Ending the sixth week of production sessions off strong following a special announcement about his own music, Mike Shinoda began working on the 15th track in the #ShinodaProduceMe series. The song, titled “What You Want” by artist Daniel Sherman, was originally scheduled to be produced on Thursday, February 18. However, the track was pushed back a day to Friday, February 19, due to the upcoming release of Shinoda’s new single, “Happy Endings” (feat. iann dior and UPSAHL). Following a live interview on Twitch with The Needle Drop to promote his single, Shinoda only had about half the time he would usually have to begin working on Sherman’s track.
Sherman’s original submission included numerous vocal tracks and a piano loop. Wanting to jump right into it, Shinoda only played a short segment of Sherman’s original track before getting to work. Trying to figure out what other sounds would mix well with the vocals, Shinoda started by adding keyboard and drums before deciding to go in a more hip-hop direction. Next, he moved onto populating the track, adding 808 and tape echo.
“Here’s the thing about this vocal and this song: lyrically for me it’s a bit of a stretch. He’s talking about crime and violence, so we have to paint this in a way that has a little fun…so how do we make this song sound fun and not sound too self-serious…There’s something about the tone of the music that has to match the intention of the messenger.”
Continuing production the next day on Monday, February 22, Shinoda cleaned up the main vocal by combining many of the vocal tracks. He then added some effects on the vocals, allowing viewers to vote in a poll on how to change pitch of the vocal, either going higher or lower, with voters choosing to go lower. Shinoda then added multiple different drums and other unique sounds and effects, giving the track an “outer space” vibe.
Rounding out Sherman’s track on Tuesday, Shinoda tried to find the “missing piece” to the song. He first experimented with guitar, trying a few different chords before deciding he did not like anything he had come up with. Finally, after hours of work spread across three days, Shinoda wrapped up the track by adding another keyboard section overlaid with effects.
Daniel Sherman is singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Livermore, CA. He got his start as a drummer/co-vocalist in a band named Crowned In Chains. Formed in 2017, the group released their debut album, King Suffering, in late 2018 and is currently working on PART ll of their discography. In addition to his work with Crowned In Chains, Sherman has also branched out to solo work, experimenting with all kinds of different genres of music. He has released multiple solo EPs and singles since 2019, such as “Inside” and “Bulletproof Umbrella,” the official music videos for which can be found on Sherman’s YouTube channel. Starting in 2020, he has also come out with four albums, such as It’s Us and Evolving, which can be found on Spotify and Apple Music.
If you weren’t able to see Daniel Sherman’s “What You Want” be produced live by Mike Shinoda, you can still watch the Twitch replay below! Make sure to check out Sherman’s music, as well as Shinoda’s previous production sessions. While Shinoda will not be streaming Wednesday, February 24, still make sure to stay tuned to Shinoda’s Twitch channel weekdays around 10 a.m. PT for future live production sessions!
As a special note, the release date for “I Can’t Feel A Thing” by Judison has been pushed back. Judison’s track was featured in a previous production session and had been scheduled to drop on February 26. There has not been a new release date announced as of yet.
