With three Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits to his name in less than two years, OZ (that’s OZ) knows that the stakes go up with every production he credits his name to, but the Turkish rhythm master won’t let that go. hinder your creativity.
This Friday (July 17), the 28-year-old reinforces his already impressive career in 2020 by scoring a couple of production credits in Drake and DJ Khaled’s hopeful summer anthems: “Greece” and “POPSTAR.”
“Greece” may sound familiar to 6 worshipers of God, as the luxurious track leaked earlier this year. Watch Drake experiment with higher pitched vocals, while Instagram’s subtitle-friendly “POPSTAR” is oozing a song about the potential of summer, after finally settling in almost a year after the day OZ created the dizzy beat.
Even after producing “Life Is Good” assisted by the future, the ubiquitous “Toosie Slide” and a couple of Dark Lane Demo Tapes Cuts, OZ has yet to finish with more Drake collaborations possibly on the horizon. She also names Travis Scott (“SICKO MODE” and “Highest in the Room”) and Meek Mill as artists she is working with in 2020.
OZ hopes that all of these musical victories will eventually lead him to his dream stage of taking home producer of the year honors at the upcoming Grammy Awards, which is putting his name on the mix for the Academy to consider. He has been nominated in various categories for the past four years, but has never hoisted the golden gramophone.
Take a look at the rest of our interview with the Swiss native as he falls apart producing new collaborations for Drake and DJ Khaled, visiting Drizzy’s Toronto mansion, his plans to win a Grammy, and more.
Billboard: How was your quarantine in Switzerland? Are things opening up there?
OZ: Everything is open and regular. There are some rules with [wearing a] mask, but other than that we even have open clubs.
You produced two records for Drake and DJ Khaled. Let’s start with how “Greece” came together.
I did the rhythm with Tiggi. He sent me a sample and I flipped his sample to make it more cheery and clubby. I played the drums and then sent them to Drake. He had the rhythm and we didn’t know he was going to do something. A couple of weeks went by and he submitted the first idea. From there, we knew he was about to go crazy. The voices don’t sound like the other songs he has with me. I think Noel [Cadastre, Drake’s engineer] Drake’s voice made. We started the song last fall and went back and forth on the production side.
How has your chemistry developed with Drake since you got your first placement with him? POINTS OF VIEW to this year Dark Lane Demo Tapes?
The relationship really started last winter through my manager. We met for the first time last winter and I’ve been working daily and sending him all kinds of rhythms. I think he knows I’m not doing just one guy. I can do anything from R&B to rap beats to the club. I am always doing what I feel could be the next wave. The chemistry is perfect. He knows I work hard and appreciates it.
It flew me a few times last year. It was not like the other regular sessions we know of. It was more, go there and create an atmosphere. The first time was in Los Angeles: Drake rented a mansion for a group of producers on the same management team as me. The second time we met was in London when we went to see a couple of their shows. When he finished his house, we were also in Toronto in the big mansion. The house is so big that I don’t know how many families could live there. It gave me the opportunity to work in his home studio and make rhythms, which was a new inspiration for me. It beat and sent it to his phone. When I felt something was fire, he would let me know and we would get out of there.
Does it feel strange that this song is synonymous with Greece? Every time you listen to it, does it remind you of going out?
When I listen to this song, it gives me the feeling that I want to book my vacation right now and fly to Greece. I want to be there on the beach, relaxing and listening to music. I don’t know if there is a song named after a country, but it is different. Greece is a great place. When I listen to the song, it puts images in my mind like a movie.
Could “POPSTAR” be your fourth No. 1 to top the Billboard Hot 100?
Who knows, maybe “Greece” or “Popstar”? “Grecia” is a kind of uptempo and emotional, but “Popstar” is a club hard drive. I could definitely go to # 1. If people could go to concerts right now, it would be a crazy record to listen to live.
What was it like working with the production duo David x Eli on this track?
I did the rhythm last summer. I tweeted that I did it last July, and a year later it will happen. I worked with David x Eli, they are a team of producers from Germany. I think they are brothers. I always open producer sample packs to see what kind of environment I’m in. Often times, I’m too lazy to make my own samples, so I’ll use other producers to find a crazy tune. I love to collaborate with people. I ended up using his cycle to take this to the next level.
Many of his biggest records are working alongside other producers. Can you talk about what that collaboration process is like when creating?
It’s great to collaborate with other producers because they all have a different ear. Someone might come up with a crazy tune with a sound I had never thought of and then I’ll flip it over. There are times that I will do my thing, like in “Toosie Slide” or “Time Flies”, which are records that I made myself, which feels great.
Do producers and artists treat you differently from all your success? Is it easier to get locations now?
It’s hard today, when you’re showing up, a lot of people are begging for beats and rappers hit me like, “I need the pack!” You have to be ready. I take my time with my heartbeat, but now I feel the pressure. I have to deliver more music, and people hit me saying, “We also need a hit!” It’s a bit difficult to do all the rhythms I do from scratch, so I like to receive co-signs from other producers who send me samples.
I’m always trying to find a new sound, I’m not just sitting here repeating samples. My records for the past 12 months are very different. [“Gold Roses,” “Highest in the Room,” “Time Flies,” “Life Is Good,” “Toosie Slide”]. I definitely care about my sound, so I don’t overproduce. I don’t overproduce and make junk beats because I’m exploding. You still have to make quality rhythms so you can stay there.
His manager told me they will send him out as Producer of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Is it something that has always been your goal?
It has always been my dream to win producer of the year. Now that I’ve accomplished all of this, it seems realistic that I can be nominated. I made it this far and it is really possible that I can make my dream come true. I have been nominated the last four years for albums and records, but I have never won anything. It would be crazy if my first win is for producer of the year. That is the highest I can go. It would be an honor, but I know there are many other producers out there. I believe in myself and my team, so I think we can do it.
Who will we see you work with the rest of 2020?
It is always the same routine. Every year, I try to work with the same artists to get their albums or make a classic song. My goal is to go ahead and do “other”. I am working with Drake, Travis Scott, Meek Mill and Giveon.