Music producer Lauren Deakin Davies has been in music and in bands since the age 10, beginning with a folk band made up of school friends and by 18, Lauren had become a music producer. She recently won NMG’s Producer of the Year Award in 2017.  At 22, Lauren is a studio owner with many production accomplishments that include 9 albums (6 as sole producer) of which 2 are award-winning, over 25+ EPs, and has produced or written 200+ commercially released tracks, to name a few. In March 2017, Lauren launched her project and campaign as a solo artist under the name DIDI (an abbreviation of Deakin Davies).

I recently interviewed Lauren about her music, music production process, women producers, and much more.

 

Congratulations on winning NMG’s Producer of the Year Award!  In your statement about winning, you said that it validated your work because for so long you didn’t know if you were good enough (as a producer). Can you explain why you felt that way?  

I think as someone who never properly studied music production it’s easy to think that the people around you are better than you or that you don’t actually know what you are doing. I also think it slightly affected me being surrounded by men who were so confident in what they are doing, and it makes you doubt yourself if you are not matching their level of confidence. Also I had achieved quite a lot of things which seemed to impress people before I was even 20 and sometimes people make you feel bad for being young and getting on with your life and some people also made me feel like I was being naive for believing that I could do what I wanted, to follow my heart as it were, and for being so enthusiastic. But it was my blind naive enthusiasm that made me get as far as I did! I remember walking out of school (and never returning) the day that the teacher who was head of sixth form said to me ‘get your head out of the clouds and stop believing that you could ever have a career in music’.

I love music production so much and I feel so happy that I get paid to do this on a daily basis. I love learning and know I’ve got a lot to learn still and nothing anyone can say would make me not want to continue pursuing it as a career.

 As I’ve got a little bit older I look back and have remembered people implying things, like I only got various achievements because I was a young ‘pretty’ woman, rather than because I actually had any skill and that is very hard to ignore and at a subliminal level makes you feel invalidated, because it means people are not taking you seriously. I think it’s important to reflect on that and acknowledge it. So many things have happened since then (although it still happens every now and again) and now I am really being validated for my hard work and skill in this field by winning awards or getting the radio plays for my work, as well for being asked to sit on various music industry panels and run workshops and lectures, and I am still as such early stages so it’s very exciting to see what happens next!

 

Why do you think women producers aren’t taken seriously in the studio?  And is this possibly why there are so few of them?

I think in reality they are taken seriously (in the studio) because if you’ve got to the point when you’re in the studio and you’re operating the desk then people will assume that you are the producer. But also there are just not that many of us, and when they have seen women in the studio before they are usually the tea girls or receptionists, so it just takes an adjustment of mindset, as it’s a change to see women in positions of authority which they are not historically associated with. The main problem I have had in the past (not so much now) is that people don’t assume that I’m very good if they have no context, ie when meeting me outside the studio or at a music-related event, but I do think that is more reflection on the fact that I’m young, although I don’t think a guy would be getting the same amount of flack that I did/still do? I find whenever I am talking about music production I have to validate myself in the first few seconds although no matter what happens if you have a conversation about music production with me, you will realize within a minute that I am very serious about it!

 

How do you think this attitude about women producers can be changed?

 Often people say that there are not many women going into music production because there are no role models which I think is an interesting concept because, in reality, it would make sense! Although the lack of role models was definitely not a factor for me as I went into it because I loved music tech, ‘nerdy things’ in general as well as writing songs so it seemed like a natural progression! It didn’t occur to me that there were not that many women in music production until I was about 18 (and got my first BBC Radio 2 play for a track I had produced) and people kept asking about it. I’ve had a couple of interesting situations happened recently, one of which was when a girl came up to me and asked ‘how scary is it to be a female producer?’ and that kind of upset me, because I do think that an image is being painted that you have to be hard as nails or have a superpower or something like that to go into music production as a woman, where in reality everyone’s pretty kind and chill and most people who are producers are introverts anyway! I think it’s a very friendly environment to be in but you’ll just have to deal with some levels of sexism which I’m pretty sure that almost everyone deals with on a daily basis in other careers anyway! You don’t have to be particularly fierce to be in this industry you just have to really like it and commit all your time to it, lol! So I think with more women coming through it will change people’s attitude just because they will probably know a female producer anyway!

 

How do you think more women can be encouraged/supported to become a producer? 

I would say it starts at a much younger age where a lot of STEM subjects sit, so often women are not encouraged to go into more techie engineering roles and when it comes to the breaking point where they making a decision over things like their GCSEs and A-level or equivalent they decide not go down the music production route because that’s not a ‘girl’ thing to do.

So yes, I can already see that more women are getting into production and being encouraged and championed, especially with studio gear getting much cheaper and therefore being more accessible.

 

Can you tell us about your production process? Do you go by instinct? Do you experiment with sounds? Improvise?

I think like most people you start with limited equipment and do the best you can with it. At least that’s definitely what happened to me! I had very poor equipment to start with and was using Audacity with my laptop microphone! I came up with some really interesting sounds and messed around with various feedback loops, smashing sounds through compressors, making drum sounds with the various inanimate objects in my room etc. I think those sorts of things are integral to how my production style has developed now because I still use techniques that I used back when I had a very limited equipment to make some more interesting unique sounds! I do think music production came to me quite naturally partly because I was a musician and I have been in so many studios as a recording artist. By the time I was 16 I had recorded 2 EPs with the band I was in, and I recorded my first EP for someone else when I was 17 and it was then that I learnt so much about working with other people.

I massively improvise with so much of what I do, and back in the day I only had one microphone which meant experimenting with different panning techniques and I quickly learnt about phasing issues where I double up tracks! I’m a massive nerd so I always loved working things out to make the sounds I like, doing it on my own terms which is why I never really got taught how to do this, I would just try things out and then consult my other music producer friends to see if I was on roughly the right track and most the time I was right. But my oh my, when I learnt to sum my mixes to mono, it really changed a lot in my mix process aha!

 

I read that you “have the ability to draw the best from a song and relax the artist”. Can you explain that process?

 Well, I think the first step is to make sure that you make the artist feel comfortable and make it a level playing field. I think some producers think they are more important than the artist and like to show it which is so damaging. I know so many artists who find it incredibly uncomfortable to be around an over domineering producer and ultimately they hate their recordings because they didn’t feel like they could give their opinion or that if they did it was going to get ignored anyway. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I have had specifically female artists come to my studio telling me about horrible experience that they had working with producers because they wouldn’t take them seriously. It’s like 8/10. It really angers me.

It’s done in lots of different ways but first off is just straight up listening to them and asking about their previous experiences. I will spend a large portion of the beginning of my first sessions simply talking to the artists I’m working with because although some people may seem like it’s wasting time, because you’re not recording, you save so much time in the future because you can make correct assumptions or decisions over the type of things that the artist likes. It’s also important because you know when to push someone or when to let something go because you know where their personal thresholds are and without that, you can’t get the best performance from someone. Also being in the studio as an artist means that you are incredibly vulnerable to other people’s opinions,  you are pouring your heart out in a performance and you need to make sure as the producer that you are creating a safe environment in which the artist is able to give the best performance they have ever given. And that might take a number of takes. And it’s vital that you don’t get impatient and show them that you are in this ‘til they are happy with the take. I think also it’s about having fun. I love my job and the people I work with so of course you’re going to have a great time when you spend time with each other! I’ve become such close friends with people I work with and you have to because it’s a very intense project, you might be spending a week with someone who is actually living with you (we offer basic accommodation and meals in our home for many female artists in particular), and before that week you might have only had ever met once and then you both have the best time ever!

 

You were drawn to the recording studio at a young age. What was it about the studio that was so exciting it made you want to become a producer?

I think, ultimately I am just a really nerdy person and engineering/gear/wires/buttons and effects make me really excited and happy, so it seemed quite natural to go into the engineering production side of things! I was also in studios from a really young age and was lucky to record at Universal Studios, Metropolis Studios and the local Cream Room Sound Productions studio as well as some others when I was 16 and that really firmed up for me that that is what I wanted to do! I wanted to be able to create songs and music and have a good skill of understanding of production!

 

What did you learn about producing when you built your own studio and started recording?

I tried lots of different techniques when I was working on my own studio, setting it up was a slow long process and even now I’m still always upgrading because I don’t think you ever really stop, especially if you’re a ‘gear head’ like me! When I started out I always made sure I immediately reinvested any money that I made back into my studio gear so the first EP I ever recorded I charged nothing so that I had something in my portfolio, then the next EP I recorded I charged £10 a song which meant that I had £50, with my own savings and bought a better microphone than from then I charged £20 a song and then £50 a song so on so forth until I’ve got to the point where I am now charging decent day rates (but with no additional studio hire charge as I have my own studio so that keeps me competitive price wise) but I always make sure my studio is running as efficiently and professionally as it can!

 

How did your session work for other people help you learn to produce? 

It also is a very strong discipline because you’re being hired to be professional with your instrument, you need to be very good at it and not mess up or mess around, it also teaches me how other people work so I can get in the headspace, which means that when you’re working with other people you have better people skills to communicate what you’re trying to get across and have a nice working flow. You also pick up new techniques and ideas all the time working with other people which is why I love doing it!

 

What led to you being hired at 17 as a lead producer on a project at Cream Room Sound Production? What did you gain from that experience?

This is one of those crazy situations and I’m so lucky to have met Martin Lumsden from the Cream Room. When I was about 15 I was busking with my friends on the street with our folk band and a random guy came up to us and said he really liked our sound and wanted to record our music. He then proceeded to write down his information on a napkin and hand it to us. I’d be lying if I said we weren’t a little skeptical but I’m so glad that we did try it out because after recording there for a while Martin really believed in what I was doing and asked me to work on Alexa Mullins’ first EP and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity!

 

Please tell us about your involvement with Red Bull Studios workshops that mentor women in music production. 

 Last July I was really lucky to be asked to present one of the engineering workshops at the Red Bull Normal Not Novelty sessions set up by Brandon Harding. Red Bull #normalnotnovelty are trying so hard to help women in music production and every month they put on workshops with three different classes on engineering, music production and DJing for women only, to help them improve at production and also give the opportunity to network with other amazing people within the scene in a safe non-patronizing environment. I felt really lucky to be asked to actually present one of these, bearing in mind 2 years before I had attended the event as a noob (still am lol!) and it genuinely changed my life because of the amazing producers there, such a Steph Marziano, who I had met at the one she was presenting 2 years before! I did not imagine that I would be asked to present so early in my career but am very grateful for the opportunity.

 

What do you see as the advantages of being both a producer and a musician? Are there any disadvantages or drawbacks?

I see almost only advantages because I have been a musician from the start I know what it’s like to be in the studio from that perspective, and how important it is to have validation and support from the producer. It also gives me an insight into how people are writing songs and also how you want to perform things. I definitely see myself as a producer in the sense that we create songs when we work together and obviously I’m engineering and having involvement in the arrangement as well, as that’s ultimately what you’re coming to the studio for, so that you can end up with something that you are in love with and you think it’s the best creation and output for the song that you have ever done. So I think being a musician I can get on the same wavelength with them and really try to make sure that that happens. The only potential disadvantage at the moment is the fact that doing music production does consume a lot of my time and obviously putting all of your energy to being a solo artist also takes up a lot of time so it’s hard work to find the balance – I’m always list creating and reprioritizing stuff everyday lol – but ultimately I think that being in both camps has contributed to my success so far by having the combination of the two avenues. And it’s insane the amount of people that I have met because of doing either of those activities which have directly helped the other.

 

What artists/bands would you like to produce in the future?

I don’t know if I can answer that question because I find it really cringe in case any of those artists see I have asked to work with them! Also, I kind of like it when it just comes towards me so I don’t have to feel self-conscious!

 

You launched an exciting solo project in March 2017. What inspired you to dive back into music as a solo artist?

I never intended to be a solo artist. I always loved playing with other people so it was a massive surprise to me when I did it! when I wrote the song that sparked it all off which was ‘Sorry’ .

I wrote and produced it with the intention of no one ever hearing it! But after I wrote and recorded it I decided that I didn’t completely hate it so I showed it to my mum and she said she didn’t hate it either and both of us just looked at each other, and we were like, ‘we need to work out what we’re going to do here’, so within a couple of days we had come up with the whole release plan and name and everything and then two weeks later from the moment I wrote that song I launched a whole project and campaign from that point. But honestly, I had not thought about anything before then. I think part of why the song worked was because it wasn’t intended for anyone to hear, it was purely for me and I think that kind of shows. At that stage, when I thought it was private, I was unselfconscious and I wasn’t worried what people thought of the song or the lyrics but now it’s out there, I definitely am now lol!

 

Your latest single ‘Back Off’ has a great in-your-face punk vibe to it. What was the inspiration behind it?

First off thank you! and there is a story behind it. I was on a late night train home from London on a Saturday and a drunk girl got on the train. She wasn’t really bothering anyone but she was talking quite loudly and she made friends with the girl next to her. Suddenly an older guy about three rows back decided to start screaming his head off at her telling her that she was talking too loudly, he then proceeded to start dissing her age, her ethnicity (his words not mine) and her education which really got me riled up! I was going to get involved to help the girl, but she had a sassy comeback for everything he said and it wasn’t necessary to get involved. I did ask her how she was afterward though and clearly had dealt with it before, which made me sad as well as angry. From that point I just desperately needed to pick up a guitar so as soon as I got home I wrote ‘Back Off’  and that’s how it came to be, but let’s put it this way, ‘Back Off’ is the radio edit name!

 

You have an impressive list of successful producing projects and now your own solo project. Do you love staying busy and how do you balance life/work?

Different type of work seems to come in waves and depending on the time of the year it does depend on how much production versus guitar session work/performing solo I end up doing. The summer is usually extremely busy for gigging because of festivals and the winter is solid with recording for everyone wanting to do their releases for the spring after which they will then be touring them. I can’t say that I’ve got my life work balance sorted because I don’t know if anyone really has! I seem to work 24/7, 7 days a week, but try to grab a few hours downtime when I can. I try to also prioritise time with my friends- I even give some groups affectionate names, and I love my girl gang, aka the ‘Blue tits 2k13’ (Long story).

People who are in on what’s happening in your life so that if something bad happens they can completely understand. It’s easy to accidentally push people away because you’re too busy but you can really damage your friendships and yourself, but overall, yes I love staying busy cuz I love my job!

 

How do you see your producer/artist career evolving?

It’s so hard to ever truly predict what’s going to happen but I definitely do see both strands as something that go hand in hand and I would like to think that one doesn’t get brushed under the carpet because of the other! I feel like they are something that help each other, and I can see the potential for success! At this point I’m not seeing a limit, which might be to my detriment because it could end up being extremely difficult to make it work, but I like to think it’s all worth it in the end! I love doing music production and I think having a mix of both makes me so happy and keeps me on my toes, I see them evolving strongly together and I can’t believe how it happened in the past year so I’ve no idea what is going to happen in the next three years!

 

Do you have any interests you pursue outside of music?

Oh yes, do, but these days I definitely seem to be spread a little thin. I really love carpentry/woodwork and I’ve made my own ukulele in the past and half the furniture in the Den (my studio) are things that I have made anyway! I love making/engineering things, when I was younger I was really obsessed with robot wars and used to modify remote control cars with meccano sets and attack my dads ankles with them! I’m also quite into art and end up doing quite a bit of the artwork – logos, posters and EP art for example – for artists that I work with (as well as for my own DIDI aesthetic)! I also love extreme survival camping because you know that’s a normal thing to enjoy doing lol! (Bear Grylls has a lot to answer for!)

 

At 22, you’ve become a successful producer and artist. Would you consider yourself a role model for young women aspiring to do the same?

I think the expression role model gets used quite a lot and it’s progressively being used with reference to me which I find crazy! But also a complete honour! I think everyone is unique but if anyone can find something positive about what I’m doing and use that to encourage their own ambitions then that’s more than I could ever ask for. I have been asked to be a mentor for excellent London artist, MIRI’s School Ground Sounds project which I find very stimulating. To think that I could potentially be contributing to someone else’s success makes me happy beyond belief!

 

What advice would you give to women who are interested in becoming a producer and/or a solo artist or musician?

The genuine answer would be to have a business mind about it. You have to follow your heart about what you want to do but also be practical about thinking how you are actually going to achieve it.

You have to practice a lot too. Even the best people in the world whose music and production might appear to come to them naturally, are the people who do it all the time and keep on challenging themselves to improve.

If you want to get things done quickly, talk to lots of people, i.e. network. and tell them what you want to do and what you want to achieve (ie put it out there) but also be aware of what they want and find out how you could potentially benefit their lives or career. In this way you can create a really good synergy between people, generating a strong network which creates a safety net and also brings you more opportunities. Taking responsibility for your career also involves understanding what organizations like PRS, PPL, MPG, FAC, AIM, MPA, MMF … do, and how they can help you – all of which are under the umbrella of UK Music (if you’ve more than a three letter acronym you need not apply lol!) and of course, there’s so many more who support the emerging music scene. Getting involved with these organisations and putting yourself out there to get on their radar takes time and effort but leads you onto a path which can help you attract the right people to your team. You may not have a manager or a booking agent or a record label but if you know people that do all of the key elements that you can’t do, then you can create a team which is customised to play to your strengths and you’re going to be a lot stronger for it!

 

Thank you for the opportunity to interview you!

Thank you for asking me such in-depth questions, I feel very honored that you have asked me. I hope that I have answered the questions in a way that was somehow helpful!