411 Music Interview: Kerry 'Krucial' Brothers
Posted by Tony Farinella on 05.13.2008
411's Tony Farinella sits down with Alicia Keys' producer for an exclusive interview!
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a producer in the music industry? If so, you definitely need to read my interview with Kerry Brothers, because he takes you inside the record studio with this interview. How do you make it all work? How do you come up with material? How do you work with an artist? You'll learn all of that and more in this interview. And Kerry knows what he's talking about, because he's worked with Alicia Keys, Mario, Rakim, Angie Stone, Nas, and Keyshia Cole. I hope you enjoy my interview with Kerry Brothers.
TONY: Since you were a little kid, you have always been interested in music, so I have to ask you, do you remember the first album that you ever listened to?
Kerry Brothers: Oh, that's kind of hard; I don't even remember the first album that I listened to. I won't say it was the first album I listened to, but one of the early albums, I remember listening to a Funkadelic album, and what really attracted me was how the cover was really artistic and painted and had all these little cartoons and different things going on. And it attracted my attention, and I took the record out and put it on the turntable, without my father's permission, and really listened to it and really got into it. And it was something that I would always hear in the background, but I never knew what record it was. So, from that point on, it made me want to listen to more albums that had fancy or intriguing covers.
TONY: When you have those type of albums in your house and when you have that support from your parents, does it make it easier to pursue your dreams and not have any doubts about yourself?
Kerry Brothers: It makes it much easier. My story was really different, because I wouldn't say my parents were real supportive, but they weren't discouraging me, either. It was more like, "Oh, this is something that you like to listen to as a hobby, but you'll get over it." It wasn't like they were really pushing me into music, but they weren't discouraging, either. It was more like a thing that happened more on my own, just having this inside desire to go towards it and just having the music around you, it made it easier to be inspired. But it makes a big difference when your parents are supportive and encourage you a little more. It gives you that edge, because you want to feel like you're not the only person that feels good about what you're trying.
TONY: When did you realize that you could do this for a living?
Kerry Brothers: I don't know, I don't even think I still got that down pat. (laughs) I just keep it going and look for the next thing to do and stay focused on being creative, and it's just been working out. God's blessed me with income coming in from something I love. Probably around 2000, 2001 is when I finally said, "OK, well, I don't really need to work this job anymore." But you still feel like, "Uh oh, I don't have a weekly check coming." So it's an on-going thing, but I'd say after Alica's first album came out, I probably felt more comfortable like, "OK, now I can do this for a living." But it's still an on-going thing.
TONY: When you're going to produce someone's album or collaborate with someone, what do you look for? What needs to stand out?
Kerry Brothers: First the thing that gets me is their voice ... the texture of their voice, how they sing, the style they sing. If they're a songwriter as well, I look at how they're writing, what they're writing about. But, first and foremost, it's definitely the voice, because being a producer, you look at everything as an instrument, including the voice. It's like, "OK, I like the sound of that voice. That would sound good with the sound of these keys or the sound of that guitar." I'd say the voice, first and foremost, and the texture. And then the style and what they're singing about and what they represent.
TONY: How do you combine your vision with the vision of the artist? How do you find that happy medium?
Kerry Brothers: When I work with an artist, I always try to keep it close to their integrity and what they're known for or what's really in their zone. I never try to make 'em sound a certain way to fit what I think they should be doing. If I work with a person, I kind of wanna get the feel of what they've done and what they're doing, and, at times, they want to do something totally different and they don't want to do what everybody knows them from doing. So it really depends, but I always let the artist take the lead and kind of add to what they have. So it gives a good balance that way, especially when they respect what you do.
TONY: As a producer, when you're working with someone in the studio, do you know if a song is going to be a hit? Do you just feel it?
Kerry Brothers: You definitely get a feeling. For example: In the studio, working on "No One" with Alicia, and also, a partner of mine, Dirty Harry, and we're putting the beat down first and we're humming the basic melodies, and, without even having the basic full lyrics, you're like, "Wow, this sounds great." So sometimes you get that feeling right away, sometimes it's something that grows on you, but you still don't know what it's gonna do. And I don't really like to hang onto that like, "Oh, is this a hit? Is this gonna be a hit?" You just do what you can do, but sometimes you get a feeling, and from that point on, you really don't have any control.
TONY: For you, personally, what has it been like watching Alicia Keys grow as an artist and as an person?
Kerry Brothers: It's great to see someone who had a dream and ideas and someone you always kind of been supportive of from the beginning, and you didn't really know exactly where it was gonna go, but you had a belief. And, now, looking back and seeing all that you believed to come true and to watch her dreams come true and watch how far she's come and how far she's gonna go, I feel proud.
TONY: What kind of pressure do you put on yourself to succeed as a producer? What kind of expectations do you have for yourself?
Kerry Brothers: I try not to do that. I really try to keep a fun atmosphere as well. You're serious about being on time and doing what you have to do, but you're not so serious on when you're creating, because sometimes the silliest ideas can be the hottest idea. Or sometimes when you're just playing around on the keys or playing around in the studio and making up a fun song, that might be the thing that turns into something. I remember being a kid and taking chorus lessons and choir lessons, and the teacher would always crack jokes, because he said, "Laughter always relaxes you. It helps you sing better and it helps you create better." So I always try to keep a fun atmosphere, even when I'm creating, because having that pressure really stagnates your creativity.
TONY: As a producer, who would you like to work with in the future?
Kerry Brothers: Oh, man, there's a whole lot. From legends like Stevie Wonder all the way up to new people that are coming out. I really listen to the voice, if I like their voice or I like their style. There's a lot of artists out there that I feel like could be having much more attention, and that's what I'm really in the process of doing right now: Expanding the sound more and working with more people that I would like to work with.
TONY: When you're going to sit down and write a song, how do you get in the zone? You mentioned earlier that you like to have fun in the studio, but how do find your creativity and get in the zone?
Kerry Brothers: Various ways. Sometimes you'll get in, you'll have a conversation, and the conversation could spark a song idea. Sometimes you just get in the studio, play a lot of classic records that you loved growing up, or that the artist loved growing up. Or just sharing, like, "Hey, do you know this record? Do you know that record?" Just getting into a social atmosphere where it can spark conversation, and listening to things and shutting things off. And then listening to the first melody that comes to your head or it might be a beat that comes first. So, there are various ways to get into the zone to create. And it also depends on who you're doing it with, what you're doing it for. Sometimes I might have a track already, and I'll let the artist hear it and see if they like it. So there's always various ways.
TONY: It seems like certain artists that you have worked with, especially Alicia Keys, have such an incredible connection with their fanbase. How important is it to have that connection with your audience?
Kerry Brothers: I think that's really important. You want to connect with the audience, and it's one thing to have a great song and a great beat, but you don't believe the artist. And it takes away from the record. It has to be believable for people to relate to, because when they hear these songs, people relate this to their life and it's real for them. So it kind of hurts when they know, "Oh, this person is singing this, and it's about my life, but they never lived anything like that." You kind of lose your audience that way, so it's real important. As an artist, we always exaggerate or embellish on the truth, but there should be some truth coming from it when you're singing or when you're creating it.
TONY:: What's one aspect of your job that maybe the public doesn't see, but it makes everything run smoothly?
Kerry Brothers: Sometimes you might do a little arranging. You might not necessarily be the producer or the creator of the track, but you definitely had influence on what order certain parts go in on a song. A lot of times that might go uncredited. Or just being there and influencing the song, but you're not officially the writer of the lyrics. There's various ways that you're involved, and when you get creative people in the room, everybody affects each other, but everything is not figured out through the details, like, "Oh, I wrote this one word." So there's various jobs that kind of make it all work as a whole.
TONY: What do you think is your reputation in this business?
Kerry Brothers: Just being a real person, down-to-earth, humble, and really about the music itself and being creative and not on no shady stuff. I'm not on no egoistical stuff, and I'm really just about the music. If I respect your work and you respect my work, we're gonna have a good time. And that's what it's about. There's no big fiasco when it comes to work.
TONY: Even though it's not about the awards, what was it like winning a Grammy?
Kerry Brothers: It definitely meant a lot. It wasn't something that I stressed all my life, like, "I gotta win a Grammy or I'm nothing." It's more like winning an award that's judged by people who do what you do, and it's definitely a great feeling because you're respected by your peers, and we want to be respected by our peers, whether we like to show it or not. So it's definitely an honor to see the long lines of people who won Grammys and the great pieces of art they put together and that people part of the organization respect that and even consider your work to be put up in that same category ...it's definitely an honor.
TONY: Finally, what are your plans for the future?
Kerry Brothers: Right now, my plan is to definitely continue producing and songwriting for other artists. I currently just finishing working with Anthony Hamilton, I'm in the studio with Robert Randolph, and also working on music for Brandy, Beyonce, and the list goes on. But, really, the plan of the future is to really spread this out.
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