Nate Merchant on SoundBetter

Nate Merchant is an LA based writer/producer/mixer who has worked with artists including Thirty Seconds to Mars, co-writing their Top 15 Pop Radio Hit "Seasons", Jason Derulo earning a Gold Plaque for contributions to his album "Nu King", and Duran Duran, contributing production on 8 songs for the album Danse Macabre.

After music school Nate moved from the Pacific Northwest to Los Angeles where he honed his songwriting and production skills working with Grammy award-winning songwriter Sam Martin, ultimately co-producing Martin’s debut album for Atlantic Records. Nate’s first band Papa Ya quickly cracked the Top 10 on the Spotify Viral Charts with their hit single, the infectious groover “Sunny.” Papa Ya’s songs garnered over 100 million plays across all platforms, leading to two national club tours opening for chart-topping pop acts like MAX and ROZES.

2021 saw the launch of Merchant's solo artist endeavor with a string of singles co-produced by Duran Duran’s John Taylor, which have reached #1 on the Hype Machine Chart and received support from Ones To Watch, WFNM, KCRW, Lyndsey Havens of Billboard, Kings of A&R, and Lori Majewski & Simon Le Bon on Sirius XM. Additionally the songs have seen adds on Spotify’s “Fresh Finds” and “Fresh Finds Pop" as well as support from tastemaker Arjan Timmermans of Apple.

You’ve also heard Nate’s bright and buoyant sounds on television shows like NFL on Fox, Bravo’s Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce and Showtime’s Shameless as well as in commercials for GNC, GoGoSqueeze and Yellowtail Wine’s Super Bowl 51 commercial, yeah, that one with the Kangaroo DJ that did so well they ran it again for Super Bowl 52.

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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Interview with Nate Merchant

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I was super pumped to be able to produce "Bad Little Thing" for Israeli Popstar Noa Kirel on her debut for Atlantic Records. She performed the song for the opening of Miss Universe and it was really cool to turn on the TV and hear my sounds coming out of the speakers.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: I usually like to go over references and get on the same page of what kind of music we both like. I like to make sure we are aiming at the same target before we begin.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: My biggest thing is wanting to serve the song. Whether I am mixing/mastering/producing everything is in service to letting the song say what it needs to say. Production and mixing is all about the tiny little decisions that add up to the bigger picture.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Less is more! It is better to have a few sounds that are amazing and life changing than to have a bunch of clutter where nothing stands out.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: My experience ranges from artist to producer to engineer to mixer. This range gives me the ability to approach a project from many different angles and step in to help wherever it is needed.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I do a lot of writing and production in the room with artists but also love taking on remote mixing and mastering work. Whatever it is you are looking to do I can probably help!