Evansville periodically and has discussed his upbringing and career with local publications. His progression from performing and writing songs as a teenager in Evansville to co-writing some of the largest pop hits of the 21st century has made him one of the city’s most commercially successful figures in the recording industry.