American music producer and songwriter
Alex Kresovich (also known as AK ) (born August 28, 1986, in
Harlingen, Texas , United States) is a former American,
RIAA-Multi Platinum certified and
Billboard #1 record producer and songwriter from
Ithaca, New York .
[1]
[2]
[3] He is best known for his work with
Panic! at the Disco ,
Cee Lo Green ,
Niykee Heaton ,
MAX ,
Hoodie Allen ,
Snow Tha Product ,
Chris Webby , and
Jocelyn Alice .
[4]
[5]
Kresovich earned a
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he studied the influence of
popular music which references
anxiety ,
depression , and
suicidal thoughts on the
mental health attitudes and behaviors of U.S. youth.
[6]
[7] His research is published in
JAMA Pediatrics ,
[9] the
Journal of Health Communication ,
[10] and
Health Communication .
[11] His research has received media coverage in
The New York Times
[12]
[13] and
U.S. News & World Report .
[14]
In addition to his music and academic work, Kresovich serves as Partner and Chief Strategy Officer for The Cut Buddy , an Ithaca-originated and North Carolina-based
Black-owned business and personal grooming company invented and founded by Joshua Esnard that appeared on the
ABC television show
Shark Tank in November 2017.
[15]
Music career
Kresovich was mentored by
GRAMMY winner
Ken Lewis (
Taylor Swift ,
Kanye West ,
Eminem ,
Bruno Mars ), and has collaborated with
Panic! at the Disco ,
Cee Lo Green ,
X Ambassadors ,
Kanye West's
G.O.O.D. Music ,
Kid Ink ,
Niykee Heaton ,
Ingrid Andress ,
Jared Leto (
30 Seconds to Mars ),
G-Eazy ,
King Los ,
Bipolar Sunshine ,
Emily Warren (
Dua Lipa ,
Shawn Mendes ,
The Chainsmokers ),
Jesse Saint John (
Lizzo ,
Britney Spears ,
Charli XCX ),
Sonny Digital (
Future ,
Drake ,
2 Chainz ), Vincent Berry II (
Beyonce ,
J. Cole ),
Michael Pollack (
Maroon 5 ,
Justin Bieber ,
Demi Lovato ),
Daniel Wilson (
The Weeknd ,
Kendrick Lamar ),
Ryan Tedder (
Adele ,
Ariana Grande ,
Taylor Swift ),
Ester Dean (
Rihanna ,
Katy Perry ,
Nicki Minaj ), and
Shane McAnally (
Kacey Musgraves ,
Keith Urban ,
Miranda Lambert ).
[2]
In 2011, Kresovich won the
2K Sports /
Duck Down Music
NBA 2K12 Soundtrack Contest .
[16]
In 2020, Kresovich produced and co-wrote "How Could You Not Know" by
Jocelyn Alice which appeared on Season 2, Episode 3 of the
NBC television show,
Songland .
[17] The song was re-produced for
H.E.R. by
Grammy -winning music producer and songwriter
Shane McAnally , who tweeted of Kresovich and Alice's original version, "I hope people realize how intricate and impressive this song is melodically and lyrically. Cause damn, I am blown away."
[18]
[19] The final version of "How Could You Not Know?" co-written/produced with
Shane McAnally ,
Ryan Tedder , and
Ester Dean was released to streaming platforms on November 5, 2021 and the official music video on November 12, 2021.
[20]
[21]
Education
Kresovich attended
Cornell University , where he earned a
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in communication. He earned a
Master of Arts (M.A.) degree from the
University of Georgia .
[22] Kresovich earned a
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .
Selected academic publications
Kresovich, A. , Reffner Collins, M. K., Riffe, D., & Carpentier, F. R. D. (2021). A Content Analysis of Mental Health Discourse in Popular Rap Music.
JAMA Pediatrics , 75(3), 286-292.
A Content Analysis of Mental Health Discourse in Popular Rap Music
[23]
Kresovich, A. (2020). The Influence of Pop Songs Referencing Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation on College Students’ Mental Health Empathy, Stigma, and Behavioral Intentions.
Health Communication .
[11]
Kresovich, A. , & Noar, S. M. (2020). The Power of Celebrity Health Events: Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Audience Involvement and Behavioral Intentions .
Journal of Health Communication .
[24]
Selected production discography
"Against Me" (featuring
MAX )
"Cold War" (Promotional Single)
"Kill 'Em All" (Promotional Single)
"Remember It All"
"Nice 2 Be Back"
"Blue Skies" (featuring Anna Yvette) (Promotional Single)
Jocelyn Alice -
Songland Season 2
Snow Tha Product - The Rest Comes Later
Alex K., D.J.I.G. - Now's My Time (2K Original)
References
^
"Panic! at the Disco's 'Pray for the Wicked' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart" . Billboard .
Archived from the original on 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2019-05-22 .
^
a
b
"Alex Kresovich - Music Producer & Composer" . Alex Kresovich - Music Producer & Composer .
Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2019-05-22 .
^
"Gold & Platinum" . RIAA .
Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2019-05-22 .
^
"Alex Kresovich - Credits" . AllMusic .
Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2019-05-22 .
^
"Alex Kresovich '08 co-produces new Panic! at the Disco single" . Cornell Chronicle . June 20, 2018.
Archived from the original on May 31, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2019 .
^
"Haven't you people ever heard of the UNC Ph.D. candidate who produced a Panic! song?" . The Daily Tar Heel .
Archived from the original on 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-05-22 .
^
"Alex Kresovich | Endeavors" . Archived from
the original on 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2020-09-29 .
^ Kresovich, Alex; Reffner Collins, Meredith K.; Riffe, Daniel; Carpentier, Francesca R. Dillman (2020).
"A Content Analysis of Mental Health Discourse in Popular Rap Music" . JAMA Pediatrics . 175 (3): 286–292.
doi :
10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5155 .
PMC
7921905 .
PMID
33284350 .
^ Kresovich, Alex; Noar, Seth M. (2020).
"The Power of Celebrity Health Events: Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Audience Involvement and Behavioral Intentions" . Journal of Health Communication . 25 (6): 501–513.
doi :
10.1080/10810730.2020.1818148 .
PMID
32990198 .
S2CID
222166905 .
Archived from the original on 2021-03-10. Retrieved 2020-12-10 .
^
a
b Kresovich, Alex (2020).
"The Influence of Pop Songs Referencing Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation on College Students' Mental Health Empathy, Stigma, and Behavioral Intentions" . Health Communication . 37 (5): 1–11.
doi :
10.1080/10410236.2020.1859724 .
PMID
33334191 .
S2CID
229318454 .
Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2020-12-19 .
^ Grose, Jessica (May 5, 2021).
"When Grown-Ups Have Imaginary Friends" . The New York Times .
Archived from the original on September 8, 2021. Retrieved September 8, 2021 .
^ Barry, Ellen (2024-02-04).
"How Psychiatry Broke the Top 40" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-02-21 .
^ Mozes, Alex.
"Rap Music Is Putting Mental Health in the Spotlight" . US News.
Archived from the original on 2021-09-08. Retrieved 2021-09-08 .
^
"Facebook Campaign Spotlights Black Businesses for Holiday Shopping" . Spectrumlocalnews.com .
Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2021 .
^
"2K Sports and Duck Down Music Announce Winners of NBA® 2K12 MC/Producer Contest" . Urbanmag-online.com . 31 May 2011.
Archived from the original on 9 April 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2019 .
^
"Jocelyn Alice Performs "How Could You Not Know?" (Original Song Performance) - Songland 2020 - YouTube" .
YouTube . Archived from
the original on 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-04-28 .
^
"Alex Kresovich on Instagram: "YOOOOOO!!! Check out @iamjocelynalice performing "How Could You Not Know?", a song I produced and co-wrote, TONIGHT @ 10PM EST on…" " . Instagram.com . Retrieved 24 January 2021 .
^
"Shane McAnally on Twitter: "I hope people realize how intricate and impressive this song is melodically and lyrically. Cause damn, I am blown away, @iamjocelynalice #Songland… " " . Archived from
the original on 2020-05-04. Retrieved 2020-04-28 .
^
"ACE Repository - HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW?" .
Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2021-11-19 .
^ Archived at
Ghostarchive and the
Wayback Machine :
Jocelyn Alice- How Could You Not Know- Official Video .
YouTube .
^
"Ph.D. Program: Students | UNC School of Media and Journalism" . Archived from
the original on 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-05-22 .
^ Kresovich, Alex; Reffner Collins, Meredith K.; Riffe, Daniel; Carpentier, Francesca R. Dillman (2020).
"A Content Analysis of Mental Health Discourse in Popular Rap Music" . JAMA Pediatrics . 175 (3): 286–292.
doi :
10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.5155 .
PMC
7921905 .
PMID
33284350 .
Archived from the original on 2023-04-09. Retrieved 2020-12-10 .
^ Kresovich, Alex; Noar, Seth M. (2020).
"The Power of Celebrity Health Events: Meta-analysis of the Relationship between Audience Involvement and Behavioral Intentions" . Journal of Health Communication . 25 (6): 501–513.
doi :
10.1080/10810730.2020.1818148 .
PMID
32990198 .
S2CID
222166905 .