Grammy-Nominated Songwriter Rico Love Debuts His Solo EP Today

You may not recognize the name Richard Preston Butler, Jr., but as Rico Love, Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer, his tracks have turned into smashes for the likes of Beyonce ("Sweet Dreams"), Usher ("Throwback" and "There Goes My Baby"), David Guetta ("Without You), Nelly ("Just A Dream"), Kelly Rowland ("Motivation") and Diddy-Dirty Money ("Hello Good Morning"). He's also head of his own imprint on Interscope Records, Division1, with a separate production/ publishing company of the same name.

Now, Love makes his own debut as a performer with the release of his solo Division1/Interscope Records EP, Discrete Luxury, which arrives August 27, along with the video for the first track, "They Don't Know," a silky, sinewy melody about a woman whom he calls, "a mistress, but not a sidepiece, someone you really respect and have a deep connection with." The stark, black and white video, which reflects Rico's interest in art and fashion, follows a mysterious female through an empty art gallery, ending with an obscured shot of the auteur himself.

He explains: "It's metaphorical because you can't see me fully, so you don't know if it's me, just like people don't know that it's me behind some of the songs they're listening to."

Love achieved success as a producer and songwriter, collaborating on Usher's Grammy-winning Confessions (including the song "Throwback"), while contributing four songs to Beyonce's five-times Grammy-winning I Am.Sasha Fierce album, featuring the platinum single, "Sweet Dreams." Other artists Rico Love has worked with include Fergie, Mary J. Blige, A$AP Rocky, A$AP Ferg, Trey Songz, Wiz Khalifa, Michelle Williams, Lloyd, Pleasure P, Mario, Ludacris, T.I., French Montana and Brandy, among many others.

Love recently made rising recording artist/songwriter Tiara Thomas ("Tell Me Something") the first artist signing to his Division1 label.

"Some days are hard and stressful, but it's so exciting, so I just think about where I came from and that outweighs any stress," says the multi-hyphenate multi-tasker.

With the release of his Discrete Luxury EP, Rico Love is ready to come out from behind the curtain. "They Don't Know" now, but everyone soon will.

SOURCE Interscope Records