Networking Secrets of a Billboard Charting Producer: Brij

Esteban Candelario (00:01.117) Alright guys, welcome back to Producer Talk. My name is Estebon, your host. And if you're new here, this is the podcast where we sit down with producers. The breakdown was actually working in today's music business. Producer Talk is presented by Producer Fury, the black one that helps producers find artists in their in their niche and reach out to them with confidence instead of spending hours searching for the right artists. Today, I'm joined by Bridge, a Billboard charting producer who's worked with artists like NBA Youngboy, Rod Wave, Offset, Bossman D Lo, No Cap, B-Way, Moneyman, D Baby, and it just keeps going on.

So we're gonna talk about how he went from making beats during the COVID lockdown to building relationships that led to major placements and why networking has been the biggest driver of his career and how he's balancing college and plans to become an intellectual property lawyer while continuing to build as a producer in the music industry. Bridge, how are you, my boy?

Brij (00:48.664) Doing good, bro. How are you?

Esteban Candelario (00:50.879) Doing good, man. Just chilling. Actually just came back from the rain. I got caught in the rain earlier. but also man, I kinda gave like the introduction. just let us know like where are you from originally.

Brij (01:02.748) I'm from Vancouver, Canada. I was born here. I moved around a little bit when I was a kid, but I've been here for like the large majority of my life. And yeah, I love it here.

Esteban Candelario (01:14.493) Nice. Does is Vancouver like like Toronto, like as far as the music scene or there's like kind of nothing out there? I'm not familiar.

Brij (01:19.694) I I don't think it's comparable to Toronto, at least not in like the stuff that I do. Like I really only know of like two or three other producers that like do the same kind of thing that I do out here. It's not like I feel like in Toronto there's a lot more like easy outreach and stuff. And like yeah, it's just it's a whole different scene over there. But there definitely is something to be said about the Vancouver scene as well.

Esteban Candelario (01:24.189) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (01:46.238) Interesting. you might have to I might have to tap in a little bit on some artists. But I I find it funny because a lot of the artists that like you got on placements with are are like with down south artists, especially like Youngboy, No Cap. I No Cap is from Louisiana too, right? New Orleans. Yeah. so it's interesting, like you're up there in Vancouver and you're making like sounds for like these particular artists. So at the moment I know right now, right? You're 20, if I'm not mistaken. you got all these placements that I mentioned earlier.

Brij (01:57.057) Yeah.

Brij (02:01.007) I think so, yeah.

Esteban Candelario (02:14.985) But I wanna know it's like where does it start, you know, originally as far as your journey, you know, where d where does it begin for you?

Brij (02:22.03) well it started like you said during COVID. I was I was pretty bored during like the lockdown. I mean all I usually did was just like play video games all day, you know, like a normal like fifteen year old or however old I was. So how it started was like there were these YouTube videos. I don't know if people still make them, but like they would get those like twenty five key Akai MIDI things with like the drum pads and they would remake like a beat

For like a really popular song. Like I remember one that I saw was like Bandit by Juice World and Youngboy. And so I would watch those videos like before I even started producing because he just came up on my recommended and I like, this is fire. Like I wanna do this. So eventually I downloaded this like free DAW called LMMS. It was like a really shitty one. It's like a F L knockoff, but yeah, I just started by like remaking

songs that I liked, like the beats for songs I liked. Like I remember I tried to do Pop Out by Polo. I tried to do Camelot by Ennelie Chappa. And yeah. I said tried to 'cause I know they probably sounded like shit but like to me like you know I just started so like if I could get the melody down or whatever, like that was enough for me. I thought I did the job. And then yeah, just kept going from there.

Esteban Candelario (03:32.542) Nice.

Ha ha.

Esteban Candelario (03:40.788) Yeah.

Yeah, I mean y and you're fifteen. I don't know. Actually I I was making beats. I started making beats when I was twelve, but I d I never tried like yeah, I never tried recreating beats. but my beats were trash for like my beats were trash until I think I was like seventeen and th they were still weren't good. They were still like aight. but okay, so you use the free doll and then what's kind of like the introduction to like, you know, the first real doll that you use that kind of like, you know, boost you producing.

Brij (03:51.262) Yeah, that's crazy.

Brij (03:59.181) Mm. Yeah.

Brij (04:13.906) well as I ki kept going with like making beats and stuff, I started watching more producer content and like everyone's using F L in all those videos, so I was like, Fuck, I guess I gotta get it and I wasn't trying to buy it, so I just cracked it. I think I cracked like F L twenty and yeah, that was the first real duh.

Esteban Candelario (04:27.626) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (04:34.835) Yo, I you don't know how many producers I've spoken to. I think I've spoken to like eight or nine so far. And it's like you guys all have the same like if this was like a video game and you guys have like a journey, you you guys all have the same start. It's all like around COVID and then cracking F L and then just like going off from there. It's so funny. so was a lot of this like by yourself or were you like working with friends, or like, you know, was this for me, I remember when I was doing it, none of my friends knew I made beats. I was trying to keep it on the low because I was too embarrassed. So, like for you, like

Brij (04:45.803) Yeah.

Brij (04:50.827) Mm.

Brij (05:03.372) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (05:04.735) How was it? Were you alone or were you like working with people?

Brij (05:08.47) well I wasn't working with anyone. I was doing it all myself and like everything I learned was just from YouTube and stuff. But it's funny that you said you're trying to like keep it on the low because like it kinda went the other way for me. Like when I started, I was always like showing my friends and like even showing my parents like some stuff that I was doing. But then like as I got older and like as I actually started to like be more of a producer, like I just kept it more to myself.

Esteban Candelario (05:14.431) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (05:21.429) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (05:36.837) Mm. I mean what made you like retract? Like you look like you were going out and then as you took it more seriously, you're going back in, like inward. You d is there a reason why?

Brij (05:46.092) I don't know. I think it was it was it was more of like like a maturity thing. Like 'cause I was really young when I started, right? But like as I got older, like I don't know, I just I keep more things to myself.

Esteban Candelario (05:59.616) feel that especially like I guess like a teenager in high school. It's like you wanna you wanna tell the world less, you know what I mean? so were you in any way like do you think like naturally talented? I know you said you watched like YouTube tutorials, but did you were you already musically inclined in any way playing instruments or anything like that?

Brij (06:02.72) Yeah.

Yeah, exactly.

Brij (06:17.642) No, definitely not. The only musically thing I would do is like my sister used to play piano, so she had like a little keyboard in her room. And sometimes I'd just go sit in her room and like mess around on it. But I wasn't doing anything. Like anything that even sounded like music. So yeah, I d definitely not talented.

Esteban Candelario (06:24.405) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (06:34.729) Yeah, that's funny.

Esteban Candelario (06:40.149) Well, I mean, can't say you're not talented. But no, I was saying that's funny. That's like typical sibling shit, like going into the room like uninvited, like touching their shit. so then going from fifteen, you got the free doll, and then I don't I don't know what age you were when you finally got a hold of FL Studio. from fifteen to your senior year, I don't know if you'd be like seventeen or eighteen years old, was there any major like things that happened while you were producing, or was all of it kind of just like, you know, a regular high school life?

Brij (06:46.477) Yeah.

Brij (07:09.226) Yeah, it it was very regular. I think I had been like shit, we got a dog?

Esteban Candelario (07:11.955) Hmm.

Yeah it's okay. I'll c I'll cut it out. You're good.

Brij (07:20.424) Okay, okay. Sorry. it it was it was very regular. I think I was starting to like sell some beats, like just basic leases, by like grade like eleven or twelve. But yeah, it was it was nothing crazy. I had like a couple artists like rap on some beats and to me that was like a big accomplishment 'cause you know, you go from just like making beats and trying

Desperately just to think like, it'd be so cool if somebody were to rap on this and then someone does. So that was kind of the only big milestone that came out of it.

Esteban Candelario (07:52.821) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (07:57.044) those artists were they like local artists like friends from high school or were they like like decent placements but like underground artists?

Brij (08:03.602) No, they they were like Baton Rouge artists, like L Louisiana artists. 'Cause by then, like by by senior year I'd I'd already like definitely gone harder into the like NBA Youngboy type beat niche. So that was mainly the stuff I was making.

Esteban Candelario (08:07.426) Mm. Okay.

Esteban Candelario (08:19.483) Mm. And then so how did you even like get connections 'cause you're all the way in Vancouver, like how did you even go from like being in Vancouver and then like reaching out to these people that are all the way in Baton Rouge? Mm-hmm.

Brij (08:30.742) It's all Instagram. So mainly how I'd find these artists is like since I was already in that niche, like I I knew all the producers that were in that niche too, right? So I would just see who they were working with and then like all the artists, like 'cause you know how some artists, like if they're all in the same city, they kinda have like a circle, right? So once you follow like one artist, you kinda get familiar with like all the artists in their circle, even though they're all like small artists, so I would just get tapped in with them.

Esteban Candelario (08:50.133) Mm-hmm.

Brij (08:59.906) And then just try to send them stuff.

Esteban Candelario (09:02.973) And then so I think and I I think most producers do this. Like they find like a group of producers and then those producers may work with artists and that's like how you like get connected and stuff like that. So then how did you get connected with these producers? Was it still through Instagram? I know like a lot of producers are on Discord. Like what was your main way of like finding the right producers to talk to?

Brij (09:21.366) Yeah, it was definitely through Instagram, but Discord was a huge a huge factor as well. Like I think we talked about this before, but like when you're on Discord with people, like it just brings a whole new level of connection to it. Like you start to get like familiar with these people on a deeper level than you would from just like texting them or like asking them for loops or whatever through DMs. Like it's different 'cause you're sitting there like talking and like having a normal human conversation, right?

Esteban Candelario (09:42.26) Yeah.

Brij (09:51.011) So like some of my best producer friends I've met through Discord. Just 'cause we were like sitting in there cooking up and also just talking like all the time.

Esteban Candelario (10:00.188) Mm. And then I know the connection is different because you guys probably were like having real conversations over the phone too, like rather than just like straight DMs. So I think a lot of producers struggle with like understanding how to build relationships. And I kinda hate like explaining like a science behind it because that's like less human, you know what I mean? But like for you, like, you know, like how are you building relationships strong enough strong enough with other producers where they're like, you know what, like fuck with this artist.

Brij (10:08.374) Yeah.

Brij (10:20.375) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (10:28.949) 'Cause I know sometimes producers are like they want not producers but people in general. They may not want to share too much 'cause they feel like you may take something away from them. Like you know what I'm saying? So like how are you just like building that trust or does kind of happen organically for you?

Brij (10:34.989) Mm-hmm.

Right.

Brij (10:42.282) I I think it definitely happens organically. I think you just gotta approach it like like like how you would it in real life, you know, like when you're trying to make a new friend or whatever. But I know some some producers, like you said, they're a little more closed off. So like I don't know, you kinda just have to let your work speak for yourself too at some point. Like as long as you just keep sending stuff and what you're sending is good, then eventually they're just gonna come to you for stuff and then other people are gonna come to you.

Esteban Candelario (10:57.215) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (11:14.141) That's facts. And when was I guess maybe at this time you're like sixteen, seventeen years old, when was like your first big placement? 'Cause I know you were reaching out or messing with smaller artists in Bat Baton Rouge, but what was your first big placement with like a decent sized artist within like that area or, you know, wherever and like what age did that happen for you?

Brij (11:35.023) I mean I don't think it's like a big, huge placement. It was the first placement that had like paperwork and stuff involved. It was with Lil Dump who's signed to NBA Youngboy. I think I was I was still seventeen at that point, 'cause it was in twenty twenty three. 'cause I I have a late birthday, so I would be eighteen, but that was later in the year. And yeah, that was the first time I ever had like paperwork to do with that.

Esteban Candelario (11:39.701) Mm-hmm.

Brij (12:04.32) song and like it was just it was kinda crazy seeing paperwork with my name. Even though like I know it's just like a producer agreement. It's not anything crazy, but to me like it was the first time ever seeing that and I was just like, yo, what the fuck? Like this is crazy.

Esteban Candelario (12:12.766) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (12:18.601) I mean, dude, being in high school, like I don't even think I was mature enough to like be able to read a contract at seventeen, so like I I get it. Yeah. So from from how did how how did that like kind of land like on your lap? Was it something you fully produced or was it something you co produced or like and then where did where did the next steps come from there? Did somebody like send that beat to him or did you send the beat to Lil Dump? How did that all work out?

Brij (12:24.007) Yeah. Well I definitely wasn't able to read the contract. I didn't know what was going on.

Brij (12:46.404) so it was a solo loop I had made. my boy TNC Beats did the drums and he sent it to Block on the eight eights, who's a producer and an engineer. He records a lot of the NBA camp and he records Youngboy too. so yeah, he sent the beat over to him and then there was a snippet in like June, I think, for the song. And that was like the first time I I heard of the song and then

they had hit me up about releasing it and stuff around like October, I think. So I was in first year college by then. And then I was in like a producer collective and there was a guy in there who was able to look at the contract for me for free. So 'cause I didn't have a manager yet.

Esteban Candelario (13:25.002) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (13:35.049) Yeah. I mean that's clutch, bro. Like were you ever worried if he was like wrong about what he was reading? Like did you ever like think like Yeah.

Brij (13:41.068) I mean kinda, yeah, but I mean like there's always gonna be that like level of anxiousness about that. But he he did like point out a couple of things for me to change, so that kind of established some trust in him on my end.

Esteban Candelario (13:46.879) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (13:54.206) Mm. Were you were you like nervous to mention like what you want to change? Like did you think they were gonna like take your contract and your opportunity away if you like, No, I want this, this and that to to be different?

Brij (14:04.118) a little bit, but the the things that he had mentioned to change, like they weren't like anything to do with the advanced level of the splits or anything. Like I think one of the things he mentioned was like they spelled my name wrong at one point. So like I feel like you kinda have a right to to bring that up, right? So yeah, it was just like little things. So if but yeah, if he had told me like, no, you gotta ask for more money, then I would have been like shaking in my boots, like, hell no, I don't think I wanna do this. They're gonna pull my song.

Esteban Candelario (14:05.823) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (14:11.989) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (14:16.948) Yeah.

Agreed, yeah, agreed.

Esteban Candelario (14:29.045) Yeah. So I mean if you're a seventeen, like I don't know how things are in Canada, legally, were you able to sign the contract yourself or did you like need a guardian? Because you're still considered like a minor.

Brij (14:43.818) Yeah, I think my dad did it for me.

Esteban Candelario (14:47.881) That's hilarious. What did your dad think? Was he like s I mean, if I was a dad and my seventeen year old gave me like a contract, like I'd be really impressed. Like, do you know, like did you did he ever tell you anything?

Brij (14:58.222) I mean I I think it was like it was it was a little shocking 'cause I mean, like I said, as I like became more of a producer I stopped like sharing a lot of stuff with like my friends and family, n not to like hide it. I just didn't care to tell them. So like it it probably like blindsided him a little bit, but it it wasn't like a crazy big deal or anything.

Esteban Candelario (15:14.217) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (15:21.631) feel that. It it is really different to have motion at 17. But have your parents sign the contract for you. Sounds crazy. so as far as like all your opportunities that have you landed with like all the placements that I mentioned earlier, was it all like through networking or was it through or networking with producers that would reach out to these artists? Or did have you ever personally found a way to reach out to a manager and artist yourself? Or how how do these opportunities usually come up for you?

Brij (15:25.922) Yeah.

Brij (15:50.071) it's it's all been through other producers for me. I know there's a lot of producers that are directly tapped in with a lot of artists and I I'd like to to get on that at some point. But yeah, so far it's all been through other producers. Even if I've been the one to like drum these loops and like send the beats out, I'm sending them out to like other producers who are recording these artists, so

Esteban Candelario (15:55.732) Yeah.

Brij (16:16.386) Yeah, I'm I'm not really directly tapped in with anyone that I've worked with, but I'd like to get there at some point.

Esteban Candelario (16:22.741) I mean, what do you think is like holding you back personally as a producer to get a little bit more tapped in directly with like artists is or or managers?

Brij (16:31.19) I'm lazy, bro. I don't do the outreach. I n but like I I know it's hard to like get to these artists, but I mean like if you really want it you gotta get out there and do it, right? But like me personally I just find it so much easier to get tapped in with these producers and just see what everyone's working on. So, yeah, I don't know. That's just kinda the way I like to go about it. But

Esteban Candelario (16:32.465) I feel that. I feel that.

Esteban Candelario (16:41.023) For that.

Esteban Candelario (16:52.211) No, I hear that. I mean, different strokes for different folks. and also like you've kinda like you've landed opportunities with this way, so it's kind of like why if it's not broken, don't fix it, you know what I'm saying? so I think you you mentioned management earlier. I I wanted to like dive more into that. where did like the management fall into place and like how how did that happen for you personally?

Brij (16:55.576) Yeah.

Brij (17:02.089) Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Brij (17:16.79) so the first management that I signed with was PBSJ Federal Management. I I reached out to them 'cause I I wanted a manager. and like I think they had posted like the the Lil' Rye album that was coming out at that time. He was one of Gucci Mein's artists. I don't think he is anymore. But yeah, so they posted the album and then I was like, I'm on that too.

And they were like, cool, like what what else do you got going on? So we just talked a little bit and then yeah, we ended up signing for I think like a year and a half or something.

Esteban Candelario (17:55.402) Did you already know like that anything about that management group prior? Like did you already do research?

Brij (18:01.414) yeah, I've been seeing them around a lot 'cause they they manage a lot of producers. Like one of the main people that I think they managed was Juppy. Juppy Beats. He's a he's a big young boy producer. So I saw that and then I saw some other people and I was like, yeah, I'd I'd like to get tapped in with them.

Esteban Candelario (18:06.591) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (18:20.989) Mm-hmm. Do you think you do you think you would have ever, probably not, but I want to ask, because I'm just curious. I know a lot of producers, like, they always look at management as the thing that's going to like really, really help their career, which it can, but it doesn't mean it's like gonna be groundbreaking either, you know? So like, do you think you would you would have not approached them if you already didn't have that placement with Lil' Rye? Or like do you would you have gone a different way about it approaching them?

Brij (18:46.452) No, I think I definitely would have. I think i if anything, I would have already wanted to 'cause like I just wanted to like be more like official, I guess, if if you know what I mean. Like I don't know, when you have like a management it just feels like you're on a different level. So, yeah, and like a manager can do a lot more for you than just like clear your your already the stuff you have that's already in the works, right? Like they can give you more

Esteban Candelario (19:00.051) Yeah, I hear that.

Brij (19:13.952) opportunities and stuff and they did. They were always asking us like, send beats for this guy, send beats for him, blah, blah, blah. So yeah. Manager's always good for just putting you on to opportunities and stuff. 'Cause at the end of the day they're also tapped into the industry, right? They have their own stuff going on and then they know what you have and they they know what you work on. So they're always willing to like include everybody.

Esteban Candelario (19:29.983) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (19:38.239) No, that's facts. That's that's that's a a big factor, especially like if they can like routinely like put your shit out there. other other than like helping you get more opportunities, you know, you sending sending them beats, is there anything else that like your management does for you that like helps fill the gaps in that you were looking for before you had management?

Brij (19:58.479) definitely helping with like clearing contracts and stuff. 'Cause I mean, like I said, when I'm I'm looking at these agreements even now, I don't really know what I'm looking at besides like the advance amount or the splits or whatever. So they're they're great for like going into all the terms and like figuring stuff out and also like negotiating if that has to be done. 'Cause I don't really wanna be the one to say like, I think I need more money than this or whatever. So

Esteban Candelario (20:07.711) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Brij (20:25.858) Like they know how to do it and they they know how to delegate in a way that's like professional.

Esteban Candelario (20:31.657) Yeah, I I agree. I feel like and 'cause produce as a producer, you're a business owner at the end of the day. Like the only thing you own is like your intellectual property, which is like the beats you make or the loops you make. You know what I mean? but you can only be good at so many things. Like I feel like putting all the focus on obviously the production is gonna help you do whatever else you want, especially if you have like management helping you do the rest, you know, handling all the logistics and the legal shit. Like it makes makes more sense. But I guess you

Brij (20:40.846) Mm.

Brij (20:55.309) Mm-hmm.

Brij (20:58.71) Yeah, totally.

Esteban Candelario (21:01.437) I guess for s most producers, maybe they're not like at that level yet. You know what I mean? And I always like hear producers who just think management's just like gonna do everything for them. And it's like that's not the case, bro. Like you gotta do a few things before you even get to that level, you know what I mean? but so fast forward a little bit, when you sign to this management group, did they in any way help with any additional

Brij (21:06.52) Mm-hmm.

Brij (21:16.895) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (21:29.141) placements on the way, or like how did or did those placements like land through the networking that that you've been doing with other producers?

Brij (21:37.07) I mean, like I said, they were always bringing up opportunities. I don't think I ended up landing any through those opportunities, but I'm still super grateful for them to have them. Like Sean, Sean, John and Kane are the ones who run that management. I'm really grateful for everything they did for me along the way. But yeah, a lot of the placements I was getting were just through my own networking and stuff.

Esteban Candelario (21:59.424) Gotcha. And then really what I no, go ahead, go ahead.

Brij (22:00.377) But that's not to say those sorry, go ahead. I was just gonna say that's not to say that those opportunities like were invalid or invaluable or anything.

Esteban Candelario (22:10.089) Gotcha. Really what I wanted to ask was, was there any other placements like within the young boy camp that you eventually got or any leaks or anything like that that you know of? Like somebody hopped on your beat?

Brij (22:22.012) like back then or just in general?

Esteban Candelario (22:25.246) no, in general, yeah.

Brij (22:27.377) in general I think I've produced for like almost all of them at this point. Through like release songs and leaks and snippets and stuff.

Esteban Candelario (22:33.045) Esteban Candelario (22:36.765) Wha was there any like official releases with Youngboy or were like all leaks?

Brij (22:42.11) yeah, I have two with Youngboy, one with Youngboy and Offset, and then one more snippet with Youngboy and Bossman D Lo. And then there was also a leak, which was the first one.

Esteban Candelario (22:55.914) Nice.

Mm. I'll I'll bet you were like so fucking hype hearing the leak and then like not hearing it officially released, like that must have sucked. I bet I bet that feeling is like it's like somebody taking like a candy away from a kid, bro. but I guess then talk about that. Like what's that feeling like, like getting a placement? 'Cause you started off making NBA NBA Youngboy type beats. So I what was the feeling like making these type beats and then making it all the way up to like the actual artists that like you wanted to sound like? You know what I mean?

Brij (23:05.969) yeah.

Brij (23:10.882) Yeah.

Brij (23:27.928) Sorry, I just gotta plug my laptop in. Oops.

Esteban Candelario (23:29.919) Nah, you get do you think?

Brij (23:32.975) yeah, it was definitely like it felt like all my work had paid off 'cause I mean Youngboy was like the end goal placement from the beginning, right? Like that was the dream. And like I'd been making Youngboy type beats type loops for years and like everyone was always telling me, like, you definitely probably have one with him already. But like th that wasn't enough, right? Like I I wanted the confirmation. So I think it was like

Esteban Candelario (23:55.626) Mm-hmm.

Brij (23:59.267) I think it was actually last year around this time exactly when the the snippet of the song dropped and I was like, Holy shit, like I finally did it and like yeah, it just made me wanna keep going even harder.

Esteban Candelario (24:08.617) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (24:14.525) Hm. how long did the official release come out compared to like when you heard the snippet?

Brij (24:23.209) well the the snippet was of the leak and it it ended up getting leaked I think like a month or so later. Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (24:25.926) Okay.

Esteban Candelario (24:30.631) Mm-hmm. Now I only asked because I was talking to a producer like a couple hours ago and he was talking about how he got a placement. It was so random. Like somebody played like an old beat that he made from 2022 and then fast forward to 2025, some art an artist heard it, I think it was Tussi. And then he hopped on the beat and it's just like like the the gap in between like the waiting is insane. So I I was wondering like do you ever like do you ever have those waiting periods where you hear an artist on your beat but it takes them forever to like officially drop it?

Brij (24:49.652) And Yeah.

Brij (25:01.194) Yeah, I think I had this one song with J Dot called Running Away. it was funny 'cause that was the fastest I've ever gotten a placement. I think I made the loop and I sent it to my boy Alex. Alex made this and then I think like the next morning we had a snippet. But then the song didn't drop for like months and months. I don't remember the exact period, but I just remember it was a long ass time.

And I was just like I I had fully forgotten that snippet was even a thing by that point. And then he was like, they're looking to drop that and I like, shit, okay But like yeah, there there definitely is a lot of of waiting involved. So if you're gonna be a producer you definitely gotta be patient. You can't rush it.

Esteban Candelario (25:47.029) Does it ever feel like like you're rolling a dice? Like you don't know if something's gonna hit and you don't know when or what's gonna hit? Yeah, yeah.

Brij (25:53.243) yeah. Yeah, like I mean even when you get a snippet, like you're you're still not out of the out of the woods yet. Like yeah, they recorded it but it's up to them if they want to drop it or not.

Esteban Candelario (26:04.965) Mm. Do you feel like you have less control as a producer because of that?

Brij (26:10.798) kinda, yeah. I mean like at the end of the day, like it's still up to them. Like you're not really you you're not the one who decides how it turns out, how it plays out in the end, you know what mean? So, yeah, it's not really up to you.

Esteban Candelario (26:22.729) Mm-hmm.

Is is there anything you've ever thought about in terms, I guess, like enhancing like your business as a producer to like gain more control of that?

Brij (26:35.502) I don't know. I haven't really thought of that yet. But yeah, th there there definitely is like the feeling of like not really having that much control of how things turned out. But yeah, I'd I'd love to see if other producers have thought of anything or any like system to kinda give us more like control over how things play out.

Esteban Candelario (26:57.685) Mm. No, yeah, like I mean there there's definitely some out there. I feel like a good example, I don't I don't know if you listen to Catron Catronata. He's he's like a producer, but he moves like an artist because like it's always his name on the song feature an artist. You know what I'm saying? But he's just a producer. So I kinda see him as more of an artist that just like makes beats and like I I obviously he I feel like he has more control of his releases, you know what I mean?

Brij (27:11.415) No, yeah.

Yeah.

Brij (27:21.568) Mm-hmm. Yeah, kinda like Metro.

Esteban Candelario (27:24.307) Yeah, Metro's a good example. Murder Beats is a good example. I can't think of any more off top of my head. but yeah, yeah, it's like they they move more like artists than they do like as producers. You know what I mean? how like how has the growth been like for you and the your network? 'Cause I know you were like in like a group with producers and that's how you're getting like smaller opportunities in the beginning. Like did all of you guys grow together or like, you know, is it just you or just, you know, is there

Brij (27:35.947) Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (27:53.92) people in particular that are growing faster than others, like and how how does that play in your mind when you see other people grow or like other people watching you grow?

Brij (28:02.558) I mean the main person I was working with like from like twenty twenty three was my boy Parker, Parker Hill. And like we definitely grew together. Like when we first started working together, like I had that little dump song or whatever, but nothing else besides that. And I don't think he had anything too major either. But like now like we're both we're both up there. Like we both have young boy songs. We have a young boy song together.

We have two young boy songs together actually. He's got like a Playboy Cardi feature on one of his songs. He's got Fredo Bang, he's got Kodak Black. And then like I've got all my stuff. So yeah, it's definitely like it's it's it's so cool to see like your homies winning too, like seeing them reap the benefits of all their hard work.

Esteban Candelario (28:53.997) No, it's a it's a different feeling. I feel like you know it's cool to grow by yourself, but if you can grow with people at the same time, you know, you know, what's that expression is a little lonely at the top? It just feels like a little less lonelier. Or like you can like hit him up and I'm sure you you guys probably go back and forth and A and R each other's beats and stuff like that. Like, you know, or go back and forth. I'm sure you guys like, you know, go over advice and stuff. So where does the transition happen, you know, after

Brij (29:01.326) Mm.

Brij (29:05.996) Yeah, totally.

Brij (29:16.544) Yeah, totally.

Esteban Candelario (29:23.069) You get signed with the management group. Are you going to college or are you about to start or graduate high school? You know, what is that transition like going into college?

Brij (29:32.824) yeah, I just started first year in college when that happened 'cause it was like around September, October. And yeah, then I transferred to a bigger school, like a a proper university in twenty twenty four.

Esteban Candelario (29:48.977) Is it is it crazy that like there's people like on that campus potentially listening to the music that you produce for and they like have no idea it's you?

Brij (29:57.429) Yeah. I mean I don't I don't really have too many like songs with like a crazy amount of streams. I don't know if I really have any, but like the the fact that that's like a possibility is is definitely kinda crazy to me.

Esteban Candelario (30:04.605) Esteban Candelario (30:09.873) It is crazy. so then how do you get into like what you're studying right now as an an intellectual property lawyer? And like why do you get into it? 'Cause it it sounds like being a producer and being a lawyer are like two different things. But like, you how do they connect for you?

Brij (30:24.778) Yeah. So well I'm studying I'm doing an undergrad right now in English. The law s law school's gonna come in like a few years. But the reason I wanna get into that is 'cause like I definitely wanna stay in the music industry. Like obviously in an ideal world I would just be a producer for a living. But like I feel like that's not super realistic, at least not for everyone. So I'm trying to keep like a good plan B and

I mean also my parents like the idea of me being a lawyer, so why not? But like it keeps them happy too. But like if I can keep this like aspect of my life alive, like the whole music thing, and then also be a producer, I feel like I could sort of be like a one stop shop for these artists. Like I can be in the studio with them doing the music part, 'cause I already know how to do that, right? And then like if they if they need anything handled or if they need

Esteban Candelario (30:56.991) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (31:17.119) Mm.

Brij (31:21.27) any agreements looked at or if they need management then I could do that for them too. So I feel like I could just be like unstoppable if I could do everything.

Esteban Candelario (31:29.725) Hmm. What even gave you gave you the idea to put two to g I think you did say it like being a producer may not be like feasible. Was that like what gave you the initial idea to like put two and two together?

Brij (31:39.053) Mm-hmm.

Brij (31:43.919) well I I knew being a producer maybe wasn't feasible, but I didn't know what to do with it and then it was actually my mom who brought up the idea of of IP law and then I kinda took that and was like, Well if I can do that and be a producer, then like that would be crazy. And like I told her that and she was like, Yeah, like that's like you could you could like expand your your skill set like crazy and like

being a lawyer's a amazing life, obviously, so why not? But yeah, it was her idea.

Esteban Candelario (32:16.885) Mm-hmm. Does that's interesting. does being going to school take any time away from you being a producer? You know, like and what's that balance like? Yeah.

Brij (32:30.17) yeah. I feel like around like final season when you check like Instagram, you see hella producers being like, Yo, my bad for not getting back to this. I'm I'm swamped with exams right now. So yeah, that always happens. It thankfully it usually is only around like exam periods. Like throughout the rest of the semester, it's pretty easy to balance your stuff as long as you just like delegate your time correctly, like have good time management and stuff. But

Esteban Candelario (32:40.661) Brij (32:58.924) Yeah, I mean there's there's periods where I haven't opened FL for like two weeks 'cause I'm just like drowning in exams and stuff. Which kinda sucks.

Esteban Candelario (33:08.543) Do you ever feel like you could maybe further yourself as a producer if you weren't in school? Or do you like not even look at it from like that type of lens?

Brij (33:20.886) I mean, yeah, but I mean I wouldn't I feel like I wouldn't be furthering myself like as a whole, you know what I mean? Like yeah, I'd be I'd have more time for producing, but like I wouldn't be doing shit with my life like outside of that. So like like it wouldn't bring me any closer to like doing what I wanna do, which is being a lawyer, right? 'Cause you need to be in school. So you kinda have to look at it as like a worthy sacrifice. Like this is about your future.

Esteban Candelario (33:29.109) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (33:36.189) Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (33:47.519) Mm.

That's that's an interesting word, like a sacrifice. I mean, shoot, bro, like even as being a producer, that's a sacrifice in itself too, because sometimes you miss out on shit. I'm sure you missed out on shit sometimes in high school 'cause you were like producing and stuff like that. so how does you know, where is your journey going at like right now in terms of like what you're doing? Are you still gonna stay in Vancouver, you know, when you when you finish undergrad?

Brij (33:58.414) Mm-hmm.

Brij (34:03.075) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (34:16.061) Are you like, you know, what what's kind of the next step for you in terms of, you know, on the production side of things?

Brij (34:24.028) on the production side of things, I mean I'm really just just keep doing what I'm doing. just ho taking advantage of every opportunity and hoping for the best. Just trying to grow my sound too day by day. I feel like when you evolve as a producer is really when you just like keep your head down and keep working and then you'll listen to something you made like a few months back and be like, damn, I sound totally different now. So that's that's always

the focus, but it's kinda like a focus you have to keep out of mind, if that makes sense. At least for me. Like if I don't try too hard to evolve my sound, it kind of just naturally starts going in different directions. And then yeah, in terms of like staying in Vancouver, I mean I'd love to stay here, but there's really only like one law school here worth applying for. So I'll probably have to expand my options maybe

Esteban Candelario (34:56.479) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (35:15.359) Mm-hmm.

Brij (35:18.508) Like you were saying, Toronto would be would be really cool 'cause I get to stay like domestic. But yeah, I I it can't really limit your options too much. So I'd be down to like go to the States or whatever.

Esteban Candelario (35:24.021) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (35:30.677) Yeah, I feel that. especially going to the States. Or honestly, Toronto has a lot of opportunities, I'm sure, too. It'd be like the perfect mix going to school and then like plenty of artists or like producers to network network with. is there something specifically like you're still chasing that you haven't accomplished yet that you really, really want?

Brij (35:37.806) Yeah.

Brij (35:42.0) yeah, that would be great.

Brij (35:52.015) I'm definitely chasing like a sense of like financial stability from this from this whole thing. Like I feel like that's what's holding me back from really like feeling successful in music. But I mean a lot of that is my fault. Like I didn't take the right steps to get set up with like PRO when I first started. Like when I first started like getting real placements and stuff. So

But my my new manager, Jerome Grace, has really been helping me with that. He's he's amazing. He works so hard and he's also just like a wonderful p person to have around. So I have a lot of thanks to give to him. Like from the moment me and him started working, he just like organized all my stuff to a level that has never been set up before. And he stays on top of all my agreements and stuff. And yeah, he's amazing.

Esteban Candelario (36:45.641) Damn, that's fire. That's super fire. Do you think like there's anything in the music industry that should be fair towards producers? Or do you think it's like an even like playing field between producers, the labels and the artists?

Brij (37:01.006) I think it's definitely not fair. I mean, like sometimes producers like even within the producers on a song, like the splits can get fucked up. Like some producers are getting like 'cause usually y you get fifty percent of the pub to split between all the producers, right? The artist gets the other fifty. So within that fifty, like some producers are getting like twenty and others are getting like five. Like that's that's just fucked up. But

Esteban Candelario (37:30.085) That's not fair.

Brij (37:30.796) Yeah, I don't know. there's a lot of cases you can like read about or ask producers where like they're getting fucked over with like percentages and stuff like that. So but I mean I feel like that's just always gonna happen as sad as that is.

Esteban Candelario (37:48.245) Have you ever like personally been fucked over in any way?

Brij (37:51.574) not really, thankfully, no. I've been I've been lucky enough, but yeah.

Esteban Candelario (37:53.472) Nice. Nice. No, that's always a clutch. so if you could ever like go back in time, let's say that you go back to your fifteen year old self, is there anything you would tell yourself as the present person you are to your fifteen year old self? Like is there anything you would tell him and is there anything you would change?

Brij (38:16.878) one thing I definitely do different in terms of producing is like when I first started like I was listening to a whole bunch of different like music. Like I was listening in terms of rap, like I would listen to a lot of like drill stuff 'cause that's when drill was starting to get popular. I would listen to like Detroit stuff and obviously like Youngboy. So then I would be trying to like make all these different type beats. But the thing is like when you first start making music

Like if you bounce around like that too much, you're not really gonna learn anything 'cause you're still trying to build your like foundational understanding of music, right? So I feel like in order to do that, you kinda have to stay in one place for a bit. And then once you understand like how music works on a deeper level, you can then you can start to start to move around. So I would definitely just like stay in one genre or one niche for a little longer. I feel like that would have helped me a lot.

I bounced around way too much and all my beats sounded like shit for like years.

Esteban Candelario (39:19.541) Yeah, I hear that. Ma rather be a master of one than a master of none. I hear that. And is there like a piece of advice that you think it's repeated way too much that you a absolutely like disagree with?

Brij (39:25.134) Mm-hmm.

Brij (39:34.454) Hmm, that's a good question.

Brij (39:41.921) I don't know. I feel like I don't know. I mean I feel like people overcomplicate the whole like networking thing. Like people are like, you gotta be DMing this many people every day. It's like, no you don't, bro. Like one valuable DM is way better than just shooting fifty random people DM just 'cause you you feel like you have to hit that target, you know what I mean? Like and then like how

Esteban Candelario (39:51.797) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (39:56.447) Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (40:08.405) Mm-hmm.

Brij (40:10.506) meaningful are these relationships gonna be if you're trying to build so many at one time. Like I'm not saying like be lazy and just DM like two people, but like if you can build meaningful connections that actually end up getting you somewhere, I feel like that's a lot better than just trying to hit like a goal number. You know what I mean?

Esteban Candelario (40:16.245) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (40:20.778) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (40:31.049) Now that that makes sense. I agree and I disagree with you because it's funny because I would I would teach producers that you gotta message like fifty artists a day, at least fifty a day. And the only reason why I said that is because not everyone's gonna answer and not everyone's gonna fuck with you. So it's like it goes from fifty to like two people replying to you. And then the two people that say they wanna make a song, like maybe one of them actually turns out to record and like actually fulfill that promise. You know what mean? but I I I I agree. I agree.

Brij (40:40.11) Mm.

Brij (40:45.677) Yeah.

Brij (40:56.318) Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (40:59.017) I agree in the sense of like it's better to have like, you know, quality relationships but on the internet it's just so easy to message so many people, you know what I mean?

Brij (41:04.13) Yeah.

Brij (41:09.186) That's true. Yeah, there's there's definitely two sides to it.

Esteban Candelario (41:11.315) So yeah, I think I think it works both ways and bro also it's kind of like if well whatever works for you is working for you, keep doing it. Like if messaging a mass amount of people is working for you, do it. If not and you just know how to reach out to the right people, just do you know what I'm saying? And I I think that's an that's another thing that producers like like not producers, just people in general. They hear what works for other people and that's not always the case for you personally. Like, you know, it's like

Brij (41:28.812) Yeah, that too.

Brij (41:39.16) Totally, yeah.

Esteban Candelario (41:40.597) It's like finding your style as a producer. You gotta find your style like in terms of networking too, you know? what what's one f Go ahead, sorry, go ahead. Yeah, go ahead.

Brij (41:43.799) Yeah, exactly. And just to to go into that more, I know some producers who like they schedule out their whole day. Like they'll be like, from this time to this time, I'm gonna make loops from this time to this time, I'll do FLPs, whatever. Like, bro, if I do that, like I'm quitting, bro. I would hate that. Like, I I I just like I mean I I understand like the sentiment behind it, right? Like you're scheduling out.

Esteban Candelario (41:58.228) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (42:03.413) I feel that, yeah.

Esteban Candelario (42:09.791) Mm-hmm.

Brij (42:11.094) all your stuff and you're organizing it, whatever, but like if I try to lay out a defined schedule for myself every day, I'm gonna end up hating this shit. Like I just wanna sit down and make what I wanna make. Of course if someone has an opportunity, they need something, I'll make it. But that doesn't mean like I'm not gonna enjoy it, right? Like I don't wanna lock myself down to a certain schedule. And I know other people do that and they do that every day and it works for them. Like you were saying, it's just

Esteban Candelario (42:21.397) Mm.

Esteban Candelario (42:32.116) Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (42:39.839) Ye Yeah. Yeah. I I used to do scheduling and then I realize like if I start a task and I don't finish by that certain time, I can't just stop. Like I have and then my time goes over. So like I realize I I make to do lists and I just like cross out as I do but I don't time anything. And that makes so much more sense for me. Like it's just my brain can't just drop everything and then switch to something else because I timed it. I used to I used to schedule a lot of my day, but I don't anymore. I just write like

Brij (42:40.674) It's just about doing what works for you.

Brij (42:50.913) Yeah.

Brij (42:58.38) Yeah, exactly.

Mm-hmm.

Esteban Candelario (43:09.321) do this and stuff like that. what's one thing every producer should stop doing like immediately that like you see producers do and you're like, stop that shit, bro. Like it's not working. It's a bad look for you.

Brij (43:10.285) Yeah.

Brij (43:21.098) Bro, you gotta stop posting those stories of like having the beat playing and like taking your phone and doing this, bro. You gotta stop. We gotta stop doing that. It's it's n it's not like twenty it's not twenty twenty anymore, bro. We gotta quit that.

Esteban Candelario (43:37.206) Yeah. What's a what's a better thing they could do?

Brij (43:42.082) Just just screen record it or something on your phone, bro. Anything other than that.

Esteban Candelario (43:44.15) Right? Yes. Literally. Literally. Literally. if if you had to do everything all over again right now from today and start from scratch, like no placements, no connections, no followers, what would you like do in your first ninety days or what would that look like?

Brij (44:04.91) man. I don't even know. Probably just like well I mean the thing is right, like if you're starting from nothing, you've gotta showcase your work somehow, right? And you can't do that through placements. So probably just like post some like beats or whatever and then after that reach out to some people, try to start networking. 'Cause I feel like if you start networking with a blank page, like the

Esteban Candelario (44:22.005) Mm-hmm.

Brij (44:37.41) They have no idea what like what you sound like or anything, so they might not even respond. Like I'm not gonna lie, if someone were to DM me and they have like no followers or anything, but they have a blank page, like I'm a lot less likely to respond than if they had no followers, but they have stuff on their page, 'cause at least I can check them out, right, and see what they're doing. So probably just like show my work somehow and then yeah, try to get back out there networking.

Esteban Candelario (44:54.082) Esteban Candelario (44:58.6) I agree.

Brij (45:04.738) get out to all the producers in the niche that I wanna make, like figure out who they are, first of all. And then try to start working with them. Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (45:10.901) Uhhuh.

What do you think is better? I I just I was just thinking as you were talking. Do you think let's say you're a producer with nothing, do you think it's better to spend a whole year just defining your sound or spending a whole year just like networking for the first year of you like ever starting off?

Brij (45:32.611) Hmm. Well, I feel like you you you can definitely do both, right? 'Cause the networking side is one part of it and then defining your sound is the actual like making music part. So I feel like you definitely need both. Like if you're if you're making like the best loops ever but no one's hearing them 'cause you're not networking, then it's not gonna get you anywhere. But if you're networking and you're not cooking up, then you have nothing to send them, right? So

Esteban Candelario (46:01.778) Brij (46:02.604) I feel like it's you definitely need both.

Esteban Candelario (46:05.525) Agreed. let's do I want to try something new. I've never done this. Some like rapid fire questions. I'll just ask you I'll ask you this or that and then you just say whichever one, all right? FL Studio or Ableton?

Brij (46:11.957) Okay.

Brij (46:16.023) Yeah, sure.

Brij (46:20.216) never used Ableton, so F L.

Esteban Candelario (46:22.367) Gotcha. Loops or start from scratch?

Brij (46:26.49) like a am I doing drums?

Esteban Candelario (46:30.567) Yeah, yeah. If somebody sent you a loop and you add on to it or you start from scratch. Gotcha. favorite VST?

Brij (46:34.295) Loops.

Brij (46:39.214) contact. All the contact makes.

Esteban Candelario (46:44.277) Favorite drum kit.

Brij (46:46.806) slime blueprint from me and Parker.

Esteban Candelario (46:50.133) Favorite producer right now.

Brij (46:53.454) Brij (47:00.27) Parker Hill, my boy.

Esteban Candelario (47:02.919) Most underrated producer.

Brij (47:05.498) Brij (47:13.378) Big Mace beats. Definitely. He's fire.

Esteban Candelario (47:15.443) Okay. I'm gonna have to look up. dream placement.

Brij (47:20.889) rod wave.

Esteban Candelario (47:22.975) Favorite artist to produce for? Right? Already knew that one. One plugin you couldn't live without.

Brij (47:25.143) Young boy.

Brij (47:31.256) Yeah.

Brij (47:36.231) Archetype Mateus Asado. It's a guitar amp. That's just go so goaded.

Esteban Candelario (47:43.541) Coffee or energy drinks?

Brij (47:45.58) Energy drinks.

Esteban Candelario (47:47.103) Really? I'm a coffee guy, dang. Maybe I'm old dude. I'm almost thirty. Finish finish ten beats or perfect one?

Brij (47:55.52) perfect one.

Esteban Candelario (47:57.928) in person networking or social media.

Brij (48:00.877) I've never done in person networking, so social media.

Esteban Candelario (48:03.113) Hmm. Biggest producer pet peeve.

Brij (48:08.302) FL crashing midbeat.

Esteban Candelario (48:10.805) No lie. One producer, everyone should study.

Brij (48:16.583) Alex made this. Bro, it's crazy.

Esteban Candelario (48:18.601) Hmm. One goal you're accomplishing before the end of the year?

Brij (48:23.694) going to a studio, hopefully.

Esteban Candelario (48:28.272) Mm. Like what artists?

Brij (48:31.178) Artists, producers, just in general. I wanna be in the room finally.

Esteban Candelario (48:35.357) Mm. Yeah, no, like you mentioned like the not not not having not networking in person yet. And like, dude, like I feel like that just takes it to another level, especially with like all I mean, it's so easy to network peop with people on social media, but people's face card is so much more valuable than ever because everyone's networking on social media, everyone's emailing, everyone's DMing. But if you can like build that connection in person, bro, I mean you just you just never fucking know.

Brij (48:42.307) Yeah.

Brij (48:56.31) Yeah.

Brij (49:03.236) yeah.

Esteban Candelario (49:04.927) You know what I mean? cool, bro. Hm.

Brij (49:05.486) Yeah. It's it's like we talked about with like the Discord thing, right? Like when you're talking to people, it's like yeah, it's like that, but like yeah, like you said, now this person's in front of you, so it's on a whole nother level.

Esteban Candelario (49:11.999) Thousand percent.

Esteban Candelario (49:20.499) Yeah, it is, man. Like, you know, I hate to say it, but like producing is oversaturated, bro. It's just too many motherfuckers making beats. Too many people making loops. There's just too many there's too many of too many. Like, you know. So ironically, the easiest way to stand out now, like in especially in twenty twenty six, is to have a face card. Like to show up, to pull up, like to go to places, like you and you'd just be s so fucking surprised. Especially if like someone finds out like you produced something that they liked, like, shit, that was you? That's crazy. Like, you know what I'm saying?

Brij (49:25.74) Yeah. Yeah.

Brij (49:30.708) Yeah.

Brij (49:38.307) Yeah.

Brij (49:42.318) Mm.

Brij (49:49.43) Yeah, now they have a face to put to it.

Esteban Candelario (49:49.781) yeah, yeah. so I mean before we dip, is there anything you wanna plug? Any, you know, any announcements or anything?

Brij (50:00.752) I mean I have my own channel where I post like tutorials and stuff. I've been kinda inactive on it, but I'm gonna get back on it. just search like Brig Tea Audio on YouTube and you should be able to find it. And then

Esteban Candelario (50:13.129) Gotcha. And tell tell how to spell your break.

Brij (50:16.887) yeah, B R I G T Audio underscore one. That should be it.

Esteban Candelario (50:23.551) Gotcha. And what else were you saying?

Brij (50:26.55) yeah, I've just been grinding. Check me out on Instagram. You'll see everything I got going on. Hopefully more stuff to come this year. Yeah, that's about it. Yeah.

Esteban Candelario (50:35.305) Gotcha. Same handle on Instagram. Gotcha. All right, brother. Thanks for hopping on, bro. As always, good conversation. Likewise, bro. Talk to you soon.

Brij (50:42.124) Yeah, th thank you for having me, bro.

Alright, see ya bro, peace.