Jarom Su'a – “The opportunity is there for everyone”

In this Studio Talks interview, we sit down with the incredibly talented music producer and artist, Jarom Su'a. Having already worked on hit projects for major artists like Drake, Bad Bunny, and Trippie Redd, Jarom has proven himself as one of the biggest talents in the industry. In this exclusive conversation, he opens up about his story, sharing his journey from a young aspiring producer to collaborating with some of the biggest names in the game. Jarom discusses his creative process, gives valuable advice to aspiring producers, his thoughts on the future of music production, and what fans can expect from his upcoming projects. The interview was conducted by Rudy Manager via video call on January 13th, 2025.

How did you first become interested in music, and how did that transition into music production?

I started out in sports. I played a lot of baseball and soccer as a kid. But I was always listening to music—I low-key cared more about what I was listening to on the way to a game than the game itself.

It all started when I was listening to an Aaliyah song produced by Timbaland. I asked my dad, who was driving at the time, “Who is this?” and he told me, “Oh, that’s Timbaland. You’ve gotta check him out.” So I did some research and realized how incredible he was—as a person and as a producer.

I ended up taking his masterclass and also joined a music production class at my middle school when I was about 11. I kept producing and thought, This is what I want to do.

About a year later, I randomly met Timbaland in L.A. From there, everything took off. I got signed to his Beatclub at 13 and later signed a publishing deal with Pulse Music Group at 14. I’m 18 now, so I’ve been doing this professionally for four years. It’s been an amazing, crazy experience.

When you were just starting out, who were your main inspirations?

Definitely Timbaland—and Pharrell, to be honest. I was a big fan of both of them when I was starting out. Honestly, it was just those two. Since I started so young, I didn’t know many people in the industry. So as I grew up and got into music, it was all about ’90s R&B, Timbaland, and early 2000s Pharrell.

What was your process for improving your music at that time?

When I first started, I was mostly self-taught and relied heavily on YouTube. Big shoutout to Simon Servida and Mai on YouTube. I watched them make beats and tried to replicate what they did. So YouTube was definitely my number one resource.

I also listened to songs on Spotify and the radio, downloaded them, and tried to remake them to understand how they were produced. I still do this in a way—I sample a lot of sounds and study how other people create music.

I also took Timbaland’s masterclass early on in my career. Eventually, I was lucky enough to be mentored by Timbaland himself and his team— Federico Vindver and Angel Lopez.

But honestly, I still feel like I’m learning and growing every day. I’m always a student, forever a student. My way of improving has always been staying consistent and creating every single day.

Can you share the story of how you met Timbaland and started working with him? Was it through the masterclass?

No—it was pure luck. I was taking his masterclass, studying the lessons, and making beats on my phone while I was still in middle school.

I happened to be in L.A. because my sister is an actress. She was in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, playing The Rock’s daughter. At the movie premiere’s red carpet, Timbaland happened to be there.

I remember walking up to him and saying, “Hey, I make beats. This is what they sound like.” He listened to them on his phone right before the movie started and said, “You’re dope.” He followed me on Instagram, and about a year later, he called and said, “We’ve got to lock in and work together.”

I started doing virtual sessions with him, sometimes with SHDØW as well. I drove to his house in Miami after he told me to pull up, and worked with him there as well.

He brought me in at such a young age and truly launched my career. Social media gave me a platform to spread my music worldwide, and he played a huge role in that.

One of your major placements is the track “1st Degree Murder” by Trippie Redd. How did that song come about?

I remember I was in Florida and texted my homie, Angel Lopez. I was like, “Hey dude, I need to get one with Trippie Redd.” He told me, “Bro, I know Trippie’s main guy, Igor.” And I was like, “Okay, amazing. What’s the word?”

Angel told me to send over some ideas, and I did, but nothing seemed to stick. Then I went to L.A. for Thanksgiving week to visit family. While I was there, Angel called me and said, “Yo, Tripp is in the studio right now. Pull up.” I was like, “Okay, bet.”

I showed up, and it was a whole camp—Nick Mira and several other big names were there. We were all making tracks for Tripp. I remember being there around 1 p.m., working on the beat. Trippie walked in, hung out for a bit, and then left.

The studio started feeling a bit cramped, so I needed some fresh air. Angel and I went to the back room at Record Plant. Angel started playing something on the guitar, and I recorded it on Voice Memos. I thought it was dope, so we brought it back into the studio. Angel replayed it with an electric guitar, and I added drums.

From there, we built the whole song with some writers. I eventually left the session, and about a year later, I got a text from a homie saying, “Congrats on the Trippie placement!” I was like, “Wait, what?” Then I checked social media and saw the song had dropped—and it was going viral on TikTok and everything.

It was a really cool experience being in that session and seeing those creative vibes.