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Exclusive Interview

Oct 24, 2024

Produced by: Rudy Manager

Edited by: Rudy Manager & Andrej Aroch

Powers Pleasant – “Half the game is making the music, and the other half is shopping it around and moving it”

Powers Pleasant is releasing his highly anticipated new album, Life Sucks, today. In this exclusive Studio Talks interview, we sit down with the acclaimed music producer and artist to discuss his latest project, as well as his genre-defying sound and dynamic collaborations with artists like Joey Bada$$, Denzel Curry, A$AP Ferg, and many more. As the founding member of the Pro Era collective, Powers shares insights into his creative journey, sheds light on the creation of his second album, Life Sucks, and offers valuable advice to new music producers looking to carve their own paths in the industry.


I’d like to start from the very beginning and ask: did you start DJing first, or was it producing?

I always wanted to be a producer, but I feel like DJing and producing go hand in hand. While I was making beats on my pop’s MacBook, I was also DJing and throwing parties around the city because I didn’t want to stay inside. I didn’t want to be just a bedroom producer—I wanted to travel and tour, too. I see DJing as a kind of performance. When you're an artist, you record your music in the studio and then go on tour to perform it. For me, as a producer, I work in the studio and then go on tour DJing. To me, it’s the same thing.

How has your working relationship with Joey Bada$$ evolved over the years? Has the process changed over time?

I mean, nah, not really, bro. It's super organic. It's really just about vibes. I can't remember the last time we actually had a session that was scheduled. Usually, I just send him some sh*t, or I'll pull up on him, or he’ll pull up on me. It's very spur-of-the-moment and based on whatever energy we're on. Whether we're on tour, on the bus, or at the venue, we just go with the flow. But yeah, it's still very organic. That hasn’t changed.

What does your studio setup look like?

In my home studio, I’ve got a few keyboards. I have an Oberheim OB-8—Joey actually got that for me for my birthday. Shout out to him. I’ve got this Roland Juno 106 that I don’t want to snitch on myself about; it may or may not have belonged to Kanye. But a lot of the time, I’m traveling or working off my laptop when I’m at someone else’s studio. So, it’s mostly in-the-box stuff unless I’m playing some keys. I might record a few loops or make some drum loops. My approach to making music isn’t very planned; it’s very unorthodox. I just go with whatever feels good. I might record a drum loop on my iPhone using voice memos or sample someone’s voice and chop it up. I try to keep it as creative as possible.

How do you approach working on your own music compared to working with different artists like BTS and Princess Nokia? Do you approach it any differently?

I approach it the same way I have since I was a kid. I love making music, so I’m just trying to do the best job possible. If I’m working with an artist and we have a goal, sound, or vibe we’re going for, I’ll be intentional about delivering that. But really, I’m just following the vibes.

What advice would you give to new, upcoming producers trying to work with artists?

The advice I’d give is to put in your 10,000 hours to really sharpen your skills. The other half of being a producer is getting your music to the artists. You have to think creatively about how you’re going to get your music in front of the right people who can actually hear it. Half the game is making the music, and the other half is shopping it around and moving it. I used to focus only on making the best music, and while that was cool, I wasn’t getting the best results.

Now, after I make a track, I think about how I’m going to get it to the artist. Am I going to hit up their management? Follow them on Instagram? DM them? Reach out to the producer or engineer? I really try to approach it from all angles to get placements. These days, it’s a lot easier for me because I’ve built a name for myself, so I can contact people directly or book sessions with them. But when you're starting out, you’ve got to be creative, because there are a million people making music. There’s always some luck involved, but the only way to stand out is to think smarter than everyone else—not necessarily working harder, but working smarter.

What do you enjoy most about your career? Is it DJing or producing music?

Man, I love them both. Like I said, it’s the same thing. It’s like asking an artist if they prefer recording music or performing. I love the process of creating music. I love working with artists, having them in the room, and pushing them out of their comfort zones. I want to help make something they never expected they would create. I’m always trying to push the boundaries of music and discover something new.

Can you describe the process behind the creation of your new album Life Sucks from the initial idea?

Yeah, so I dropped my first project, Life Is Beautiful, back in 2019. Then I moved to LA and started working on what was initially called Life Is Beautiful 2, which eventually became Life Sucks. Half the songs I made were meant for artists’ projects, but they might not have ended up using them. The other half I created with the intention of putting them on my album. I’d get a verse from somebody and think, "Hmm, I wonder who else would sound good on this," and I’d either send it to them or pull up on them. I’ve also got a few tracks that are cult classics—they’ve been leaked online for a while, so I’m finally putting them on DSPs. But overall, it’s a mix, and I don’t really have one set process for how I do things.

How do you approach working on your own music compared to working with different artists like BTS and Princess Nokia? Do you approach it any differently?

I approach it the same way I have since I was a kid. I love making music, so I’m just trying to do the best job possible. If I’m working with an artist and we have a goal, sound, or vibe we’re going for, I’ll be intentional about delivering that. But really, I’m just following the vibes.

What advice would you give to new, upcoming producers trying to work with artists?

The advice I’d give is to put in your 10,000 hours to really sharpen your skills. The other half of being a producer is getting your music to the artists. You have to think creatively about how you’re going to get your music in front of the right people who can actually hear it. Half the game is making the music, and the other half is shopping it around and moving it. I used to focus only on making the best music, and while that was cool, I wasn’t getting the best results.

Now, after I make a track, I think about how I’m going to get it to the artist. Am I going to hit up their management? Follow them on Instagram? DM them? Reach out to the producer or engineer? I really try to approach it from all angles to get placements. These days, it’s a lot easier for me because I’ve built a name for myself, so I can contact people directly or book sessions with them. But when you're starting out, you’ve got to be creative, because there are a million people making music. There’s always some luck involved, but the only way to stand out is to think smarter than everyone else—not necessarily working harder, but working smarter.

What do you enjoy most about your career? Is it DJing or producing music?

Man, I love them both. Like I said, it’s the same thing. It’s like asking an artist if they prefer recording music or performing. I love the process of creating music. I love working with artists, having them in the room, and pushing them out of their comfort zones. I want to help make something they never expected they would create. I’m always trying to push the boundaries of music and discover something new.

Can you describe the process behind the creation of your new album Life Sucks from the initial idea?

Yeah, so I dropped my first project, Life Is Beautiful, back in 2019. Then I moved to LA and started working on what was initially called Life Is Beautiful 2, which eventually became Life Sucks. Half the songs I made were meant for artists’ projects, but they might not have ended up using them. The other half I created with the intention of putting them on my album. I’d get a verse from somebody and think, "Hmm, I wonder who else would sound good on this," and I’d either send it to them or pull up on them. I’ve also got a few tracks that are cult classics—they’ve been leaked online for a while, so I’m finally putting them on DSPs. But overall, it’s a mix, and I don’t really have one set process for how I do things.

How do you approach working on your own music compared to working with different artists like BTS and Princess Nokia? Do you approach it any differently?

I approach it the same way I have since I was a kid. I love making music, so I’m just trying to do the best job possible. If I’m working with an artist and we have a goal, sound, or vibe we’re going for, I’ll be intentional about delivering that. But really, I’m just following the vibes.

What advice would you give to new, upcoming producers trying to work with artists?

The advice I’d give is to put in your 10,000 hours to really sharpen your skills. The other half of being a producer is getting your music to the artists. You have to think creatively about how you’re going to get your music in front of the right people who can actually hear it. Half the game is making the music, and the other half is shopping it around and moving it. I used to focus only on making the best music, and while that was cool, I wasn’t getting the best results.

Now, after I make a track, I think about how I’m going to get it to the artist. Am I going to hit up their management? Follow them on Instagram? DM them? Reach out to the producer or engineer? I really try to approach it from all angles to get placements. These days, it’s a lot easier for me because I’ve built a name for myself, so I can contact people directly or book sessions with them. But when you're starting out, you’ve got to be creative, because there are a million people making music. There’s always some luck involved, but the only way to stand out is to think smarter than everyone else—not necessarily working harder, but working smarter.

What do you enjoy most about your career? Is it DJing or producing music?

Man, I love them both. Like I said, it’s the same thing. It’s like asking an artist if they prefer recording music or performing. I love the process of creating music. I love working with artists, having them in the room, and pushing them out of their comfort zones. I want to help make something they never expected they would create. I’m always trying to push the boundaries of music and discover something new.

Can you describe the process behind the creation of your new album Life Sucks from the initial idea?

Yeah, so I dropped my first project, Life Is Beautiful, back in 2019. Then I moved to LA and started working on what was initially called Life Is Beautiful 2, which eventually became Life Sucks. Half the songs I made were meant for artists’ projects, but they might not have ended up using them. The other half I created with the intention of putting them on my album. I’d get a verse from somebody and think, "Hmm, I wonder who else would sound good on this," and I’d either send it to them or pull up on them. I’ve also got a few tracks that are cult classics—they’ve been leaked online for a while, so I’m finally putting them on DSPs. But overall, it’s a mix, and I don’t really have one set process for how I do things.

I’ve seen on your YouTube that you have the series “Live Unscripted.” The energy you guys had while working on the project with so many artists was crazy. Can you share how you made some of the songs?

Well, “Bandoe” (feat. Denzel Curry, Meechy Darko, and Soulja Livin Tru), I went to a session at Denzel Curry’s and Dot Da Genius’s studio. He had this artist Soulja Livin Tru. He’s from Florida. He was in town and has super raw energy. I think it was the first beat I played, and he picked that instantly, wrote the hook for it, and then laid down his whole verse in maybe 15 minutes. He might’ve done that in the booth, but he killed it. I was blown away. Then Meechy Darko was there as well, and he added a verse, then Denzel jumped on it. We made that song in about an hour or two, and it’s always been a banger to me.

A lot of them started with one verse from one artist, and I’d send it to another artist, so we weren’t necessarily in the room at the same time. "Bandoe" was one of the ones we actually made together. “Shmoke” (feat. A$AP Ferg & Armani Ceasar), me, A$AP Ferg, and Armani Caesar were all in the studio. I was working on Ferg’s album, and he was recording to another beat that I had. I played him some beats and he picked some stuff, but I wasn’t sure if I had any other beats that he would like. I thought, damn, I’ve got about 15 minutes to make this beat. So, while he’s in the booth recording, I’ve got my headphones on. Shout out to Swam for sending me the sample. I was literally making that beat while he was in the booth. While they were doing playback of the song, he heard it through my headphones and said, “That sh*t is hard. Load that sh*t up.” And the rest is history.

Can you talk about some of the influences behind this project?

I'm not sure if I had a particular sonic influence on this project. I think I’ve been working on it for the last few years and honestly took some songs off. I made new music along the way, and I just wanted to put my best work forward and give people a peek inside my brain—how my mind works. The project kind of goes through various genres, it’s not just one style. I really wanted to show my range as both a producer and artist. This is a different type of music that I like. I’m not just a one-genre person; I love all different types of music, and I never want to be stuck in a box. Especially with my beginnings with Pro Era, I came out on some super '90s rap sh*t, which I love; however, I’m more diverse than just doing one thing.

Is there a specific track that stands out to you personally?

It changes by the day. I’ve been living with this music for a while, so I’ll play one track for a few months and then move on to another. I’m going to say “SMH” (feat. Joey Bada$$, Nyck Caution, CJ Fly, and Aaron Rose) since it’s one of the last songs we made, and everybody went crazy on it. It’s not a traditional song you would expect from us; making that vibe was so organic. It’s the oldest song we’ve had for a while, but we kind of revisited it. I’m just happy to put it out into the world. It’s a f***ing banger. It’s smooth, but it’s a banger.

Your last album was called Life Is Beautiful, and this one is called Life Sucks. Why this name for the project?

It was originally titled Life Is Beautiful 2, but I didn’t want to do a direct sequel. I started making this project during COVID, and honestly, life sucked at the time, with all the protests, the sickness, and everything that was happening. I felt uncomfortable in my environment. Life Is Beautiful was about seeing past the negative and focusing on the good in the world. Life Sucks carries the same message. It’s about saying that even though life might suck right now, it’s gonna get better. It may suck, but we’re still going to make the best of it. So it’s honestly the same message, just kind of an oxymoron with a different title.

I heard that the album was delayed because you had some legal issues. Can you explain the importance of owning your own masters as an artist?

Yeah, I think as an artist, it’s very important to own your masters and be in control of your music. I just wanted to get it right; I didn’t want to drop it the wrong way. I’m grateful to have found a home at Mass Appeal, and they’ve been great. Shout out to the whole team: Peter, Nas, Annie, everybody. It’s very important because we want to be in control. It’s our music. It’s kind of crazy that as an artist, you can sell your intellectual property. When you sign a deal, you’re basically agreeing that anything you create in the future under the terms of this deal, they own, which is kind of wild because it doesn’t exist yet. How can someone or a business own your intellectual property—what's in your brain? It’s kind of insane. This is like the standard for music, but it’s a very weird concept that I think will be debunked in the future; it doesn’t make sense. As artists, it’s important to own your masters to stay in power and be in control of your music. There’s nothing worse than being an artist and not being able to express yourself—it would drive some people crazy. I’m so happy to have been on this journey and to be able to drop my music now.

Do you also plan to go on tour with this album?

Sh*t, I might have to. I’m gonna do a show in LA and I’m doing a show in New York, Powers Pleasant and Friends for my album. But the year’s about to be over; it’s almost the holidays. I may need to tour next year and do a few spot dates in some of my favorite cities.

Is there anything you would like to add, like some last words?

I know it’s been a while since I’ve dropped music, but the floodgates are open, so stay on the lookout. I have another project dropping with one of my favorite producers, and I’m working on a bunch of collaborative projects with all my favorite artists and friends. There will be a lot of Powers Pleasant music coming out in the future. I mean it this time: no more delays, no more BS—the floodgates are open.

Follow Powers Pleasant on Instagram: @powerspleasant

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©2024. All rights reserved.

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