Christopher “Tricky” Stewart’s name may not ring a bell, but the Atlanta-based songwriter/producer’s tunes have proven to be some of the most irresistible earworms of the past decade, including Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Mariah Carey’s “Touch My Body” and Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine.”

With more than 25 million records sold, Stewart has worked with the biggest divas in the pop and R&B worlds (Ciara, Usher and Celine Dion are also among his clients) while nurturing budding talents such as Justin Bieber. Coming off recent Grammy wins for Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best Contemporary R&B Album (for Beyoncé’s “I Am...Sasha Fierce”), 2010 looks to be Stewart’s best year yet.

Though just 36 years old, Stewart has been active in the music biz for more than 25 years. Introduced to the recording studio by his older brother and mentored by Babyface producer Louil Silas Jr., the Illinois-born prodigy had worked on records by Aaron Hall, Chanté Moore and Immature before he’d even graduated high school. But it was a move to Atlanta at the urging of LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid that ignited Stewart’s career, as he established a foothold in the city’s burgeoning urban music scene.

“Atlanta didn’t just pop onto the scene,” Stewart recalls. “L.A. Reid and Babyface were some of the hottest guys in the business, and they came and put a flag down here. The biggest thing L.A. taught me was how to go from being just a producer to being a creative entrepreneur. He was preaching ownership and encouraging me to build my own studio, which is the studio I’m in today. It was about learning to hit the business from a different perspective.”

He amassed a few hit singles over the years, such as JT Money’s “Who Dat,” Mya’s “Case Of The Ex” and Britney Spears’ “Me Against the Music.” But it was Rihanna’s 2007 breakthrough, “Umbrella,” that made him the hottest producer in the business. Stewart (who co-wrote the song with frequent collaborator The-Dream) admits to having a hunch that the tune would be a smash, but humbly insists that luck is almost as important as talent.

“The song was extremely catchy and had a new sound, and I think the lyrics meant something to a lot of people,” he acknowledges. “But a hit record has to end up in the right place at the right time, with the right people that are excited about it. Everything has to fall into place, because with records of that magnitude you’re looking for a perfect storm. There are people who write great songs all the time, but it’s not the right moment.”

Stewart has had an awful lot of “right moments” lately, writing or producing 13 Top 40 singles in the last three years alone. He’ll be looking to add to those impressive numbers soon, with the release of Christina Aguilera’s “Bionic” this month and Katy Perry’s eagerly anticipated new album later in the summer, plus the soundtrack for the film “Burlesque” (starring Aguilera and Cher) due out in November.

“With Christina I tried to develop a totally different sound, because she never wants to hear a record that sounds like anything she’s heard before,” Stewart says. “She encourages me to stretch out and try new things, so that one was really fun, electro-infused hip-hop stuff. It’s really cool. Right now I’m right in the middle of developing Katy Perry’s record, which is more a fusion of rock, techno and hip-hop.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Stewart continues to work with Ciara and Jennifer Lopez on their albums while somehow finding time to nurture new artists such as Lonnie Breaux (whom he describes as a cross between Maxwell, Robin Thicke and Kanye West) and Bryan J (“he’s like The-Dream’s little cousin, dancing and singing like Tevin Campbell”). At some point he hopes to release an album under his own name–the first of his career.

“I’m producing a solo album that’ll be based in R&B/dance music, featuring me working with all my favorite female artists I’ve produced,” he says. “It’ll have Christina, Ciara, Katy Perry, Mariah, Mary J, hopefully a little Celine Dion doing something she’s never done before. It should be a lot of fun!”