We caught up with the brilliant and insightful G.A.D & Shoji a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi G.A.D & Shoji, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
The most meaningful project we have been a part of was producing Ledisi’s single “Sell me no Dreams”. Before working on this song, we had already synched many of our productions in various TV shows but had never produced for such an accomplished artist. The song was written over one of our beats by an amazing singer/songwriter named Francci, one of our frequent collaborators, who also had recently begun working with Ledisi as a writer. Ledisi heard the song and decided she wanted to record it as a single for her upcoming album. This was a huge milestone in our careers. To work on a song for such a successful artist who’s music you are not only aware of but admire is a dream for any aspiring producer. Also, many up and coming producers and songwriters (ourselves included) have an expectation of creating a song with an artist together in a studio. Although that obviously happens sometimes, nowadays the producers and artists tend not to meet and sometimes have very little communication outside of business and legal logistics. It is not uncommon that producers have credits with artists that they have never met or even talked to ever. Yet, even though we never got to work with Ledisi in person, she not only called us to thank us and congratulate us right before the song’s release, but also invited us to an album listening party and got us V.I.P passes to her concert in Los Angeles so that we could meet her in person. She was friendly and very down to earth. After hearing so many stories of people getting treated horribly in the industry, Ledisi’s warmth and appreciation for those she collaborates with gave us a sense of optimism. Not only did our first artist placement happen with someone who’s music we respect, but also someone who’s attitude is a model for how to treat others in the industry.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
We both met at Musicians Institute in 2012. In the years after graduating, we started becoming more and more interested in producing our own songs, which led us to create a production partnership and take a more entrepreneurial approach to our work. By 2019 we had started working full time as producers/ audio engineers. We went from gigging musicians who play guitar and bass respectively to a producer/ engineer duo who can assist artists with any and every step necessary to creating a high quality track. There are so many variables on the way to completing a song. Our experience making music for TV shows gives us the ability to eliminate many of these uncertainties, allowing the artist to focus more on their performance and the aspects that are in their control. We are very versatile producers who know how to bring the best out in artists and fulfill their visions. Our familiarity producing, mixing, and mastering many popular styles of music makes us a valuable addition to any project.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
An important pivot we made was in 2018, when we started our production partnership. This move initiated a shift from being freelance musicians who produced a bit, stumbling upon gigs here and there, to becoming a business partnership that is actively growing and evolving. It is easy to romanticize being a creative, but the reality is that treating your work like a business is essential to making a living as a musician. We bought all the gear necessary to have a high end recording studio and became more pro-actively drawing in clients for producing, mixing, and mastering. This also included stepping up our expertise in these fields. As soon as we made that transition in our minds and started investing in ourselves accordingly, slowly but surely our vision became a reality and within about a year, we managed to land our first synch opportunities, which snowballed into full time work.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding part of being a creative is doing something you genuinely enjoy on a daily basis. Although there are clearly difficult or tedious moments, and making music isn’t always fun and games, it still never feels like actual work. Pulling an idea from your mind and turning it into something tangible is in itself rewarding. Being able to affect people through something that you created is an indescribable feeling.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://studiooverlook.com/
- Instagram: @Shojiproduction @gadprod @overlookstudio
- Twitter: @Shojiproduction @gadprod
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7euYyqEKjS6ffhReVl5Y1L?si=MIjmkuSaR1mbnMMMajzNdA
Image Credits
Oscar Contreras
Signalstarr