GRAMMYs 2024: Dan Nigro

Rolling Stone

Dan Nigro talks with Rolling Stone’s Ilana Woldenberg at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

Transcript

00:00 We are here with the one and only Dan Nigro. How are you doing tonight?

00:04 I am pretty excited right now.

00:06 Yeah?

00:07 I think so.

00:08 I am just so fascinated by all of the output that you have in this music industry right now.

00:15 Like, Chapel, you got freaking literally everyone up there.

00:20 So I just want to know, what's it like oscillating between the Dan of it all

00:25 and then the artist that you're sitting in front of in the room?

00:27 You know, that is a great question. I probably need a lot of time to think about that one.

00:31 No, honestly, I mean it's tough.

00:34 Especially, I work so closely with Chapel and so closely with Olivia

00:38 and trying to put all of myself into both of those records,

00:41 like kind of, you know, what's the word,

00:44 just going back and forth between them at the same time in tandem was a challenge for me.

00:49 But I really feel like I tried my best and hopefully people appreciate those records.

00:55 They do.

00:56 Individually, you know.

00:59 So something I think is also really fascinating is for Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl,

01:04 you really had to step into a character,

01:07 like a young, kind of teenage young woman going through all those insecurities.

01:13 What's it like to tap into that with Olivia and get to be like,

01:16 "Hey, do you feel this way?"

01:18 I have so much, writing songs with Olivia is so much fun.

01:22 Especially the song, Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl was actually so much fun.

01:25 It was the first song that we wrote when we went to Electric Lady.

01:29 And it was literally the first day we were there.

01:32 That song came out so fast.

01:36 Yeah, I mean she's just so prolific in her lyrics.

01:39 So it makes it fun to sit next to her and just kind of like play guitar

01:44 and help her along the way because she does most of it, all the lyrics herself.

01:50 Wow.

01:51 Yeah, it was really fun.

01:52 That was a really fun song in general to make.

01:55 And we also recorded all the music for it live, which was also a really fun experience.

02:00 That's sick.

02:01 And all at Electric Lady, I'm assuming.

02:03 No, actually, oddly enough, no.

02:05 We wrote the song at Electric Lady,

02:07 and then we recorded it at East West Studio 2 here in Los Angeles.

02:10 Wow.

02:11 Yeah.

02:12 So I know you have a baby at home, Saoirse.

02:14 Yes, Saoirse.

02:15 How is she doing?

02:16 Has becoming a father changed your songwriting at all?

02:19 I wouldn't say it's changed my songwriting,

02:21 but I definitely think that it has changed my focus in the studio.

02:27 I definitely have more solid hours now.

02:31 It's funny, actually, a few weeks ago, Olivia--

02:33 we put up a video of us in the studio with Saoirse a couple months ago,

02:37 and we tried actually a few weeks ago to go back into the studio

02:42 and watch her while we were trying to write a song, and it did not work.

02:46 She's almost two now, and she was running around,

02:49 so bored after like five minutes,

02:51 and after like 30 minutes we had to call the session off.

02:54 Oh, man, search that diva.

02:57 So hopefully she'll see this one day.

03:00 My last question for you is on the topic of search

03:02 and having a young woman at home, or young woman eventually,

03:07 what does the future of music look like to you?

03:10 You know, that's a great question.

03:13 I feel like I don't know what the future--

03:15 I feel like it keeps on changing,

03:17 and I feel kind of like trying to keep my head above water with it.

03:21 But one thing I will say is that as a producer and as a songwriter,

03:26 you can't really think too much about that stuff.

03:29 You kind of have to just make music the way you like making music,

03:33 because music is just meant to be enjoyed,

03:35 and you're supposed to enjoy just making it.

03:38 So I feel like if you think too much about what other people are doing

03:41 or how music is being shaped by culture,

03:44 then you kind of might-- you end up chasing things that you don't want to chase.

03:50 Well, we're enjoying it. Thank you so much.

03:52 I've been eating it all up. Thank you so much.

03:54 -Thank you so much. -Have fun tonight.

03:56 And good luck.

03:57 (whooshing)

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