With the new era of creativity empowered by technology and the internet, artists/musicians now have the capacity to collaborate and share their works across the globe in a single heartbeat. A textbook example of this is by the name of Evan Berard, a 23-year-old Montreal Canadian producer who defied the odds and went from virtually unknown to producing EXO’s ‘Electric Kiss‘, which now has over 15.4 million views on YouTube as of the publishing of this article.
Tim Fujio: Can you explain what the role of producer is for those who are unfamiliar?
Evan Berard: Sure! A producer can mean a lot of things but in most cases today it refers to the person who creates the instrumental part of the song. So it can include programming drums, playing the keyboard parts, composing the music, mixing, selecting sounds, etc. A producer usually works with other musicians to ensure the final song is as good as it can be.
How did you get your start as a producer?
How in the world did you come about in producing a song for EXO?
What is your sphere of knowledge regarding South Korean culture, particularly K-pop?
I knew a bit of Kpop beforehand. I think my first exposure to it was in 2010-ish. I definitely knew about EXO beforehand as well. I also did Taekwondo which we learned some basic Korean words from.
Have you ever been to South Korea? If not, do you want to and or do you plan on going in the near future?
I haven’t been yet but I have wanted to go for a while now! Looks like an amazing country to go visit. I have no exact plans set yet but a trip there is a real possibility right now!
Now that you have established yourself as a producer with a hit title under your belt, what’s your next move? What are you planning for the future career wise?
Do you have any last words?
Yes! If you want to make a hit you don’t need expensive equipment or an expensive studio. You only need a laptop, some great sounds, headphones, practice/creativity. I made most of Electric Kiss on my couch with my laptop and $35 Apple earbuds. Don’t believe you need to buy super expensive equipment or software!
