HARV
Appearances
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Justin walks in and plays every instrument. And this is Justin with the swoop. Remember, he used to do the swoop back in the day. How many songs have you and Bieber written together? It's a lot of songs. Probably like 500. Congratulations, you have the number one song in the world. Wow. We're just jamming. Like, this is the first time I meet, you know, meet Justin.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I take the stems from the actual studio session, like the vocals, the music, the whole Pro2 session, and then I add certain things to enhance it. So when we present it in a live place, it just elevates the song just a little bit. And so that's one part.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And then the other part is hiring the musicians like the other band members, making sure the front of house guy is on point, the monitor guy, the techs, the crew. It's a very important kind of job, especially for artists of his magnitude, because there's so many moving parts. Like when we... When we tour, it's like just the band and people on stage alone is probably like 40 people.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
You know what I'm saying? That I kind of have to communicate with.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Oh, for sure. So once I became a music director, I basically hired all my friends. Yeah. So the band is Styx Taylor, you know what I'm saying? Which is the best drummer in the world. Jules, Jules the Wolf Guitars, probably...
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
The Believe album, Just Like Them, fairytale featuring Jaden Smith. Didn't work on purpose, kind of bummed that I didn't, but whatever. Changes, forever available, at least for now. And then of course, on Justice, I did Peaches.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
one of the uh again best guitars i'm gonna say this because he's all my friends the best guitarist in the world uh o'neill on keys and then so i've been with justin since 2010 but dj james has been with justin since like the very very beginning like 2009 or something so he's the dj one time yeah yeah so like yeah so me me and tay we've been there and nick demore which is the creative designer
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
But yeah, we've been there the longest. And we've created a band called We The Band. Out of Justin's band, we're actually working on an album right now. Amazing. Yeah, so it's like, yeah, I don't even want to spoil it, but it's fire.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yep, doing the Purpose album.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
um it wasn't a difficult process it was just like when you're the music director like so the other tours like all i cared about was like when it came to the live space all i cared about was playing bass and killing like every time i got a chance to like solo or do something like i'm taking it like you know what i'm saying because this is all i had to think about once i became you know what i'm saying the md is not about me anymore it's not about me playing bass it's about
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
the big picture. Like how is this drum field sounding? How's this guitar sound? Well, how's that delayed at reverb? Uh, I'll tell Jewels, find a different patch. I'll tell sticks. I like that field, but do something different. I'll tell O'Neal, like, don't put the orchestra hits here or change that voice in of that chord. Don't, you know what I'm saying?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Don't play the nine because the nine ain't in the chord of the song play, you know what I'm saying? So it's like, it's so many different, like, like variables that go in being a music director and, that transition is like, okay, now I finally get to play bass. Like after I do all of that, okay, dang, what am I gonna play now?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like, so it was like understanding that it's not about me and playing bass anymore. It's about the big picture.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Oh, we have a million. We have a million fun stories. We have our own how we talk. Like how you're talking to me, if you're around Justin, we have the same kind of lingo and just energy because we've been around each other so long. Plenty of fun stories. We just recently went to the Maldives and we were just out there just hanging and laughing and just having a good time. It's tons of stories.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I can't even start on one because it's like a billion.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I think, so like, yeah, so the time where you're saying, I think, so right after the Believe moment and then Purpose, I think everybody was kind of in the space of like doing their own thing. Like even Justin, Justin was kind of, you know, he was kind of MIA around that time. Like he wasn't as accessible as, you know, before.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So I think everybody that was around kind of, I was like, oh, okay, cool. Like this is the time that we get to kind of explore different things.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
so i around that time i um i met my wife around that time so like i we were working on so many projects together i think we did seven streeters uh number one r&b song before i do around that time crazy um i was working on my wife's album at around that time i started exploring my own artistry around that time so i i was kind of in a pocket of like
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I mean, I know Justin's always going to be my brother, so I'm never in a rush to like work with him anyway, because that's my brother. So it's like, okay, let me figure out who I am. So that moment was, that's what that was. And then I always knew Pooh Bear and worked with Pooh Bear. And around, I believe, 2018, 19, we began working kind of close.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And that's when Yes Please happened and 60 other songs. Like me and Pooh Bear probably have like 100 songs together.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
yeah so i come from a musical family my grandmother is a she was a classically trained opera singer and my mom is a pianist uh she's a the minister of music back home at the church that i grew up in like she still like does that today so music was always a thing in our family like my my brothers play my dad my uncles we all kind of like play instruments so the holidays we we have jam sessions or after church jam sessions and like
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, just me and Justin. Yeah, we probably... It's a lot of songs. Probably like 500.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
For sure, especially back then. Cause I think where music is now is very relationship based. Like every artist that's a main, like all your A-list artists right now, there's anybody that's anybody. They have a producer or writer that they're comfortable with.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Engineer, yeah. They have their team. Let's rewind maybe five to eight years ago, it wasn't like that. It was submit a song to the artist. It wasn't very relationship one-on-one. You had to submit a song. Getting on a Bieber album back in the day was like... And for me, and I was around him, you know what I'm saying? It was like, you get one cut, you're just like, yes.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like, you know what I'm saying? Because you're competing. With everybody trying to get on the album. And this is young Justin, so he's not in control of the songs that he's picking or the sound of the album. So it was definitely a process to get on a Bieber cut back in the day. It still is. It still is. I'm just blessed that our relationship has grown.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And like I said, he's more mature now to where he knows exactly... what and how he wants to sound and, you know, and then the right people are in place now too. So it makes it easier.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, so Peaches is a product of social media. It's a product of the technology of now. We made Peaches during the pandemic, like smack middle of it. You know what I'm saying? So like going to the studio with your friends and writing a song that's not happening around this time. It's not like how it used to be where it's 20 people in a room or six people in a room writing a song.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So this is not happening at this time. However, we were still hanging out. We would just go shoot basketball every Sunday, like all the boys, like Justin, like me, Tay, Nick, Demora. And then it would just rotate other people as it, you know, every other week. So this particular Sunday, like we shoot ball, we dap up, everybody go home, right?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
If you go back and listen to the song, when it starts off, that's literally Justin playing on his piano at his house that is screen recorded from the iPhone. Crazy. My whole life, I knew I was going to be something special. I knew all of this when I was like 14. However, it didn't happen at 14. It didn't happen at 20. Being broke at times, all of that didn't mean anything in that moment.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I'm at home on the couch, scrolling through Instagram, and I see Justin playing the piano. And he's like, you know what I'm saying? Like singing the melody and playing the piano. And I said, fuck, this is fire. So I just immediately hit the fire emoji, right? So that little A-bark,
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
clip of him playing the piano gets screen recorded right i go to the studio make a whole song around that clip right and then i had a co-producer shindo who's on the record with me as well so i call him like yo bro meet me at the studio i take the clip produce a whole song around just the a bar clip right i send it to justin like oh this is so that was sunday monday send it to justin
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
was like yo this is fire he goes to the studio by himself records the verse sends it back to me so then now what i took the a bar loop i now make it into a hook and a verse that's all we have so and it's like this is all happening in one day so i'm at the studio right now i have The hook and the verse of Peaches. He FaceTimes me, Justin. We pray for like 30 minutes. You know what I'm saying?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So we pray for like 30 minutes and then we just talking. Not 30 minutes, probably like 15 minutes. 30 minutes is a long time to pray. But it's like 15 minutes.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like it was always just a part of like growing up. It was sports, music, pianos around the house, like playing with toys. And then, oh, messing with the piano was like something I did growing up. So I want to say music kind of chose me more so than, you know, I chose to do music. And my first instrument was cello. I started playing the cello at nine years old, which was cool. I missed the cello.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
so then like we we start talking about like ideas and he was just like yo like i think i'm gonna get givion to jump on this because around this time like givion was coming around like when we have like hangouts like givion to come around and like hang out with us so he was kind of like already in sync with you know what i'm saying our vibe and our energy so he's like i'm gonna get givion to do it i was like i bet whatever this is like 2 p.m in the middle of the day
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
All in one day. This is Monday, right? So, like, cool. I'm like, all right, whatever, Justin. So, I hang up. I go upstairs, like, start another idea, whatever. By, like, 3.30, I get a Gideon verse. Like, that was, like, I don't know if, like, Gideon had this verse sitting in his pocket, and he was just like, oh, I got a verse. Like...
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
he that was the fastest verse i've ever seen in my life so give rice the verse sends it to justin justin sent it to me i get i get gives vocals i throw it into my session so now i got a verse i mean i got a hook justin's verse and now give me on right so i'm like oh this is fire right so That's how the song was for probably like a week or so.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So it was just Justin, Kivion, and then I did the piano synth solo at the end. And that's how the song was going to be.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Thank you. Thank you.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, yeah. So like I grew up listening to like Earth, Wind & Fire. And like I grew up around like musicians who actually play and like... And they put that in music. You know what I'm saying? So if you notice, in a lot of songs that I do now, there's some sort of solo or something going on in the background. I don't know.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I just want to leave the charge of young musicians that want to play instruments and produce. And that inspired me at 16. So I just want to inspire when somebody hears that at 16. Like, dang, he really took a piano solo at the end of this big old Billboard number one song. You know what I'm saying? I soloed all the way out.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
so um yeah so that was the song for like a week and then justin facetimes me again he really a and r'd this song justin did he doesn't get credit for for it but he really a and r'd peaches i was just there to kind of like help see him help see the idea through but um Yeah, he called me like, yo, I want to get Daniel. I've always wanted to work with Daniel Caesar.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
He was like, I always want to work with him. And I think he'll be fire on it. Like a third verse. I said, bro, it's your world.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Right, exactly. So he gets Daniel on it. And then... I get the verse. I had to kind of rearrange it a little bit to see who went first, second, last. And then I think I kind of restructured Daniel's verse as well. And the rest is history. That's Peaches.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yep. Which is the intro to the song. If you listen, if you go back and listen to the song, when it starts off, that's literally Justin playing on his piano. Uh, at his house that is screen recorded from the iPhone that is thrown into Ableton.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah. That's what I'm saying. Technology is crazy. We made that song off of Instagram and it's screen recording.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, so I think the... So it came from a hang. I believe they were hanging one night, all those guys, and they... came up with maybe the melody and then Justin came up with the chords. I didn't even know this at the time. So they came up with the, uh, I think the chord structure or something like that.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So my laziness. So I was nine years old in the fourth grade. And growing up in Kansas in the fourth grade, this is when you can get elective classes, right?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And, and, and, and the jam, like, you know, like everybody gets around and jam and they, they came up with it. And so then Justin, when he did the Instagram thing, I didn't know he had came from a previous jam. So I just took it and made a whole song that sounds totally different from the jam that they had.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I don't even think Justin was going to record it. I just think it was a jam. And it was something that they all kind of jammed and created. And then Justin was just on Instagram playing it. And I was like, no, fuck that. This is a song. So I took it. Excuse me. Sorry. But I took that and made it a song.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah. So I had to send open verses like I'll send it and then like open verse and then they'll just send it back.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah. At least that's how he told me. It was Gideon and Daniel Caesar, like always.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
knew it was special because i knew nothing sounded like that um i didn't know that it was gonna take off like that like like when it came out right so the night before the album came out i'm just chilling i wake up to like text messages like 20 text messages and but the one that i remember the most is scooter braun texting me saying congratulations you have the number one song in the world wow and i was just like
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
that's crazy that's insane yeah like i i still like that text message was crazy to see so like i knew the song was going to be awesome and i knew it was fire and it didn't sound like anything and it's special it's timeless but i didn't know it's going to be the number one song in the world how quickly did that song just explode that day that's what i'm saying i woke up i went to sleep with the number uh
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So like you can either do band or orchestra. So like my laziness, like I was just like, I'm gonna take my time. Then go sign up for band. So I waited to the last minute. I get to the sheet. It's filled up. There's no more slots for band, right? Next to it is orchestra. It's like 20 slots open. Like no kid wanted to play orchestra growing up, right? So I was just like, I need to do something.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
billion song in the world or nothing and then I woke up with the number one song in the world like it was like that that fast and it's like everything changed after that like my life changed immediately like that I woke up and I was a whole different person if that makes sense that's you know what I'm saying like in the industry or just whatever it's like and it was like a really amazing feeling because
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
You know, I've been like just talking, you know what I'm saying? I've been around so long and I put in a lot of hours and sacrificed a lot of friendships, relationships. And I feel like I don't want to say pay my dues or anything, but I just felt like I put in a lot of work. And in that moment, it was just like all of that made sense.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like all of my no's, like letdowns, failures, like being broke at times, like not, you know what I'm saying? Not having connections, not having songs, not being where I want to be, where I thought I should be. All of that didn't mean anything in that moment. I saw that text, you got the number one song in the world. I was like, okay, great.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Um, literally what you said, I've said this before in interviews, like one of the main components of why that song is so special is because it unifies everybody.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
It's like, you know, I get my peaches out in Georgia, you know, Georgia peach, you know, you took it to the South, you know, you know, I get, you know, my life from the sources from God, you know, I took my girl up to the North, you know what I'm saying? Like, okay, you know, if you from the North, Canada, New York, you can gravitate to that. I get my weed from California.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
It's like, okay, everybody from LA, Cali, or anybody who smokes weed can gravitate
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
attached to that 100 so you just unified like different parts of the globe different parts of like people's um everyday life lifestyle and it's easy to sing along you know very catchy too catchy yeah you know what i'm saying the the drum beat of that that was programmed did you guys yeah yeah yeah those are programmed drums yeah yeah one of the interesting things i've been seeing in like like the biggest songs right now is this like four on the floor kind of beat but that's a different kind of setup what made you guys decide to go with that
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
it really just fit the groove. It's like, at first it was four. It was... And I was just like, nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. Put the kick on one and three. You know what I'm saying? Like, get a little swing, let it sit back a little bit.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, yeah, groove to. Like, yeah, like... simplify, you know what I'm saying? Make it simple. And it just worked.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yes. So, um, I'm, I'm going to start releasing. I'm, I'm working on my artist project. Um, I just signed a single deal with Virgin capital and range. Congrats. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. So, um, I'm getting ready to drop a, um, A single with Kyle, super duper Kyle. Yeah, he's my brother, man. Talented guy. So we might be cousins on the low. We have the same last name. Wait, really? Yeah, yeah.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
That's crazy. I might need to ask one of my grandmas and figure it out. But yeah, so I'm getting ready to drop a song with him called Losses that I'm super excited about. Um, and then I have two songs to follow that up with.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So I'm just, yeah, I'm, I'm really gearing into, you know, creating my brand, building my brand, um, as an artist and also as a producer, like I have, you know, justice next album. Um, I almost finished with that now. So like, and we got some crazy records on there. So, and I'm producing pretty much, um, a big chunk of a lot of your favorite artists right now.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So whatever. I just put my name on. on the orchestra side. And like me and my, my best friend, Derek, um, we've been best friends since we were five. Like I saw his name over there too. So like, I cool. I guess I'll do orchestra. And, and I ended up falling in love with it. Like I was first chair, like all city seventh and eighth grade. Yeah. Yeah. I used to do like,
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So I have so many things in the works right now.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, it's a little different because I think when I'm writing for myself, it's a little bit easier because I don't have to think like, would this person say that? I don't have to like tap into that person's vein or that person's life. When I'm writing for myself, I know who I am. I know what I want to say. I know what I want to feel. I know how I want other people to feel.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So it's a little bit easier. You know what I'm saying? Yeah.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
You say, has it been difficult?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, it's definitely been difficult because I'm such a... I'm a team player.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
You know what I'm saying? I love helping others and being a part of other people's journeys, whether that's being in the band, whether that's working with Justin, or anything for that matter. So...
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So it's definitely a moment right now to where I'm like, okay, well, I just need to put more time into myself, focus on myself, because I feel like I have so much to give to, you know what I'm saying, to music, just me as an artist and my brand and everything. So it's definitely a transition of... Yeah, I hate to say it, kind of putting yourself first or putting myself first right now.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, I mean, the advice that I would say is just honestly believe in yourself. And I think anybody that is a creator, if you have the gift to create and And to be a visionary, you see yourself in the future, like what you want to do and what you want to accomplish. Don't get caught up on the now, the physical, because that's when people start getting discouraged.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like my whole life, I knew I was going to be something special. I knew I was going to produce a number one. I knew I was going to work on an artist project. I knew all of this when I was like 14. Like I felt this when I was a kid. You know what I'm saying?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
it didn't happen at 14 it didn't happen at 20. it didn't happen you know what i'm saying but you have to always know like i'm gonna do this like i believe in myself so much no matter what my physical present my physical time is i'm gonna accomplish my goal at some point of time in life and if you have that like just um sureness and and you believe in yourself it don't matter how many times you fail how many times somebody doesn't like your music how many times somebody says no how many weird situations you get put in
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Once you know like the main goal and you believe in yourself and you know that, you know what I'm saying? You have something to give to the world. That's all that matters. You know what I'm saying? It's your own personal belief in yourself. Everything else is just obstacles that you got to, you know, overcome.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
It's a huge impact. it changed the format of arranging a song. So it's like radio, back then when you're producing and writing a radio hit, you had time to, you know, structure a song. You came in with the verse, a little pre-chorus, then you hit them with the hook. You know what I'm saying? You kind of build them up because you got time. Like now you don't have time.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like you got 15 seconds, if that, to catch, you know what I'm saying, the listener who's listening to a song on TikTok's ear. So... A lot of songs as now are coming straight in with the hook. If you listen to any song that's a big song on TikTok or anything, the hook is first.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Right. That right there, that's like a unicorn. That's it right there.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
But outside of that, every other song is like... the hook first, you know what I'm saying? Like if you come in with the hook immediately, it grabs the ear and then we'll go to the verse and then we do a pre hook and then come back to the hook. So I think like, you know what I'm saying? Writing and creating in the internet space now is you, you have to get the, the payoff sooner.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like you have to get to the thought, the big part of the song, the most catchy, trendy part of the song initially, because that's really the, what the listener is trying to get. They got 15 seconds. If not, they scroll into the next thing. So you got to grab them quick.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Okay. I've been wondering, you know what? It's funny. I saw that green bag and like, you've been carrying this gray bag. I'm like, what is it?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Appreciate that, man. Did I get the look?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Hey, come on a can of peaches and they're organic. What else? You got a cart. Come on. And a peach. Of course.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, it would have melted by then.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
It would have failed. Smart man.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Bam. Cello. I'm going to do a whole concert. Concerto.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Thank you, bro. Appreciate it. Yes, sir.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So because I was raised in church, I feel like the first instrument everybody plays in church is the drums because that's what keeps the rhythm in church going. So I started out playing drums.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
and then cello of course and my older brother his first his main instrument was piano and we we wanted to jam together so i was just like okay i want to play the piano but no and and i don't want to play the drums like i like the drums but i don't necessarily want to play the drums so i was like what can i play so i picked up the bass And I picked up the bass around like 11, 12 years old.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And that became my main instrument. And from the bass, I started playing guitar because they're kind of similar. And when I went to college, I studied piano. And then that's when I got good on piano.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
If I'm jamming, like when I perform with Justin, I play the bass and synth bass, which is piano. But yeah, well, I gravitate more the bass. I'm probably most comfortable there, but I can do it, do them all, but the bass is what I, you know what I'm saying, gravitate to.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
It started when I couldn't find any good writers to write to the music I was making, or just not being impressed with, and that sounds so arrogant, but just not being impressed with a songwriter. Like, I'll have a session, Like back in the day, like early on, like, you know, when you sign like a pub deal, they'll put you with like the writers that they signed and stuff like that.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And I wasn't getting success that way. I was just like, okay, until I started writing it myself. Like, oh, okay, like this is what I'm trying to say. So that made me sharpen my writing skills just because I just felt like the songs were better when I was more involved in the song, opposed to me just giving the songwriter a beat and be like, here, just you go write to it.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And I'm not being a part of the creative process.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's bass and some of the piano stuff too on there. Yeah, the dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee-dee. Yeah, yeah.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Well, I was always producing and sharpening my skills. So I think I was preparing myself even when I was 16 to get to that place. I remember when... Fruity Loops first came out, like I grabbed that, you know, and I was learning that in high school and like producing like R&B hip hop songs for like all my friends that wanted to rap back then.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So like I think everything that I was doing from playing the cello at nine, you know, playing in orchestra or playing at church, like all of that like built me up to get to Lemonade. Like, you know what I'm saying? Just that the work that I put in in my teenage years, like when I got to Atlanta, I was already ready for whatever because I prepared myself, you know what I'm saying, in high school.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
probably a million like you know i mean yeah it's like i got a kajillion songs now like you never stop like the creator will always create like like i'm and you can't think like oh i made this one beat and this is going to be the one like definitely you got to make a million like you you know like i was just having a conversation earlier like right now i'm in a super high creative space to where i'm just creating creating creating creating and
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, so right after Lemonade, I was doing a lot of sessions in Atlanta. And where I found success was working with producers that are amazing at making the drums and the 808s. Because Atlanta, that's a heavy sound. So I found success in just coming in and putting a little melodic stuff on top and meshing with that. So I did that after Lemonade. I kind of bounced around, did that.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
After probably like six months or so, I got a call to work with this Canadian kid, you know? And they're like, you know, this guy, Scooter Braun, you know, these are all new names at the time, you know?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
uh well not new but like not like huge as they are now so this guy Scooter Braun signed this artist named Justin he's bringing him to Atlanta uh they want to put a band around him some young guys um are you available to come and do like a soft audition I just want to you know meet you and uh
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
came to the audition justin walks in justin walks in and plays every instrument like off the back like he dapped you up and this is justin with the swoop remember he used to do the swoop back of the day so he comes there right jumps on the piano jumps on the drums bangs out on the drums for like 10 minutes grabs a guitar bangs out on a guitar And we're just jamming.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
This is the first time I meet Justin. And we're jamming. And I just saw his musical talent. And they're like, cool, you're in the band now. And then that's how I just became the bass player at that time. This is the My World Tour, like 2010 or something.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So yeah, I just became the bass player.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Yeah, it is a hard transition because just because you are an amazing musician doesn't mean you're going to be an amazing producer. You still have to understand sonics. You still have to know that in producing, less is more. Being a musician, more is better. The better you can play, the bigger you are. If you're the best pianist, everybody's going to praise you.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
If you're the best bassist, we love that. But in producing... those flat seven, minor diminished, augmented, like nine sevens, like that may not sound good. We just need the triads. And sometimes, you know, as a musician, you want to add all of those colorful chords and like 10 finger chords.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
It's like every finger is dedicated to a note, but like, like in producing, you just may need two fingers or three finger chords. And like with the right patch, like it sounds crazy. So it's like,
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
transitioning from being a musician to a producer is one of those like you really got to kind of dumb yourself down just a baby hair just to make it make sense if that makes any sense simple yeah yeah simplify yourself a lot of instrumentalists i feel like try to go as like complex as possible yeah yeah yeah a lot of guitarists sometimes and like they always do these crazy guitar solos but the best guitarists to work with are the ones that just have like really awesome melodies
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Thank you for having me. Come on.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
right right right that's a great point yeah because some musicians think that everybody thinks like a musician no that's you're like five percent of the population the other 95 doesn't understand everything you just played they just want to feel something so you know the thing is i always make somebody feel like even when i when i make music like i just want you know i'm saying the listener to feel happy sad angry whatever just feel anything you know
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Um... Well, I've just been blessed to see his whole transition, just from me being around him. Like, back then, he was still trying to figure out who he is, you know. He had a lot of things he had to learn musically and just, you know, as a young boy becoming a man. So I kind of saw that whole transition. So, like, back then, it was just, like, kind of all over the place.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
um off the top um my very first placement that i um been blessed to be a part of was gucci man lemonade crazy uh shout out to bangladesh um i worked on that with bangladesh and that was like my first placement and um a lot of people you know because it was so long ago don't even know that you know i worked on that so that's one um justin bieber's um i'm gonna go on the justin run right quick yeah so just this christmas album fa la la featuring boys to men
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And you can grab him when you're in his little time. Like, you got to take advantage of it because he's going to be gone. He's like a little boy. fly like all over the place back then but it's like now he's like super locked in man he's like um
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
really at a good place so it's like to where we can sit down and like actually talk about the song talk about life talk about like you know he's like family you know what i'm saying like my brother so it's like we sit down and really like have like really good conversations and then that ends up turning into a song you guys both came up together yeah yeah yeah did you we're forever part of each other's story you know what i'm saying yeah we respect that and we we cherish that too
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
OK, so going from bassist to producer. So for me, the goal was always to be a producer. That was my goal since I was 14. I just didn't want to be a bass player or a musician. I wanted to be a producer. But, you know, in life sometimes, if you're smart, you have to understand that the way in may not be, you know what I'm saying?
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like, how do I be like, Oh, I'm not going to go play bass with him because I want to be a producer. Like I wouldn't have made that relationship that allowed me to be a producer later. And like some people and musicians and producers, they want the, the, they want the success now. Like it's still the understanding like, Oh, this is my end.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Let me go in as a bass player, piano player, whatever, and see what happens. So for me, it always, the end goal was to be a producer and, So even when I was playing bass with him, we'll be in rehearsal. I'll go off to the corner, put my headphones on and make a beat. Like I always kept my producer skills like or producer time equal with my live playing time.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
Like I always split the difference, you know. So. After a while, you know, as you see, he was like, yo, what are you doing? Like he see me with headphones on like, yo, bro, what are you doing? Like, what are you listening to? Like, you know, I'm like, oh, I'm I'm a producer, too. Like, oh, really? You know, I let me hear something. So. I started learning, letting him hear beats.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
And so that becomes, that became into like, after a show, we'll go back to his bus and start writing. And that led to the fa la la song, which is on his Christmas album under the mistletoe, which is our first song together that we did that, um, Our first record featuring Boyz II Men. Which is crazy, by the way. Yeah, thank you.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
I wish. I wish. No. So me and a very talented writer named Adonis wrote that song. And yeah, Justin came in and cut it. And then next thing you know, Scooter's like, yeah, we're going to get Boyz II Men on it. Crazy. But I know I wish I was in the room with him.
Behind The Wall
The Untold Story Behind Justin Bieber’s Music (Harv Interview)
So music director is a very important job. Basically... you arrange the live show and when i say arrange that means put like the extra hits in it the band intros outros um like orchestra hits like dance breaks anytime you see him go out and do a dance break like i had to like produce that and add that into the show like so let's say a song like peaches