Composer/Producer/Mix Engineer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I am particularly proud to have worked with Finnish pop icon Mika Ikonen on his debut solo album Kuu ja maa. Mika Ikonen rose to fame in Finland in the 90s as part of XL5, the Finnish Backstreet Boys, basically. In 2016, he stepped out on his own, and I was fortunate enough to co-write two songs for the album and to oversee the whole release as a product manager at the indie label it was released through.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: Currently, I am composing a lot for production libraries, working on the songs and pre-production for Macklin's debut EP, and I will release some of my songs as an artist in the next few months. Those are currently being mixed.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Both. The digital environment provides us with workflows and conveniences that we basically cannot live without in today's music industry, but on the other hand, there is nothing like hearing or capturing a great song and performance in a room.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The music.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: It's that we can work magic and make something out of nothing.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Make sure the human connection is there! Credits and skills are important, but ideally, you want to find somebody who cares about you and your project as much as you do.

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I started out playing guitar, bass, and drums in bands in high school. Songwriting came around my senior year and I haven't stopped since. I have been working as a singer-songwriter and musician for the past 9 years, and gradually, production and mixing came into the picture from having to produce my own songwriting demos, which also quickly evolved in my providing those services to other artists. Finally, during my graduate degree at NYU, I came in touch with screen scoring and I have been pursuing opportunities in that field lately, as well. As you can see, I like to keep my skillset and projects diverse. It helps me stay on my toes, and therefore, deliver the best work I can.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: It's all about the song! Get it right BEFORE you hit record, and then try to stay out of its way :).

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I usually work with a lot of singer-songwriters where their lyrics and melodies go above all else.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Keeping track of the bigger picture. While I am a detail-oriented perfectionist, I always keep the finish line in sight to see which decisions serve the project and timeline best.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I would say a sense of timelessness. I want people in 50 years to listen to the songs I work on.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: A "typical work process" does not exist for me. Every client and project is different, and I try to adapt to them as best as I can.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I currently have a small home studio composer setup. While I largely work in the box, I do have the capabilities to do vocal or other small overdubs where I work. For larger recording tasks, I have trusted spaces and engineers that I work with.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: That's a tough question! There are just too many to mention. A diverse shortlist might include John Mayer, the band Johnnyswim, Greg Wells, Ólafur Arnalds, and Tom Elmhirst, ... just to name a few.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: At the moment, I provide a wide variety of services to a variety of clients. However, my main gig is to write and compose music for artists, film and multimedia, and production libraries.