Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikolaos Kodonas.
Nikolaos, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Athens, Greece, coincidentally across the US embassy. Around 13, I started playing electric and acoustic guitar, and very soon I realized that I wanted to become a musician and record producer. I later formed a band, for which I was the arranger, producer, recording engineer and mixing engineer, while also starting to work with some more well-known artists there. Around 21 years old, I auditioned and earned a big scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, and at 25 I graduated with a degree in Music Production, Engineering, and Sound Design.
In the past four years and while in the US, I have produced, mixed, and/or recorded for several extremely talented people like EMM, Dayanara, Miette Hope, thecolorfractal, Valentina Lopez, and many others. During my first months in LA, I also started working with Mark “Exit” Goodchild, one of the most legendary Pop/RnB/Hip-Hop engineers, with multiple Grammy wins and countless nominations. Together we primarily worked on the latest season of The Masked Singer and formed a great relationship.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The primary struggles were financial and cultural. American Colleges and American life in general is much more expensive for someone coming from my country, and more specifically for families that don’t count on their children living abroad, since education and health care are free, while rent and generally every day life also very affordable in Greece. Earning that big scholarship was possibly the only thing I could do to make it all the way to the US.
Culturally, I am saddened to say that Greece is not exactly a country like America that appreciates artists/musicians who work behind the scenes, whether that is an arranger, a composer, a music producer, an engineer, or anything along those lines. Even for active musicians, it is hard get people to accept the fact that a person can play/make/contribute to music records for a living, as anything like that would be considered a “hobby”. So because of that, there was a period of “convincing” my family as well, showing them that music is not just a hobby, but a profession, a passion, and a way of life, my way of life. I am happy to say now that ever since, my parents have believed and continue to believe in me very much, and have supported me in ways that few other Greek families would have, something I will always be thankful for.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am currently a freelance producer and mixing engineer, specializing in producing, mixing and editing commercial music. I have worked on genres like Pop/RnB/Reggaeton/Trap/EDM, and because I started out originally as a jazz guitar player, I have had the opportunity to record and mix several jazz Big Bands as well. Additionally, I have the pleasure of working on a new massive Greek Music Ensemble project in the US, with modern arrangements of legendary Greek songs, which I am happy to say will be released in the following years.
My experience working with “Exit” and the Masked Singer in particular helped me develop my editing and mixing skills even further, whether that would be simple music editing or complex Vocal edits, to get any singer sounding radio-ready! Such huge shows are always very demanding, and delivering great results very fast was also a big part of the process, as well as staying organized on a daily basis.
I am very proud of my work so far, and I am proud of my musical background and knowledge, as well as my Greek heritage. Being Greek, I was always exposed to European, Middle-Eastern and traditional Greek music at the same time, and growing up I was a huge fan of Popular music as well, especially records made in the US. So this complex cultural background. My experience with large and important projects, along with my music knowledge and jazz experience, set me apart from most modern-day producers/engineers.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
This question is well worded, as personal success is usually different than the typical “measured” success others may see, whether that is awards, Instagram followers, etc.
Personally, for someone who works behind the scenes like I do, success would be defined as being able to make a good living doing solely what I love. Waking up every day and knowing there are projects waiting for me to work on, whether it is full productions, mixing songs and albums, or simply editing music and vocals for artists.
Of course, seeing your name in the credits of songs and albums by well-known artists is amazing, and is certainly a goal, helping people and artists achieve their musical dreams every day is the highest honor and ultimate goal, and that doesn’t change based on the followers of the people I am working with. I believe that little by little, all artists can have an impact on other people’s lives, and I’m here to help them do so!
If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nickkodonas.com/
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nick_kodonas/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6PLHHVSpgLeGI7ehSZhu0r?si=9b0FNx3nQjWoTse4E58y0Q
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