Hit Makers The ARNATS Chat & Share With ItsMFL
Without the right songwriting and music production, you can’t have a hit track or get the attention of major music heavyweights, so imagine our excitement when we had a chance to chat with hit makers, The ARNATS! The Arnats have worked with Bruno Mars, Jibbs, Nelly, Chris Brown, Lloyd, E-40, Lil Scrappy, Murphy Lee and more. You can’t ignore the noise this music duo makes! We chat with Archie Beatz and Natasha Solae about their careers, their music business journey and they share their NEW sinlge, SO MINE, EXCLUSIVELY with ItsMusicFashionLife!
Here’s what you get when The HerCastleGirls meet The ARNATS…
Archie, You come from a family of musicians. Was it natural to pursue music as a career choice? Or did you have other interests growing up?
Believe or not, none of my musical family members seriously tried to pursue a career in music. They really enjoyed it, but never took it seriously enough as a career. Yes I had other interests. I played tennis and was the arts and graphic editor at my high school.
Natasha, when did you start looking at music as a career choice? And how did you start working towards your career goals.
This is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a little girl. Then, I would put on concerts for my stuffed animals and perform in front of my fourth grade class for licorice. I started really working towards my goals when I was fourteen years old. I was already a self-taught graphic designer, and I would build websites to promote my girl group and then when I was sixteen I bought my first studio.
How did you guys meet? And how did this meeting eventually materialize into a music business partnership called Arnat Media Group?
Natasha: At the time, I was a solo artist and Archie was engineering and producing.
Archie: With Natasha being an artist and me being a engineer and producer, we decided to work on songs together.
Natasha: This was late in 2007. Archie was interning, I was in college and we weren’t really able to work on anything due to the fact that we were constantly busy traveling–we were just always in two separate places. However, in 2010, we linked back up and decided instead of doing contract work with each other, we would establish a business partnership.
For our readers, tell us what Arnat Media Group is all about.
Archie: We are a self-contained industry professional unit. We write, produce, engineer, mix, arrange, and design and handle all of our promotional material.
Songwriting, at times, is very personal, or emotional process. You guys must have disagreements when it comes to putting words to paper and sounds. How do you move past that to create?
Natasha: It’s definitely a war. We fight until the song is done. Not so much lyrically, though. We debate on concepts and melodies (laughs). When Archie produces, he’s already got the song mapped out in his head and then when I come along with different ideas he hasn’t perceived yet, it can be difficult but we always meet in the middle. And vice versa, it’s the same. It’s all good fun and it keeps our music and writing fresh. We both love challenges and I think at the end of the day our goal is just to make smash records and by constantly challenging each other we are able to make sure every song is amazing.
As far as music goes, what influences you in regards to sound and music structure?
Archie: Everything in life, period! There could be a certain sound or picture that could inspire a melody. I can be driving and a melody will come up in my head. I will eventually pull over and record a voice note in my cell (laughs).
Natasha: Yes! And for me, theater does [inspire] too. I like to think of everything as theatrical, so a lot of songs that we create, the song isn’t just a song, about let’s say heartbreak; it’s a full on story where you can see the drama play out in your head as you listen to the record.
You’ve managed to work with major, international artists, as independent musical composers. We imagine this is by choice. Why? Just because there is still a perception that you need to have a major label deal to make an impact, although, Indie music is at a high right now. You seem to be doing quite well on your own!
Archie: Regardless, if you are on a label or not, I think one thing people forget about is having a network. Most Indie artists don’t have the financial backing that commercial artists have, in that case, your connections are everything. We’ve been fortunate enough to establish great connections with people which have then led us to much bigger opportunities outside of the Indie realm. A label has the power to reach places that a single person or group can’t. We understand this and will eventually move on to the right label. As for now, though, we just love putting out great music, making the fans happy and building up our own situation.
In your opinion, what was THE song that sealed your career as The Arnats?
Natasha: I would say our first single, You’re The One. Since our first release, we have received an overwhelming amount of positive responses for all of our records whether full length or snippets.
What’s the best way to start a musical career, or pursue a music career? Does formal education help? You guys have paid your dues, so you know what the climb is like.
Archie: Invest in your craft and build a network of industry professionals. You have to surround yourself with people that are positive and motivated. Also, establish relationships with people that are ahead of you in your career path and learn from them. Having a college education definitely helps, as if you have more money, you’re able to get more studio equipment and pay for advertisement. But a business is a full time thing and if you’re going for music, eventually you’re going to have to leave that 9 to 5 and just go for it.
Everyone always wants to know, What makes a good song?
Natasha: A good song is a song with a great hook that also connects emotionally with the listener.
And Now…
The Arnats Officially Release their Latest Single to ItsMusicFashionLife.com! Listen Now!!
Check out The Arnats Facebook page to learn more!
