Coming from a family deeply rooted in the world of music, Producer X has nurtured his creative spirit. Born Agada Prince, he has honed his skills through the years and has been making strides to stay ahead of his contemporaries, boldly asserting that his music is nothing short of extraordinary.
From his humble beginnings as a regular churchgoer, he would immerse himself in the ethereal world of instrumentals, tinkering and experimenting after the solemnity of church services and thus his transition from live music to digital music posed no obstacle, he in fact, views it as a natural progression, one that was embraced wholeheartedly by all.
This eventually became the catalyst for his transformation into a masterful producer, ultimately becoming the visionary behind the chart-topping anthemic song “Machala” and contributing his remarkable talents to Peruzzi’s “Things I Know.”
As Producer X continues to carve his path in the vast and ever-evolving Nigerian music scene, he has laid a solid foundation for his growth as a producer. Undeterred by the perception of others, he remains steadfast in his pursuit of excellence, fully committing his mind and energy to achieving his lofty goals.
With his unwavering determination and remarkable talent, he envisions himself standing proudly on the grand stage of the music industry, clutching the coveted Grammy Awards. While this vision may not yet be apparent to all, it burns brightly within his soul, propelling him ever closer to his desired triumph. “As for me, I see myself with a Grammys, I’m very close to it but I’m not sure everyone can see it yet”, he asserts.
Do you believe growing up in Lagos helped shape your career? Do you consider it a great contributor to your music discovery?
Of course a lot, because Lagos is like the centre of excellence. It’s like a commercial state and it’s even an entertaining state, all the stars are here in Lagos, every connect you make, everything you need to learn, you can always find someone here in Lagos so I feel Lagos actually helped my craft.
Discovering music to the point of becoming a producer is no small step to uncover. How did it become this for you?
It was always easy for me, because I started playing the keyboard as a child. Playing it in the church was a form of production for me because we had to put things together to produce a music for performance on Sunday after sermon. It was always inbuilt. Even in secondary school, I was the music prefect and it’s just like I’ve been in this music thing since.
Is there ever a genre you find yourself always tilting towards whenever you produce?
I make more of Afropop and most of my productions are mostly Amapiano or Afropop.
What’s your creative process like?
All I have to do is listen to music, it’s that easy. I just listen to music and I’m in the mood to make some music.
What producer do you think inspire your production?
I listen to many producers and artists because I have my own style. One producer I love so much and can’t bring myself to stop listening to is Juls. I look up to him, and even text him; he tells me things that can help in production.
Do you believe there’s a clear influence of Juls music creation pattern in how you produce music?
Juls’ baselines, it’s crazy and it’s something I feel inclined to recreate.
What skill do you believe you possess will help establish you as one of the finest producers in Nigeria?
My ability to be very versatile. If I’m being honest, I can be able to play different musical instruments, ranging up to seven, I know it always helps my production. Listen to “Machala”, and you’ll notice something in the beat, “O Ti Lo” also, you’ll notice the violin. I think it has to be My ability to play several instruments brings a difference to my work.
What Nigerian artists do you believe getting the opportunity to work with would only lead to the creation of magical melodies?
There’s a lot of them, from Asake to Davido. But I think Asake, I feel we’ll make something amazing and extraordinary.
When you produced the beat of “Machala,” what exactly did you have in mind? What was your particular state of mind?
I just wanted to create a hit song, that’s it. I just wanted to hit fame. When Carter called my brother, Berry Tiga, he stated he wanted to make a banger and seeing his influence, I reasoned if we did something really good, we might get his audience. I just decided to do something good, and something never done before. It’s been my proudest and most memorable achievement since my debut in music.
How did you come about the making of “Things I Need?”
It was like a collaboration, I met with a producer Dante and he was feeling my sound, reached out for us to do a thing for Peruzzi. I thought initially that he wasn’t serious, regarding how things went but it was a shock when he called and told me to send a beat for Peruzzi since he was in the studio with him. I wasn’t in the studio when the beat was made, I just sent it over.
What’s your opinion on artists that interplay between being a producer and an actual artist, the likes of Young John and Pheelz.
It’s not a bad idea really, but I don’t see myself toeing this path. Being an artist isn’t easy and there are so many things to think about. I just love being a producer, making music. It’s not enough to have the talent to dabble as both, it’s more than that. You can’t do the two at once, you have to leave one for one. Producers who do this, gradually leave the production aspect and leave production for singing.
You studied French in TASUED, was it your very first choice of course?
I never wanted to study French, we find ourselves in a country where we gamble with everything and can’t afford to sit at home for long. I actually wanted to study English but I was given French. The pressure was high and looking back now, studying French was actually helpful.
Any upcoming projects soon?
I’m dropping an EP soon, this year actually. In few months to come, say ending of the year, I’ll be dropping it and get your dancing gears on, it’ll be a fun body of work.
