Reaching 100K Monthly Spotify Listeners with 17 Year-old British Producer: HGZ

10/4/2018

Tell us about how you got into music in the first place!
I've been doing music for as long as I can remember. I picked up my first guitar when I was around six years old and started my first band with my friends when I was just nine! I was constantly playing in bands, signing on the streets, and doing just about anything music related. I had been doing all of that sort of stuff until I was fifteen or sixteen which was the point where I wanted to start doing things on my own. At this point, I had been in a band for four years and I just figured it was time to pave my own path.

I did some research on how to get the ball rolling and then I remembered that I used to mess around with "Garageband" when I was younger. I found that the professional version was called Logic Pro so that's what I bought and started working on. I always thought that producing music took decades to master, but one day I came across Martin Garrix, who I had heard of before, but I had no idea that he had his first hit when he was only seventeen! It got me thinking, "If this guy can do it so young, why cant I?" This brought me into the realm of house music, which was a genre of music I had completely dismissed during my rock band days. From that point onwards, I was determined to be the best I could be and achieve great things while I'm still young.

How long did it take you to get proficient at Logic Pro?
The first few months were really tough. I think that this is the time where most producers give up. I'd say it was almost exactly a year from when I first downloaded Logic to get to the point where I had made a project I was proud of.

In order to keep myself motivated, I would watch live DJ sets on YouTube and production tutorials to keep me inspired. I would tell myself that I could achieve the same thing if I just kept working hard.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HGZ (@hgzmusic) on Apr 5, 2018 at 9:09am PDT

Walk us through the creation of "Wanna Be."
That track was the one that really put me on the map. At that point, I had been producing future house and future bounce for a while, but it was the Tom Budin remix of "Love Me" that caught my attention and made me want to start making deep house. I think I only had around a hundred Soundcloud followers so I saw this as a chance to recreate myself. For about six months, I didn't post anything on Soundcloud and I produced four deep house tracks that were ready for release. To complete the rebranding, I changed my name from WHISPR to HGZ, which I think is much more fitting. I don't know what I was thinking when I picked the name, "WHISPR." Eesh.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HGZ (@hgzmusic) on Feb 8, 2018 at 9:05am PST

What do you think your "X-factor" is? What sets you apart from the rest?
Good question and this is actually something I was asking myself recently. I've actually started a plan for this new idea that's really different from what other producers have been doing. Basically, without giving too much away, I'm going to try and expand myself so that I can start getting new fans from all sides of the EDM spectrum. I'll be doing this by creating a wide variety of different songs and different genres while still maintaining a sort of signature sound so people know it's me.

What do you do outside of music?
When I'm not making music or studying for my A-Levels, which are the equivalent of AP tests here in the UK, you could probably find me with my friends. I also do a bit of skateboarding and surfing here and there when I get the chance.

What are some of the lessons that you've learned on your journey so far?
I think it's important for other aspiring producers to know just how cruel and unfair the business can be. People will put you down, discourage you, labels will reject your demos and all of that can make you feel like all of those hours you spend on your tracks were wasted. Just remember that all of that hard work will pay off in the end. Remember what got you into this in the first place and keep your dreams in the forefront of your mind. Always believe in yourself!

Is there anyone you'd like to call out or thank?
For sure! I'd like to thank, Matus Galik, the owner and founder of FRQNCY. That was the first label I got signed to and I owe Matus a lot for kick-starting my career and believing in me. Back then, I was a complete nobody in the world of music and he helped give me a platform. I've also got to thank Vinny Fergs because he's got a lot of Soundcloud and Spotify traction, which is key to getting more loyal fans. Whenever you find people that are honest and have good intentions, stick with them because they can be few and far between.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HGZ (@hgzmusic) on Oct 4, 2017 at 8:45am PDT

What's been your proudest moment so far?
I have had many amazing moments throughout my journey so far, but without a doubt, my proudest was when I achieved 100K monthly listeners on Spotify. That's more than the population of my home city! Vinny was the one behind getting the playlist placements that helped propel my numbers to what they were! It's fantastic to be doing what you love and have a platform to share your music with so many people.

Thanks to HGZ for taking the time to answer our questions and also to Vinny Fergs for putting us in contact! Be sure to follow HGZ using the links below!