Exclusive Interview
Produced by: Rudy Manager
Edited by: Rudy Manager & Andrej Aroch
Ninesoul - Producer Behind Anuel AA and Eladio Carrión’s “North Carolina” on the Latin Music Scene
We met up with a music producer Ninesoul during our visit to LA on April 19 for a quick conversation about his biggest placement to date, Anuel AA and Eladio Carrión’s “North Carolina.” We also spoke about his advice for producers looking to tap into the Latin music market and what’s next for him. As someone well established in the Latin scene, Ninesoul has worked closely with some of the biggest names in the space and continues to bridge worlds through his production.
“Build relationships with great people, don’t take anything for granted, stay humble, and appreciate every opportunity.”
- Ninesoul
Can you share the story behind producing Anuel AA and Eladio Carrión’s “North Carolina”?
They were looking for records for the Monarca album, and I was going through records and sending stuff in. That song had probably been recorded about two years before it actually came out. My boy Pru, who I produced the record with, had told me he needed some loops, so I sent him a couple. He told me Eladio had recorded to one of them and that he loved the record.
There was one time we were at the studio, and I guess Eladio FaceTimed him. He was basically like, “Bro, Anuel just recorded to this. He wants this record.” Then later, Eladio told us, “I think he’s going to use it for his album.” So Eladio gave it to him, but before that, the song was still sitting there. Pru told me, “You know what? Let’s work on this record again.” So he sent it back to me, and we started touching it up and adding more sounds.
The first loop, the first version of that beat, was just a bell sound. All of those sounds were stock sounds from Logic. At the time, I was really big on that because I felt like if I could make something dope with stock plugins, I’d be able to make dope stuff with anything. So we kept building on it, and then two years later, it got placed. It was definitely a process, but I feel like it was more about the relationship between me and Pru, going back and forth and him saying, “Let’s revive these records.” We sent it in, and it ended up getting placed.
Do you notice any differences between Latin and American sessions, and what advice would you give to American producers who want to tap into the Latin space?
I feel like the American side is a little more organized than the Latin side, but at the end of the day, it comes down to curating things for the artist and understanding what they want. As a Latin producer and someone who also works on the English side, I feel like both sides are trying to get into the same spaces in different ways.
When you try to bring value to someone and offer something they don’t already have, that can create momentum. They might hear something and think, “I haven’t heard this on the English side, so I could bring it to the Spanish side,” and it goes both ways. When you have that mentality of adding something to another genre, that’s when doors start opening.
Other than one side maybe being a little more organized, I don’t feel like there’s a huge difference. I think people on both sides just have to be more open to each other’s sounds and willing to bring both worlds together. To me, that’s the most important thing.
What advice would you give to the next generation of music producers who want to break into the industry, land placements, and work with established artists?
I feel like the biggest thing is to be patient and create really meaningful relationships in the industry. Don’t try to rush things, and don’t take anything personally. I feel like that’s one of the most important things for a producer coming up, because for me, that was one of the hardest parts. I was trying to rush my process.
Once you take your time and don’t skip steps, everything you go through builds you up for that moment. Then when you finally get there, you appreciate it more. So I feel like that’s the biggest thing. Build relationships with great people, don’t take anything for granted, stay humble, and appreciate every opportunity that comes your way.
What plans do you have for the rest of this year, both musically and personally?
For this year, I feel like I want to be more tapped into the English side and do more work in that space. At the same time, I want to incorporate more Spanish artists and create more collaborations between Spanish and English artists. I feel like there are already a couple of artists who have done that, but when it happens more often, it opens people’s minds. They might say, “Oh man, this collaboration hasn’t been done before.” I feel like there are still a lot of English and Spanish collaborations that haven’t happened yet.
For me, I also want to work with more emerging artists. I feel like there’s a lot of great talent out there that sometimes we as producers overlook, and we don’t always take the time to value them the right way. To me, that’s one of the biggest things. I want to do more artist development and be able to connect with people more.
What message would you give to the producer community?
My message would be to open the door for the next generation coming up. I feel like we shouldn’t gatekeep things, because we were all there at one point. As we keep getting older, I feel like it’s our job to educate people, share pointers, and help them avoid going through some of the same things we went through.
I also feel like collaborating is a big thing. We should be collaborating more and have the mindset of, “Let’s work together.” There’s enough food at the table for everybody to eat, and we shouldn’t have egos in this industry. We should just focus on making great music, building great relationships, and uplifting each other.
We also have to be happy for others. Even if something doesn’t happen for me, I can still be happy for somebody else and make them feel like they’re doing a great job, regardless of my own situation.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I feel like overall, it doesn’t even have to be about music. If you have a dream that you want to pursue, just do it. You shouldn’t let anything get in the way. One thing we talked about is how, as creators, we can be in our heads too much, and sometimes we overthink things. I feel like we need to stop overthinking and also talk more about the emotions that we all go through as creatives.
The industry can sometimes get in the way of our minds and our thoughts, but once you understand that everything happens for a reason and you really want to chase your dream, that’s all that matters. You just have to chase it and keep working. Sooner or later, it’s going to happen, and somebody’s going to take a chance on you. But it starts with you. You have to bet on yourself first and just keep going. That’s all.
Follow Ninesoul on Instagram: @ninesoulll
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