Nevil pops in with 'Teen'

Songwriter penned 'Montana' theme, 'High School Musical' songs

Music supervisors who want a taste of "Hannah Montana" or "High School Musical" for their programs -- but know they aren't going to get it from Disney -- might have a solution.

Songwriter Robbie Nevil has created the "Teen Pop" album for Extreme Music, the unit of Sony/ATV Music Publishing that creates and licenses music for all sorts of productions. Nevil co-wrote the "Hannah Montana" theme song, "The Best of Both Worlds," and three others on the soundtrack. He also co-wrote songs for "High School Musical" and its sequel.

"When it became apparent we needed to produce a collection of pure pop songs, Robbie was our 'magic wand' choice," said Dolph Taylor, co-CEO of Extreme Music. "He is the unrivaled King of Teen Pop."

Nevil made the top 20 as an artist three times in the mid-'80s, including the No. 2 hit "C'est la Vie." Since then he has written, produced or played on songs for such acts as Stevie Wonder, Destiny's Child and Luther Vandross.

Susan Butler is a senior correspondent for Billboard.