Producer Rogét Chahayed’s path to the Grammys included piano and business lessons

Classical and pop music have more in common than you think – just ask the producer Rogét Chahayed. “Classical music is the foundation of all the music we listen to today when it comes to pop songs, R&B, or any style of music,” he says.

The 33-year-old Los Angeles native, who was nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, at the 64th Grammy Awards and has worked with top 40 favorites including Doja Cat, Halsey and Drake, has a unique knowledge of how the two genres overlap. He is a classically trained pianist and holds a degree in piano from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. During the school vacation, however, Chahayed escaped to LA, where he circulated in local bands and immersed himself in studio sessions.

It was that studio time that eventually led Chahayed Melvin to meet “Mel-Man” Bradford, a renowned producer on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. It wasn’t long before Chahayed met Dre in person. “[Mel] One day surprised me and brought me to Drs studio, ”Chahayed remembers from his Tarzana home studio, which he had converted from a garage. “I wasn’t dressed for it. I wasn’t mentally prepared for it. ”As Chahayed entered the unmarked building, he saw Dre sitting behind a console. “Then he turned around, pointed at me and said, ‘I heard you’re nice on the keys.'”

As a kid growing up in West Hills, Chahayed never saw himself as a concert pianist, let alone a concert pianist turned pop producer. Born into a culturally mixed family – Chahayed’s mother is from Buenos Aires and his father from Damascus – Chahayed initially drawn to sports, especially skateboarding. But his father was passionate about singing and was dying for his kids to learn the piano, so hired a teacher from the local PennySaver. (Chahayed’s sisters Andrea and Juliana are also musicians.) “At first I didn’t like it that much,” admits Chahayed. “I did it to make my parents happy.”

His parents filled the house with music. “I heard Arabic music, Latin American music, tango, Julio Iglesias, Luther Vandross, Raúl Di Blasio,” he says. “At the same time I was listening to rap. I learned about jazz. I was constantly introduced to new sounds and styles. “

Chahayed’s agility on the keys and his spongy ability to produce sound earned him a permanent place as Dr’s favorite keyboardist, a position once held by his childhood idol, producer Scott Storch. “For most of 2014, you could find me at [Dre’s] Studio, work, play the keyboard, make beats and basically soak up all the information I needed, ”he says. Chahayed sits next to a studio wall full of keyboards and adapts his favorite instrument to any mood. “I can’t play guitar, but I can definitely play a keyboard and make it sound like a guitarist is playing,” he says with a laugh.

Today Chahayed is a very popular employee with poster He called it “one of the most reliable hit machines in hip-hop and pop”. He is co-producer and co-writer of Grammy-nominated Shelley FKA DRAM (formerly DRAM).broccoli“Halseys”Bad in love“, Travis Scott’s Grammy-nominated”Sicko mode“And Drake’s Grammy-nominated”Laugh now, cry laterThis year’s Producer of the Year nomination recognizes his work on Nas ‘LP “King’s Disease II”, Kali Uchis’ album “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)” and Doja Cat’s Grammy-nominated “Kiss Me More” with SZA and his companion album “Planet Her”. “We were immediately drawn to each other’s styles and sounds,” says Chahayed of working with Doja. “She is an incredible writer and performer. And her focus in the studio is a very rare thing. “

Chahayed’s in-depth perspective, penchant for cinematic flourishes, and genuine interest in working together fueled his success as a producer. “With the hits, people know who you are, but they really learn who you are by hanging out in a room with you,” he says. “I don’t come to sessions and I pull a lot of beats. I think that’s something that artists really appreciate. I like to build from scratch. “

Chahayed’s ascent was not without speed limits. In 2013, he and fellow producer-songwriter Wesley Singerman spent a few weeks “making beats to the next level,” recalls Chahayed. A local producer caught this and offered to buy the couple’s beats in a bar transaction. “So we thought, ‘This is cool,’” says Chahayed. “We make money with music. But the reality was that we were on the verge of being ripped off. “

The next time Chahayed heard his beats, he was listening to Kendrick Lamar’s then new 2015 album “To Pimp a Butterfly”. Chahayed was horrified to find that his compositions were placed on two album tracks: the jazzy interlude “For sale?“And the first half of”you. ”Because of the nature of the contract they had signed, Chahayed and Singerman had no credit or royalty claims. “Instead of burning down bridges and getting upset, we decided to keep working hard and take the next step, which is to bring in a manager,” he says.

In the years that followed, Chahayed had the opportunity to meet Lamar but chose not to mention his uncredited posts. “Most of the time, artists don’t know how business is done behind the scenes,” he shrugs.

Even when it comes to sensitive subjects like Travis Scott’s future after the Astroworld tragedy, Chahayed adopts a measured, diplomatic tone. “It’s a shame,” he says of the festival, which killed 10 concert-goers. “There is only so much that someone can control when they are in the middle of a performance. I know that [Scott] doesn’t feel good what happened. I know he is doing everything in his power to get things right. “

As a performer, Chahayed is keen to release solo material and one day make movies. He’s already on the way; last year he wrote two songs for the soundtrack of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”: “Lazy Susan”, played by 21 Savage with Rich Brian, Warren Hue and Masiwei, and “Fire in the sky“, Played by Anderson .Paak.

“It makes me feel like I’m trying different things,” says .Paak from Chahayed. “And his theoretical understanding enables him to go to places that others cannot.”

“As much as I love to see my name in the credits of a big song, I would love to see my name on the big screen,” says Chahayed. “That’s what I work for every day. Like David Foster said, go for the EGOT. I want to do everything. “