Stargate (production team)

Stargate (sometimes written StarGate) is a Norwegian record producer and songwriter team. The team came from Trondheim, Norway. The team was formed in 1997. It is comprised of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen (often credited as Mikkel SE). The duo work in the genres of pop, R&B and hip hop, based in New York City.

Their breakthrough single in the United States was the Billboard Hot 100 No.1 "So Sick" by Ne-Yo. They produced and co-wrote it with Ne-Yo. The follow-up was "Sexy Love". That was also a US Top 10 single. Stargate worked with Ne-Yo. They wrote and produced Rihanna's "Unfaithful". That song reached number 6 on the Hot 100, number 1 in Europe, and top 5 in 22 countries. They also produced and co-wrote the U.S. number-one single "Irreplaceable" by Beyoncé. "Irreplaceable" topped the Hot 100 for ten consecutive weeks. It became the biggest song of 2007 on the Hot 100 Billboard Year End Chart 2007.

In May 2008 Rihanna's "Take A Bow" became the producer team's third U.S. number one. It also became their fifth UK number-one.

Stargate was particularly successful on the UK market with many top 10 hits in the UK for artists like Blue, Mis-Teeq and Atomic Kitten.

In 2005, Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen moved to New York. They also rapidly established themselves as associates of the biggest hip hop/R&B acts on the US market. The third original member, Hallgeir Rustan, remains a producer in Norway.