Singer/Songwriter, Producer

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

A: I worked on a song called "Can I Get Up?" recently that helped me discover a lot about my self that I hadn't embrace till then during the process of writing it.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on finishing an album for Girl ZERO.

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Not as yet.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Analog. Sounds like how music is supposed to sound.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: My promise to my clients is that through working with me they will learn something new about music that will touch them in a deep way.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: What I like the most about my job is that I get to utilize a God-given gift.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: The question I get asked alot is if I do shows often. My answer is "I wish".

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

A: That it's a glamorous career.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: What purpose do you believe music has in society?

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

A: I've advise them to have in mind a strong sense of brand appeal pertaining to the audience they are targeting with what every music they are hiring me to make.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My acoustic guitar, microphone, interface, Ableton Push and Laptop.

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

A: I've been doing this since I was 16. I considered quitting a few times but still managed to stick with it because it feels like what I was born to do.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My style tends to be like blues with a bit of an uplifting/hopeful spin to it.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I would like to work with Chris Martin of Coldplay or Ed Sheeran.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Figure out a template for your songwriting that is based on your best work in the past. Once you've establish this template you can, for the most part, rely on it for success moving forward. It gives the creative process a structure that is necessary when operating as a professional.

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

A: I work on soft-pop and contemporary music the most.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Determining the style for each song I would say is my biggest strength because the style is determined by the emotions that drive my creativity. My sense of feeling and emotion is what's behind it all.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: The main thing I'd say I bring to any song is soul. The soul is what brings me to the music in the first place and that essence is carried out to the end of the process.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: The process begins in my head with a melody and then the supporting chords. The bass line that feels most appropriate for the melody is usually determines the style, pace and genre of the song. From there I establish each part of the song (Chorus, Verse, Break) and the figure out what arrangement is best for the song's progression. From there I open up my DAW and start tracking the core instruments (Guitar Chorus, Bass, Drums and Voice). After that I add meat to the production by adding synth layers with the keys. Once I've got enough elements to complete the substance of the song, I begin editing and fine tuning with volume levels, panning and automation. I do partial mixing that is mainly for creative sound purposes and then leave the rest up to the mixing and mastering professionals.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: My studio set up consists of 3 DAWS (Ableton Live, Logic Pro & Maschine Studio). My audio interface is a Scarlett Focusrite, my speaker are a pair of PreSonus Eris E4.5-2-Way 4.5" Near Field Studio Monitors, my Microphone is is a Blue Bird Condenser, placed with a Isolation Shield, my midi instruments are Native Instruments Komlete M32, Maschine Mikro Mk3, Ableton Push and Akai Fire that is scripted for Ableton use. All of this is run off of a 2015 Macbook Pro.

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

A: I am very much inspired by producers such as Calvin Harris, Disciples, Stargate, Dr. Luke and other major pop producers.

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

A: The most common type of work I do for clients is song production and song writing. Sing and guitar also are fairly common.