Catching attention from people like Rick Clifford and Meech Wells (Death Row Records), Tharren Yu delivers unique and catchy vocals that shine bright on whatever track he's thrown onto. He's recorded vocals and written for acts all across the country and worked in a variety of genres and subgenres.
I think I started working in garageband when I was maybe 10 and moved on to Logic when I was around 12. I mainly started out composing and making beats until I was confident to put my own vocals on. Through the years I've learned so much from the people I've met along the way and I'm still learning more everyday. With every song I write on I gain something new so I love being challenged with styles I might not have previously been comfortable with.
I mainly work on Hip-Hop and Pop records so I'm not a stranger to rapping on entire tracks or solely singing throughout a whole song. I have a decent range and can preform in low or high registers and have experimented in different vocal inflections.
Since my early focus was on production and mixing and mastering, I'm able to do everything in-house and streamline the process or help working on other aspects of a song besides just vocals. And if there's any effects or plugins you specifically want that I don't have I can always get it from the Death Row crew's hard drives full of plugins.
I'm passionate about the work I do and the quality I deliver regardless if it's my own track or not. Really I just want the opportunity to meet a lot of cool musicians and make good music. I'm very easy to work with whether you want to be in contact throughout the whole process or just want to give me a direction and leave it to me.
I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.
Interview with Tharren Yu
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: My promise to clients is that I'll give the best I have because at the end of the day- those are my vocals and my portfolio so I wouldn't want to deliver anything I'd be embarrassed to show people.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: The thing I enjoy the most is being able to express myself freely and share my experience with other people through a medium that just captivates me to death.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I think the project I'm most proud of right now is my EP Amnesia. It was a collab between me and Tony22 and it represents a time when I was finally getting comfortable with music and being in tune with my craft.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm always working on new tracks. I try to have a new song up every month and have new videos up every two weeks.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I had the pleasure of performing with Calixte and he's an amazing vocalist I think everyone should check out.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Digital. Just for convenience really. And also I heard from Mick Guzauski that the plugins are getting to a point where some of them sound as good or better in terms of consistency than the original analog components.
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I think the biggest misconception that still persists for some reason is that making music on a computer isn't real music. It's all just frequencies and ideas being played through a different medium. Doesn't make sense to me.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I'm here to help you so just as long as we're communicating and the expectations are clear the music will come easy.
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Honestly as long as I have a computer, a microphone, and a mouse and keyboard, making music comes easy. Actually I've made entire songs on garageband on my phone so that's a lie.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I started working with local artists when I was in high school. Then when I turned 18 I went all over from Texas to California meeting some incredible artists and learning a lot along the way. I hear a noticeable improvement every song I make and I'm still improving and mastering my craft. It's been about 10 years since I've decided I was gonna become and artist and I don't regret a day of it.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I would describe my style as a balance been contemporary and experimental, always trying to bring new ideas forwards while also making the music sound polished and enjoyable to listen to.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Honestly I really want to work with the Higher Brothers. They're just so cool. Or maybe like Rick Rubin but I would be nervous to meet that fool.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Always serve the track. Sometimes you have all these great ideas and you try to fit them all into one song. Sometimes you have to whittle it down to just the best ideas for that particular song and save some of those ideas for another day.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I usually work in Hip-Hop and Pop but I'm always down to work on something more experimental or outside of my usual genre.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I would say my creativity and ear are my biggest skills that go hand in hand to making good music. Every artist has unique tastes and ways of thinking and I hope to prove that mine are ones that people can really enjoy and engage with.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I bring melodies and flows that stand out and make a track pop. I always serve the sonics and try to use my voice as an instrument to add to the landscape that's already been created and elevate the song.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: If I'm just recording vocals, I start with maybe a scratch recording- just some melodies and ideas- and then work out the cadence and tone I want to deliver and start layering vocal takes and polishing them out. I'll typically record the same verse over and over until the delivery sounds just right and then work on the mixing from there.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use a foam treated booth with the Slate VMS setup and I record into Logic Pro.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: People like Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Young Thug, and Kendrick Lamar inspire me to be more creative and thoughtful with my lyrics and my production.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I deliver professional vocals whether it be singing or rapping and provide a rough mix and raw vocals.
- Singer - MaleAverage price - $150 per song
- Songwriter - LyricAverage price - $150 per song
Up to 1-2 weeks for writing and vocals, 50% deposit, 2 free revisions. Mixing and effects as well as raw untouched vox are available upon request. Pricing is negotiable
- Slate Digital VMS ML1 Microphone
- Waves Bundle
- Logic Pro
