Biography

Grammy-winning and Emmy-nominated songwriter Desmond Child is one of music's most prolific and accomplished hitmakers. He's a film, television, theater and music producer, recording artist, performer, and author. His credits appear on more than eighty Billboard Top 40 singles spanning six decades, including "Livin' On A Prayer," "You Give Love A Bad Name," "I Was Made For Lovin' You," "Dude Looks Like A Lady," "How Can We Be Lovers," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," "Livin' La Vida Loca," "The Cup Of Life," "Waking Up In Vegas," "Kings & Queens" and many more.

From Aerosmith to Zedd, his genre-defying collaborations also include KISS, Bon Jovi, Cher, Barbra Streisand, Ricky Martin, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, Michael Bolton, Katy Perry, Dolly Parton, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Cyndi Lauper, Christina Aguilera, Weezer, The Black Keys, Ava Max, Mickey Mouse and Kermit The Frog, selling over 500 million records worldwide with downloads, YouTube views and streaming plays in the billions.

Desmond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008 and serves on its Board of Directors as well as the Board of ASCAP. In 2018 he received ASCAP's prestigious Founders Award celebrating 40 years as a proud member of ASCAP. In 2012 he also co-founded the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame where he serves as Chairman Emeritus. In 2022 he was inducted into the Latin Songwriters Hall Of Fame and "Livin' La Vida Loca" was inducted into the National Archives of the Library of Congress for its cultural significance to America. In 2023 "Livin' On A Prayer" reached 1 billion streams on Spotify and in 2024 "You Give Love A Bad Name," "I Was Made For Lovin' You" and "Kings & Queens" also reached 1 billion streams. In 2025 Barbra Streisand released a duet with Josh Groban of "Where Do I Go From You" from the new musical BEBA'S MAMBO co-written with Davitt Sigerson. His autobiography, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER: BIG SONGS BIG LIFE with David Ritz is out now (audiobook also available).