‘If everyone’s wearing a blue hat, make sure you’re wearing a red one.’

Nana Rogues has spent the final decade producing and co-writing songs for the likes of Drake, Dave, J Hus, Wizkid, Skepta and Stormzy.

He’s a BRIT Award winner (for Dave’s UK No.1 debut, Psychodrama), a two-time Grammy nominee (for his contributions to Ella Mai’s self-titled debut and Drake’s Scorpion) and is gearing up for the subsequent stage in his profession after signing a worldwide publishing cope with Concord.

Previous to that, he had truly been and not using a writer for the very best a part of six years. However, as he explains, he now needs the muscle of an organization to assist his inventive and enterprise ambitions, which embrace launching a producer society for younger expertise. “Harmony got here on the proper time,” he says. “It’s an important group and signing the deal was
a no brainer.”

As a toddler, Rogues remembers being infatuated with the manufacturing of songs like late Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s hits, Caught Out There by Kelis and Southern Hospitality by Ludacris, each of which had been produced by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, aka The Neptunes. “I’ve at all times been all for producing with out realizing what producing was,” he says.

“I used to be infatuated with the sonics of these songs and realised they had been made by the identical folks as I bought older. That’s once I was like, ‘Okay, I need to get into producing, that is cool.’”

After doing courses in music tech manufacturing, Rogues began taking his craft severely in 2014 when he had successful with British hip-hop collective Part Boyz’ (who at the moment are known as Smoke Boys), Trapping Ain’t Lifeless. Then, he produced Hyperlink Up by Wiley, which was featured on EastEnders (“An enormous factor for me on the time,” he says).

One factor led to a different and alternatives continued coming his approach. Right now, a typical 24 hours within the lifetime of Rogues is all night time within the studio, sleeping whereas his daughter goes to high school, spending a while along with her after pick-up after which doing all of it once more.

Previous to Harmony, Rogues was printed by Tinie Tempah’s firm Imhotep and he beforehand had a deal at Virgin for his work as an artist (he’s at the moment unsigned, however can be searching for a brand new label deal).

His A&R at Harmony, Harri Davies, calls Rogues “a real file producer with an infectious aura.” He continues: “Artists love being in his firm and he at all times brings the very best out of creatives.”

Davies is planning on placing Rogues in session with artists who span pop, R&B “and past” and can be specializing in persevering with “to construct on his already profitable worldwide profile as a author and producer.”

Right here, we chat to Rogues about manufacturing, discovering inspiration, coping with inventive blocks, and rather more apart from.

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What do you suppose makes a great producer?

An excellent producer must be open-minded sonically. It’s a must to have an important ear for music and be versatile. Being versatile is essential with a purpose to keep away from boxing your self in and to carry the very best out of artists. 

Producers are just like the painters, so we now have to verify our canvas has all of the totally different colors, which is the artist, and we now have to verify it’s the brightest we will make it, to make the very best product.

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How do you get the very best out of an artist you’re working with?

Dialog, understanding and simply realizing that I’m right here to help the artist. I’ll have my very own imaginative and prescient, I can have my enter, however what imaginative and prescient does the artist have? What can I do to carry that to life and make it the very best I probably can? 

“I’m right here to help the artist. What imaginative and prescient have they got and what can I do to carry it to life?”

Additionally, listening to the artist’s music from the previous and the unreleased stuff they play, and being like, ‘Okay, what can I add to this? What’s lacking?’

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What are the qualities or expertise that make a great songwriter?

You’ve got to have the ability to inform the story, primary, it’s important to be good with phrases. Not overthinking is an important high quality for songwriters. While you overthink quite a bit, you find yourself not making the very best tune you may.

Additionally, having the ability to hearken to different folks’s tales and translate that into one thing that the world can hearken to and admire.

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The place do you discover inspiration in relation to creating new music? Do you’ve gotten a specific course of?

My course of shouldn’t be one course of. I can’t be impressed after which placed on the radio or Apple Music, hear one tune after which I’m impressed. Experiences encourage me; folks I meet, issues I hear of individuals’s tales or travels. They will encourage me to make one thing that may be the soundtrack of what that particular person simply instructed me.

“Different producers encourage me quite a bit.”

Different producers encourage me quite a bit. Once I hear beats from different producers and I’m like, ‘Yo, that is superb, I have to step my recreation up and go into the studio.’

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Do you’ve gotten any most memorable studio periods or favorite artists that you just’ve labored with?

All of the periods with Wizkid are memorable. I’m mesmerised along with his effortlessness when he’s recording and arising with concepts. He’s superb. Rihanna pulled as much as a session once I was in one among her writing camps. That was fairly surreal. She was beautiful, had an important persona, respectful and really welcoming. A stunning, good woman.

Kelly Rowland was cool, simply because it’s Kelly Rowland. I feel each session I’ve been in has been memorable as a result of I’ve had fun and I’ve discovered one thing.

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Do you’ve gotten a worst or most difficult studio session? And in that case, what did you study by way of that course of?

I haven’t had a foul studio session by way of how the particular person I’ve been working with has behaved or made me really feel. Any studio session that I didn’t like is as a result of I really feel like I’m taking too lengthy to make the beat or that the beat isn’t ok. Or perhaps the folks haven’t preferred it and I’ve needed to make a couple of.

What I’ve discovered from that’s that, once I go right into a studio session, I like to arrange myself. I wish to have issues able to play or know what I’m going to make and take to the artist, so there’s a excessive likelihood they’re going to love what I play or what I make for them.

Say I’m working with Doja Cat, I’ll verify all of her credentials, the latest stuff she’s put out, all of her hit songs, and I’ll be like, ‘Okay, what do I need to do for her?’ I’ll make a bunch of beats, a bunch of concepts earlier than I even go into that session. I’ll have some templates that she would possibly like. So once I go into the session, I’ve beats to play and if she doesn’t like these, I’ll have templates to begin on.

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How do you cope with inventive blocks, for those who get them?

I do undergo from inventive block quite a bit. It sounds bizarre, however LBC radio. Not doing something musical: listening to LBC radio and the information, chilling, watching Netflix, going for walks and watching documentaries.

I’m very massive on historical past, wars and geopolitics so I are inclined to get my head deep into this stuff once I’ve bought just a little block. Once I’m doing regular stuff, one thing goes to click on and it’s going to return again to me.

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Are you able to pinpoint what causes the blocks for you?

If I’m being trustworthy, proper now, I feel it’s simply because I’ve been doing this for thus lengthy and there are solely so many concepts somebody can have. There are solely so many new concepts beneath the solar. I’m very cautious of creating the identical sounds, so it’s straightforward for me to have a block as a result of I’m not attempting to make the identical sounds.

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What’s the very best career-related recommendation that you just’ve ever been given?

Don’t be afraid to vary. Don’t overwork your self. Work exhausting, however it’s important to care for your self. Relaxation. Sonically, don’t put your self in a field. It’s a must to ensure you’re totally different, that you just stand out. If everybody’s sporting a blue hat, ensure you’re sporting a purple one.

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Your profession has come of age alongside music streaming. Would you modify something about it?

Music streaming is sweet and it’s inevitable – the world’s altering, so we now have to vary with it. I do really feel they should type out the cash, the splits. These platforms have to work on that and so they have to incorporate songwriters.

Us producers, we’re cool, we get a bunch of the splits and percentages in relation to streaming, however songwriters don’t get something. They should incorporate the songwriters much more as a result of they’re integral in singing. We want to verify the creatives are being taken care of correctly.

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You lately signed a publishing cope with Harmony, which adopted a six-year interval of being unpublished. Why is now the best time to signal a deal? 

I really feel like I’ve been ready for thus lengthy to do it, I’ve collected songs and every thing I’ve been placing out has been mine, I’ve owned it, so I had sufficient to go to any firm and discuss a deal. The best time is now as a result of I’m gearing as much as put extra music out as an artist and as a producer.

I’ve bought just a few issues I’m going to place out at first of the yr as an artist. As a producer, I’m engaged on some new Dave (pictured inset), Wiz Khalifa, Wizkid and a few new up-and-coming artists. 

I’m working with producers as nicely. I need to begin a producer society for younger producers. I’m going to have a bunch, like 20, 30, beneath my wing and we’re going to create, takeover.

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What would possibly that seem like? A mentorship programme or perhaps your personal publishing firm?

A little bit of each. Will probably be a publishing firm that can provide managerial providers as nicely, in the event that they need to be managed, and a spot to work. I’ve bought two studios proper now and I need to get an even bigger constructing filled with studios to accommodate all of the producers.

I would like labels and creatives to return to us as a result of we’ve bought all of the producers, all of the instruments, so that you can come and get your hit tune. I need to create alternatives for these younger producers to personal their very own music, get some massive cuts, be round good songwriters, different producers, and study new issues.

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Are there every other artists that you just’d actually like to work with?

In fact, all the massive artists, all of the Adeles, the Ed Sheerans, the Beyoncés. I’ve been in session with Rihanna however we haven’t launched something, so Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar.

Within the UK, folks like Central Cee. I missed out working with him so I’d like to do this. Dangerous Bunny, Maluma, everybody. Anybody who I love, I’d wish to
work with.

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What would you modify concerning the music trade and why?

The truth that good songs could be ignored so simply today. It’s like a flash within the pan. That could be very unhappy to me, as a result of I hear one thing that’s very refreshing and new and I’m like, ‘Wow, that is dope’, and nobody cares. I see that occuring much more today with excellent songs and even artists which can be doing nicely. It’s positively getting tougher for folks to interrupt by way of.

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What do you make of the well being of the British hip-hop scene specifically proper now?

It’s not in a great house. Going again to what I mentioned earlier than, songs aren’t sticking. The hip-hop artists like Potter Payper, Stormzy, Giggs, persons are releasing music but it surely’s simply not sticking the identical. I can’t pinpoint it, I don’t know why. As a result of the music is sweet, the standard
is sweet.

I’ve been talking to a couple folks about this not too long ago who had been saying that, as a result of hip-hop has had such a run of success, folks working throughout the style, on the trade facet, are maybe chasing TikTok hits reasonably than doing artist improvement to search out one thing genuinely new.

I forgot concerning the component of TikTok, which is unquestionably a contributor to why issues will not be sticking. It’s like hen and chips, it’s very quick. Persons are catering to launch songs for TikTok as a result of they know that’s a fast approach. 

In case your tune does nicely on TikTok, you’re going to have at the very least one or two weeks of some traction. I don’t suppose that’s the best technique to go about issues.

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What recommendation would you give to a younger producer, songwriter or artist beginning their profession in music as we speak?

Like I mentioned earlier than, if everybody’s sporting a blue hat, put on a purple hat. Be excellent at what you do. If you happen to’re going to make music like all people else, ensure you do it the very best or be totally different. It’s one or the opposite.

It’s very exhausting to get observed in music, full cease, however these days, it’s even tougher. Versatility will prevent and for those who handle to make any songs or get one foot in, work exhausting, ensure you’re continuously making music. Be sure you’re continuously making new concepts as a producer, as a songwriter, as a result of these concepts will prevent once you do have these blocks.

Constructing and sustaining relationships on this trade is essential as nicely. If you happen to’ve bought these issues coated, you have to be alright.

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This article originally appeared in the latest (Q4 2023) issue of MBW’s premium quarterly publication, Music Business UK, which is out now.

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