Hot Seat: Simon Cohen, the producer behind Bieber’s ’Love Yourself’

TMN has revived Hot Seat to offer our young industry subscribers an insight into what it takes to make it in the music business.

Australian producer Simon Cohen may count will.i.am, Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men), KRS-ONE, and Jessica Mauboy among his production credits, but most recently he’s made headlines as the vocal producerbehind Justin Bieber’s second-ever Australian #1 Love Yourself.

Cohen had engineers Bieber’s studio sessions during his visit in 2013 (on unreleased tracks for compilation LP Journals) and when the recent Grammy winner came back for a promo visit last September, his team reached out again. Cohen produced the vocals for Bieber’s single Love Yourself at Melbourne’s Studios 301 and has watched the track achieve 3x Platinum certification in Australia, and hit #1 in the UK, Sweden, Ireland, Israel, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Denmark and the US, where it’s sold over 2 million copies.

Speaking to TMN, Cohen chats about his Big Break back in 2008, what Bieber was like in the studio, his rules of thumb for those wanting to enter the production realm, and the advice he wish he received as a teenager.

Whatdrew you to a career in producing?

I played in bands in high school but found myself paying more attention to what the studio engineer was doing than my parts! From there on I was hooked. I had a little porta-studio and we tried to make our own recordings for friends. I loved the reaction of the artists when they would ask if we could do something and I could say “Yes! Absolutely!!”

There’s a part of my brain that is drawn to the hyper-technical aspect of the job and then there’s the other part of me that’s just a huge music fan and loves getting to help craft the kind of songs I want to hear.

Looking back, what do you now see as your Big Break?

Working on the song All Summer Long with Horrorshow and Spit Syndicate, which would ultimately end up being on both of their debut albums. Through that connection I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and work with a lot of artists in Australia’s hip hop and pop scene. I don’t think I’d have been able to specialise to such a high degree without the help and kind words of those guys.

How did you come to work with Justin Bieber on his ARIA #1Love Yourself?

I engineered a couple of sessions for him the last time he was in the country. When he came back this time I was fortunate enough to get the call again. Love Yourself was the only song we worked on this time. It was the priority!

What was Bieber like during recording at Studios 301?

He is one the hardest working guys in studio I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He’s constantly trying to beat the last vocal take to make sure everything is perfect and the melody is best possible iteration of the idea.

In our sessions we’ve just focused on the vocal but I’m sure he would be adding in ideas when he’s working with the music producers too.

Do you have a rule of thumb that you’ve adhered toin the studio?

I’m constantly striving to make everything as good as it can be! I swear by the words “Don’t settle!” If it involves editing between takes or re-recording certain lines to make sure you’ve got the very best performance, do it!

What are some best practices for those wanting a successful career in production?

Understand what’s important to the song and what is just serving your own ego. I was once told “No one will ever walk down the street whistling your snare drum sound.” If it’s between spending an hour tweaking a kick drum sound and an hour making sure the chorus melody is super catchy I know where I’d prefer to spend my time.

What are your perceptions on the new crop of talent entering the production realm?

I’m constantly amazed at some of the talent that I see. The Internet has been very democratising for production. Everyone has access to the same high quality samples and synths as their idols. Now it comes back to who has the strongest idea.

All the rules about what a record has to sound like have been smashed. It’s a very exciting time.

Do you think there’s been an increase in the number of artists taking on production duties?

The line between artist and producer has become increasingly blurred. So many elements from artist demos make their way into the final tracks these days because the quality you can achieve at home is so high. Artists are drawing from a wider pool of inspiration than at any other time. This makes it inevitable that guys that used to just play guitar are experimenting with how they can transform their sound using programs like Ableton. I think it’s a short step from there to building the foundation of their songs themselves before engaging a professional producer.

What are you working on right now?

I’m finalising my fourth record for Spit Syndicate and then I’m also really excited to be working on Alice Terry’s debut album. She has one Australia’s most amazing voices in my opinion. I’m so keen for everyone to hear it.

If you could go back, what advice would you give your teenage self?

Cut your hair and listen to hip hop! I grew up listening to punk rock and skateboarding. While that will always be a part of me, I’ve had to go back and learn a whole decade worth of records that my clients grew up listening to while I was rocking out.