If there’s one thing Andrew Watt has learned, it’s how to turn chaos into gold. A rare modern producer who still thinks like a player (because he also is one), Watt recalls the time he ditched the stage and headed behind the scenes in a make or break attempt to follow his producer dreams.
“I found myself in a van that broke down after it crashed into something, then riding in a tow truck trying to get to Reno, Nevada,” Watt tells Guitar World.
“They put on the radio in this guy’s tow truck, and one of the songs that I had made was playing. I was just like, ‘This is a sign, man, because this situation blows right now.’”
“I just thought, ‘You know what? I gotta follow this.’ So I went to LA and started following that, and it led me right back to what I wanted to be doing and the music that I want to make.”
Originally a recording musician, Andrew Watt has had quite the career – from playing in the supergroup California Breed (consisting of Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes and the son of Zeppelin drummer, Jason Bonham), to producing punchy pop tracks for the likes of Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
The latest Gaga record, for instance, is the epitome of his production acumen – blending straight-up, earworm-filled pop with rock sensibilities.
“I’m incredibly proud of the Gaga album that we just made (Mayhem). There’s tons of guitar and live drums and live instruments all across it. It was written in a room with Gaga on piano and me on guitar, and then us producing it up after.”
But it was an unexpected friendship with Ozzy Osbourne that provided the catalyst for Watt’s new producing journey – rock music.
“You know, I think this business sometimes is about pivoting. That’s really all it was.
“Rock is something that I love – it’s the music that speaks to me the most. Getting to sit in the room with those guys and just record a band doing their thing, keeping it really live, became really important to me and just my favorite thing to do in the world.”
Working with Osbourne opened the doors for Watt to work with some bona fide legends, including Iggy Pop, Pearl Jam, the Rolling Stones, and recently, Paul McCartney.
Keep an eye out for Watt’s full interview with Guitar World in the coming weeks.
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