Meet Dr. Luke, Pop Music's Maestro

Feb. 17, 2011— -- When the superstars of Pop hand their latest tracks off to Lukasz Gottwald, it seems almost guaranteed that adding his music-mixing medicine will turn their songs into sure-fire hits.

Trust him -- he's a doctor.

Gottwald, a 37-year-old music producer and songwriter more affectionately known as "Dr. Luke," has 21 No. 1 hit singles and two Grammy nominations under his belt, making him the most successful (and sought-after) hit-maker on today's pop music scene.

"I'm looking for voices that are distinctive," Gottwald said. "That's the most important thing to me. I mean, obviously they have to be able to sing."

From Conway Studios in Hollywood, Gottwald has helped produce breakout hits for an impressive list of stars, including the Princess of Pop herself -- Britney Spears.

"She gets it done," Gottwald said. "She's pretty focused when she gets in and records, and she sounds good fast, you know? She's a lot busier than I am, so she comes in and gets it done and she's out."

In his latest project, Gottwald is one of the principal architects for Spears' latest song, "Hold It Against Me," and her upcoming album, "Femme Fatale," due out in March.

He has also shaped the "American-Idol"-bred barrage of Kelly Clarkson, the candy-coated track, "Teenage Dream," by Katy Perry, the polished punk rock of Pink and the intoxicating beats of Ke$ha. Time and again, Gottwald has proven that he knows the magic sound for what Pop-music lovers crave.

"Maybe I just didn't mature or something," Gottwald joked. "I mean, I do have three sisters, and I think that has something to do with it. One of my sisters is 15."

But producer Gottwald said he doesn't just make music just for the fans. He said he has to think the song sounds good before it's released.

"I like to like it," he said. "I have to like it, otherwise it'd be weird."

"I found her when she was in Nashville," Gottwald said. "She was sleeping on people's couches...she worked a lot, wrote a lot and got it together."

After taking Ke$ha, now 23, under his wing, Gottwald helped coach and transform her into the megastar she is today.

"We kind of developed the sound together," Ke$ha said. "It was me, like, being a sassy lady, and then him kind of helping me put that into a pop song."

That "sound" produced Ke$ha's "drunk-tastic" hit single, "Tik Tok," which put Ke$ha on the Pop music map. "I brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack / 'Cause when I leave for the night, I ain't coming back," she sings.