Today we’d like to introduce you to Swede of 808 Mafia.
Swede, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started out playing in bands. One day the lead singer of my latest band quit in the middle of the recordings of the album which led to the splitting of the band. My dream was still to work with music so I thought I could write and produce songs for other artists instead. I knew how to write songs for my band and how to play those songs on a guitar but I had no idea how to make beats and produce music for different artists. I went on YouTube and searched for tutorials about “how to make beats”. At that time I was living in Sweden and through a friend a got the opportunity of an internship in a local studio. I was there day and night trying to figure out the next move.
Eventually, I got my own little room in that studio where I could make music. I was there day and night watching those YouTube tutorials and trying to get better at making beats. I stopped going out partying and shit like that and I spent every single day in front of my computer making beats. After a few years, I got my first big placement with Sergey Lazarev, one of the biggest artists in Russia. I co-wrote and produced the song “Storm” on his album “Lazarev.”. The album went gold after only three months and it was the best selling album of that year. After that I started making connections in the music industry in the US, I joined the production team “808 Mafia” and eventually I moved to Miami. In the US I produced songs for major artists such as DJ Khaled, Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, Nas, Rich Homie Quan, Future and more…
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a long road and never smooth. Besides the fact that I had to give up everything and dedicate myself 100% to my music, in the beginning, it was very hard to make people listen to my music and even harder to get in touch with artists and labels. I thought it was always about great music but little by little I learned that with great music alone you don’t come that long. Instead, it’s about business and connections for the most. It was very hard to make those connections in the beginning. Also, I had to move from Sweden to the USA in order to expand my business, make new connections and work closely with artists. Hard work pays off though and I’m very happy I followed my dream and never gave up.
Please tell us about your work.
I work as a music producer, I make beats and produce songs for artists. I mainly focus on hip-hop. My most recent works include “Won’t Take My Soul” by Dj Khaled feat. Nas & CeeLo Green (a track co-produced with Streetrunner, KillaT and Dj Khaled) included in the top-charting album “Father Of Asahd” which was certified Gold only after three weeks of its released and is nominated as “Album Of The Year” on the BET Hip Hop Awards 2019. Recently I also co-produce together with Southside “This The Night” by Gucci Mane from his album “Evil Genius”, I produced two songs on the season finale of the Golden Globes nominated Tv Serie “Kidding” featuring actor Jim Carrey, I produced “Go Crazy” by Young Money artist Jay Jones ft. Lil Wayne and more…
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I like the vibe around here, the beaches and the weather are great. What I like least is the traffic.. people drive like crazy over here lol.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swede808mafia/
Image Credit:
Image credits for SWEDE pictures: photo by EM
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