The Masterminds of Stargate

I had the great opportunity of being in the audience of a panel on Thursday that featured Stargate, the superstar producers behind hits such as "So Sick," "Closer" and "Sexy Love" by Ne-Yo, "Please Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna and "Irreplaceable" performed by Beyonce. The concept of the panel was to really get a sense of the careers of these men and the passion, motivation and technique behind their productions. Stargate (pictured above; Mikkel on the right and Tor on the left) are from Norway; a country with not much of an urban following. However because of a tremendous admiration and respect for artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, De la Soul and other pioneers of pop, R&B and hip hop, Stargate was motivated to work on productions for the urban market but the influence from dance music in Europe is evident in their music as well. They got a chance to meet Ne-Yo at Sony Studios in New York and the rest is history. "We think through every chord and every melody line" stated Mikkel. Stargate makes a real effort to make their records have a lasting effect. Mikkel discussed classic songs being more melodic and in effect, timeless. Tor mentioned that real instruments such as piano and using the right strings also add to that timelessness. Tor also talked about a point that Lionel Richie made which was, "It's not about if I can sing it, it's about if they can sing it." Richie was emphasizing the importance of knowing who your audience is and creating music you know they will enjoy. "We walk through the music and lyrics to make sure everything is right especially the chorus" said Tor. Stargate also intentionally builds different melodic ideas into their tracks to inspire the top line writers (lyricists) they work with. When it comes to business Stargate tries not to let the business interfere with the art. "It's hard to judge the commercial potential of a song," said Tor." However the duo definitely has their minds on making a hit record and usually know when they have one. What's Stargate's advice to upcoming songwriters? - "Illustrate a story, not just feelings; a narrative is more interesting. Work with as many producers as you can," says Tor. For upcoming producers? - Mikkel says capture some kind of magic and the artist should have some of that magic.