Super-producer Polow Da Don has been a household name for some time, producing chart-topping hits for the likes of Fergie, Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, Ciara, Chris Brown, Rihanna and more. And just recently, he made history as the first black producer with a signee to produce and score a number one single on the country charts.
The feat comes by the way of Kane Brown’s “Thunder In The Rain.” And after such an achievement, Polow is planning on returning to the spotlight with his new single “Wet” featuring Bando Jonez and Saint Laron.
REVOLT spoke with the producer about both his accomplishments and his newest single.
On “Wet,” you can hear actual water drops. Do you typically implement real life sounds into your production?
Yes, I’ve always done that. If you listen to Ciara’s “Promise,” you can hear me beating on my chest and making breathing sounds. For Fergie’s “London Bridge,” we used live water bottles and water sounds. And on “Glamorous,” the crowd you hear is real people clapping. On “Runaway Love” by Ludacris, I used guitars and tables to actually make the beat and I recorded it live. So, I’ve always incorporated live acoustic sounds to really brings the tracks that I produce to life.
How’d achieving success in country music feel?
Obviously, it’s an honor to break into different genres. As a creative person, all you think about is pushing things forward and it’s all about freedom, in the sense of having no boundaries and you come up with ideas that you really want to achieve. Oftentimes, you know it’s your own ideas for self-fulfillment. It’s not for the purpose of trying to impress anyone. It’s just going off of a feeling or just doing something that you love. But it is definitely an accomplishment. Aside from being a producer, I’m also the label and CEO of the label. Thus, it’s the very FIRST time in American history actually that a black man has ever owned a number one country album or the biggest country star in the game. So, to be the first one to ever do it in the history of all music is a really big deal. I’ve made my mark and it’s nothing to take lightly, you know?
My legacy will reflect the fact that I’ve done so many different things. I actually got my break into music as a pop producer first. And then I followed up with number one R&B and Hip-Hop records, while having No.1 pop records all on the charts at the same time. Like literally, simultaneously. So, to now do it in country just adds to that legacy and speaks volumes to my ability to create multi-genre music. We millennial producers create music that spans all genres. So, it’s a blessing to be able to lead the way and break ground in a new territory.
How was it like working with Bando Jonez and Saint Laron?
It was amazing, man. Bando, I love him. He’s one of my favorite artists and one of the best artists that I’ve ever worked with. He’s so talented and so different. His voice is one of the greatest. So it’s always fun working with him. He makes everything you do sound better. Laron is a fly man; his voice has really dope texture as well. On this song, we did a dope falsetto arrangement and I just knew that he was the perfect person to knock it out of the park and he did. With all of us just being brothers, hanging out at the studio and kicking it, it was easy to record. We all hang around each other and kick it every day, so it was just another day at the studio. Playing games, talking shit, and this song talks about women, one of our favorite subjects (laugh). So, we just had fun and did what we do best, which is make dope music.
What’s next in store for you besides this single?
I’m just gonna keep doing the unexpected and keep doing music, as long as it’s fun. Just follow my heart and fuel my passion for making great music. I want to make dreams come true and stay inspired. As long as I keep meeting new artists, producers, writers, and kids in general, I think I’ll always be inspired. You realize that once you’ve fulfilled your own desires, there’s so many incredible people that you meet and these people inspire you to keep going and to help them make their dreams come true.
I’ve turned so many kids into millionaires by randomly meeting them at a party or in the streets somewhere and they go from sleeping on my couch to being world-renowned superstars who’re financially stable for the rest of their life. So I love that process and proving to the kids that anything is possible. So someone like an Ester Dean–or an artist who’s unlike anything that the world of country has ever seen before and Nashville, the world of country, tells them that they’ll never be a huge country star–taking someone like that and doing the impossible and doing music in said genre, in a new and different manner. Like Kane Brown.
Betting it all on him and watching him becomes so important to the culture of country music that we dropped five number one singles in a year, a number one EP, and a number one LP. It’s always a blessing to see those dreams come true and I think that, when it’s all said and done, you’ll see that I’ve influenced so many young people who were in hopeless situations to become respectable men and women and important contributions to music culture and business.
“I know I’m great + 4. I will continue to make history as I L4VE.”
Take a listen to Polow Da Don’s premiered single “Wet” featuring Band Jonez and Saint Laron below: