Author of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, one of the most performed Christmas songs in the world, Walter Afanasieff is a Brazilian music producer and composer who made a career in the United States and became one of the most influential names in the pop industry from the 1990s onwards. Born in São Paulo, he rose to prominence through his partnership with Mariah Carey, with whom he scored some of the singer’s biggest hits and helped define the sound of an era of international pop.
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The son of a Russian father and a mother of Russian-Chinese descent, Afanasieff lived in Brazil until the age of four, when he moved with his family to the United States. At a very young age, he began his musical career as a jazz keyboardist and began working as an arranger and producer in the 1980s. His experience in the studio and with big names paved the way for his definitive entry into the American music industry.
Meeting Mariah Carey in the early 1990s marked the turning point in her career. Afanasieff became the singer’s primary collaborator on her first six studio albums, during which he co-wrote and co-produced songs such as “Hero”, “One Sweet Day”, “My All”, “Dreamlover” and “Butterfly”. “One Sweet Day,” featuring Boyz II Men, spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, a record that stood for more than two decades.
He was at the forefront of notable film songs, such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “A Whole New World”, “Aladdin” and “Go the Distance”, from “Hercules”. In 1997, he directed “My Heart Will Go On”, performed by Céline Dion and the theme of the film “Titanic”. The song became the best-selling single of 1998 worldwide and earned Afanasieff the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1999, in addition to the Producer of the Year award the following year.
Throughout his career, the Brazilian has also worked with artists such as Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Lionel Richie, Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, Kenny G and Savage Garden. Known for his active participation in recordings, he usually plays keyboards and programs arrangements in most of the projects he produces.
Walter Afanasieff currently lives in Los Angeles, where he continues to work as a producer and composer. He also has activities outside of the studio, linked to the local music and entertainment scene, and is the father of three children.
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