Meet Foxlove: Her Beats Make You Wanna Dance
"I’m always inspired by different things so the sounds I use are always so different. "
Meet foxlove, a music producer and songwriter originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, currently killing it in Los Angeles. She recently co-wrote a new single ‘Told You So’ with artist Genelle – it just may be the most catchy new pop song you’ll hear this fall. Fox is not only talented but extremely ambitious, an artist well worth keeping an eye and an ear out for more creative music.
How long have you been producing music for and what inspired you to pursue this passion/career?
Fox: I’ve been producing for about 3 years. I’ve grown up playing music and used to play drums for a couple of bands and hated that I had to rely on other people to make music. I have always loved to write poetry so I wanted to find a way to be able to bring that to life without having to ask multiple other musicians to make it happen.
What kind of music did you guys play and what role did you have with the bands?
Fox: I started my first band when I was 14 and we were called Cyanide – I think we only had like two songs and no fans haha. I have only played drums in bands because that was my strong suit. I played in a cover band when I was in college with six other girls which is the most fun I’ve ever had- I should do that again.
What’s it like being a music producer in LA? Have you met any dope people along the way?
Fox: I LOVE LA! I have lived all over the U.S and LA is by far my favorite place. I have met a lot of interesting people and dope characters but I like to keep my circle pretty small.
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What kind of songs do you write and what kind of music do you typically produce?
Fox: Pop music! I usually write really sad girl songs though… a lot of break up songs because I’m very sensitive and emotional and when I go through breakups, the easiest way for me to heal is get lost in work and let it all flow out in my music. When I’m in a healthy relationship sometimes I worry I will never be able to write again haha!
What kind of equipment do you use to produce and what are some of your favorite beats/sounds to incorporate?
Fox: I use Ableton Live but started to learn Cubase.
I’m always inspired by different things so the sounds I use are always so different. I just find things I like or hear something and try my best to replicate them.
What were some of the challenges you had to face (if any) getting into the music industry?
Fox: I’m still facing challenges every day. Producing music has become so much more accessible to people because now we don’t need an expensive recording studio to produce a great song – all you really need is a laptop and a great idea. So that being said, the competition is far greater than it used to be. Nowadays you don’t even need to be a musician to produce music.
We saw that you recently produced a song with Genelle, did you write the lyrics to ‘Told You So’ or was it originally written by her?
Fox: We collectively wrote the lyrics with the producer who is a good friend of mine, Bobby Crane. The cool thing about working with Genelle is that she likes to be super hands on. So when we work on music together, she puts a lot of effort in terms of writing and how she wants to portray herself as an artist.
What was the inspiration behind the lyrics?
Fox: Genelle and her boyfriend went through a break up a year or two ago so we drew inspiration from that, and I drew inspiration from the boys I had dated in the past.
What was your experience like working with Genelle?
Fox: I met Genelle a couple of years ago and I was determined to be on her first release so seeing it happen was a huge personal victory for me. We met through my friend Steph who I used to work with and we became really good friends! I think we have a similar vision and work ethic so it makes it easy to get stuff done. She’s awesome, and she’s a go-getter so when she says she wants to release music, music WILL BE RELEASED!
What other artists have you collaborated with? Which projects have been your favorites?
Fox: I honestly really love working with Genelle and Bobby. Having sessions with Bobby is my favourite because he will put the mic on me and have the autotune full blast like T-Pain so I feel comfortable enough singing my heart out. So he’s definitely an awesome person to work with. We can also just tell each other straight up when we think something is dumb and there are never any hard feelings, he’s more of a brother than someone I work with. I also write a lot of music with a friend of mine called Alex Venegas because he is an insanely amazing lyricist. I will have an idea and not know exactly how to say it and he just blurts it out and it’s perfect. I had my little Youtube project going a couple of months ago which was super super fun but also very stressful.
I am a perfectionist so I always wanted to only produce TOP quality videos but with that comes a lot of financing and time so I have taken some time from it.
Is there something you are currently working on or have in mind for your next project that you can share with us?
Fox: I’m starting my YouTube back up again. In the past I only did covers but this time around, I want to showcase some of my original music. My Youtube started as more of a practice project for production. Because I hadn’t been producing that long I knew I had so much to learn and I had a hard time getting the ideas in my head out through a pair of speakers lol. So I decided to use my favorite songs as references and try to duplicate them exactly (as well as feature artists I believe in) so I could learn more. But I got bored of just doing that, so the videos helped a lot to actually get me to finish things lol. I’m not a finisher, I’m more of an idea starter. I’m working on that.
And lastly, aside from the music world, can you tell us a little about yourself and some of your interests?
Fox: I just got a dog called Stugen and he quite frankly, is the best thing that has ever happened to me. His instagram is (@mynameisstugen), he is VERY important and so cute! My friends found him at a gas station and he’s a little angel baby. Other than that, I love to drink spicy margaritas by the pool – the smell of sunscreen is my fave smell in the world.
