Q&A: EDY

EDY’s name is popping up everywhere, and there’s no doubt he’s dominating the NZ music scene. Producing, mixing & songwriting for William Singe, JessB, Sam V, JARNA, RAZÉ, Bea Moon, Mikey Mayz, Hiiata, Cee Blu (the long list of goes on), he’s polishing the craft of creating some of the dopest, newest tracks in a diverse group of genres.

He chats to us about his music-making process, his biggest takeaways from being mentored by some of the biggest producers and engineers in the industry, being the co-leader of R&B/Hip Hop collective “Young & $lept On” and more!

Originally trained in classical piano, experimenting with music production since high school as well as being a songwriter, we can tell that music is an extremely important part of your life! Can you tell us a bit about your musical journey and how you’ve got to where you are now?

From a young age, I was always heavily involved with classical music. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t until high school where I discovered what I was truly passionate about - making beats! So I would’ve made beats every single day since 14 (9 years ago now). Over the years, I would say I’m less so a beatmaker - I take on more of a traditional role as a producer and oversee the overall creation process of songs. I suppose it is my job to give my “opinion” and to guide songs to their fullest potential. Often this involves scrapping my own ideas and starting from scratch, or co-writing/editing other people’s ideas to bring their musical vision to life. I’m always working to serve the song.

These days, I’m a high school classroom music teacher during the day, and a music producer by night. I have passion in giving back to the upcoming generations of young NZ musicians and I’ve made it my goal to incorporate as much music production/contemporary songwriting as well as local content within my teachings. Our young NZ musicians deserve to know the current ones so that they know how to get on their feet if they choose to pursue a career in music. When I was 17, Donell Lewis (artist/songwriter) took me in and brought me into the industry - he always believed in me, had faith in my work and introduced me to everybody he had the power to do so. That combined with countless hours of work has allowed me to finally sit back a bit and enjoy the view while everything is coming into fruition. It has been a very enjoyable journey thus far and I can’t wait to see what is coming up with Sam V, JARNA & the Y$O whānau.

That’s very impressive! How would you describe the sound of your production and what would you say makes it unique?

The best way for me to describe it is …. a huge blend of everything, with influences from Motown, Jazz, Funk, Hip Hop and EDM to name a few. I would say my production is pretty spastic generally, I’m not afraid to add uncommon sounds into music and contrasting to that, I’m also not afraid to strip my production bare to shed more light on the vocalists.

Amazing! Is the majority of your production & songwriting knowledge self-taught?

I would say that it has been 50/50. I’ve been lucky enough to have amazing mentors and teachers in various areas of expertise: Donell Lewis, Willstah (Ella Mai, Ariana Grande), Andrew Scheps (Beyoncé, JayZ, Green Day), Mark Rankin (Florence & The Machine, Adele, Harry Styles) to name a few. Being in their presence is hugely humbling and the knowledge/experience I gained is indescribable in words. Other than these mentors I also have my Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Auckland majoring in Popular Music/Songwriting. My lecturers were always attentive towards me and I gained many small details/pieces of knowledge that have made a massive impact on my understanding of music in the long run.

What have been the main takeaways you’ve learnt from these world-renowned mentors?

DON’T OVERTHINK. I actually often turn off my screen when I’m listening to songs/mixing so that my eyes don’t deceive my ears. When the screen is off, my ears are taking the lead and I get plenty more ideas that way.

Do you have a favourite part of the music-making process, and how essential do you think it is to be involved in as many areas as possible to create a track?

I feel like music is such an emotional entity! Therefore, I feel like when I work on a project, I need to involve myself in as many things as possible so that I can help bring out the artist’s vision. Better to have more ideas than not enough right?

Who are your biggest inspirations in music?

Ryan Leslie, Scott Storch, MXXWLL, Keys Open Doors, Kiana Ledé (the list goes on).

We are in love with the R&B/Hip Hop collective “Young & $lept On”, combining the creative juices of NZ’s most exciting upcoming independent talent! Being the co-leader, can you tell us a bit about how this was established and how you all collaborate to create new music?

I host group writing sessions in my home studios. Usually the room is completely packed with around 12 people (9 artists/songwriters + 3 producers including myself) and then we create ideas on the spot, and I split artists/songwriters into groups to write and record those ideas in Studio A & B. I believe that to upskill as a musician, we need to be surrounded by other great musicians as often as possible. You are a product of your environment, so why not create a win-win environment?

Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you love or connect with?

Right now most of my energy is going into my homegirl JARNA and my day one brother Sam V. There are too many artists to name but some other NZ artists I love are: Paige, Villette, Mitch James, Wells*, Foley and Rory Noble.

We love all those artists too! What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

I love the culture, and I love the nature. I love driving out of the city and into regional parks for long therapeutic walks to recharge so that I can make more music!

How was the lockdown for you and what’s one of the biggest lessons you learnt during that time?

There were many pros and cons. On the positive side, I was able to really focus on myself, watching webinars and refining my skills as a mix engineer and really knuckle down on unfinished projects. I was able to spend more time with my family, my dog and learn how to play the guitar & bass (panic buys the day before lockdown lol). On the not so positive side, I was craving human interaction, and zoom really ain’t the same, I’ll tell you that for free. Like I just wanted to grab a munch with the homies, you know?

What advice do you have for new artists and producers out there?

Just DO. It’s as simple as that. These songs ain’t writing themselves ahaha. If you have a creative block then watch and support other musicians’ processes! You’ll be inspired by what you hear. Don’t be afraid to reach out. It’s ok if they don’t reply back, at least you can say that you made the effort.

Last but not least, what’s next for you?

I’m stepping more into the management + label/business side of things, I’m always looking for ways I can grow as an individual and how I can help my team.

Sounds amazing! Make sure to keep up with EDY on Instagram (@edyonthebeat), Facebook, Spotify and Apple Music.