Team Salut are poised for a great 2018, having finished last year really strong, with the release of their second single as artists, 'Wagon' featuring Naira Marley, which has already reached over 300,000 YouTube and Spotify plays, in only a few weeks, and the launch of their monthly residency with Birthdays in Shoreditch. The guys were also splashed all over the news recently, after it was revealed that they were producing some music for Cheryl, on the back of their first UK top 40 single with Anne-Marie for 'Heavy'. As producers, they have also worked with PARTYNEXTDOOR, Stefflon Don, Yxng Bane, Zayn, Rita Ora, and Emeli Sande, among others. We recently had a quick chat with the trio and they gave us an interesting insight into their world
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The trio, made up of Mr. Wood, Gkp, and SideChain, gave us a glimpse into their different African backgrounds. Both Mr. Wood and SideChain are from Ghana and Nigeria respectively but moved to the UK as kids while Gkp was born in the UK to Sierra Leonean parents.From a production standpoint, the trio has been producing as a unit for 4years but individually their discography runs deep into almost a decade. Still, on what makes them tick, we picked their brains about their past jobs and it was the usual bustle and hustle. Both Mr Wood and GKP called it "All character building but defo not life goals." On the other hand, SideChain came right into music from school so we can call him fortunate.
As the group continues to head down in the studio, they still keep a playful outlook on life. When I asked them about the most embarrassing moment they've had, GKP responded, "Falling in the snow at the age of 12 in front of everyone." Well, there's no need to be embarrassed anymore. With bangers like "Dance For Me" already seeing more than 25 million views on YouTube, their careers are looking exceptionally bright.
While they are known for producing afro-influenced pop records, their first ever production as a group was a hip-hop record for a rapper friend. Said session actually inspired the name of the group as they further explained, "We recorded the line ‘Salu’ in the song and that's what gave us the idea for the Team Salut name…". As the name stuck, the trio began their journey together and of course as the production credits get bigger many things needed to be factored into their ever-evolving method. At a general level, they do enjoy the music making process. The opportunities afforded to them is on full display as they mention that "… just being able to do music full-time is exciting, however, making music in other countries is fun feeling". However, sometimes, things could get a bit sticky when the artist they are working it is on a different page but on the other hand that situation may in-fact result in something cool not expected.
With the advent of the internet and all the new technology that has made it easy for anyone and their grandmother to become a producer/artist, we probe the trio about what they thought about the difficulty in distinguishing oneself from the mediocre “copycats” who flood the web. The answer is pretty tailor-made to their style as they are blessed to have the reach to acquire more potential fans across the web using the various platforms and services available. More importantly, though they add, "We always make sure we do our own thing and keep our sound fresh as best as we can. The fact that there's 3 of us with diff styles means we can switch vines quite easily."
While the differing production styles within may be of an advantage, factoring the ever-changing human factor into the equation is another matter. The trio gave some essential tips as to how they maintain a solid working relationship within themselves and the industry. From having a good character to start with and having a clear concise vision. A solid team in terms of management goes a long way as well, they said." Success is a hard concept because it's subjective, but for us, creating music". The group surely have their eyes on the prize and with the successes they have been getting they are aiming for more festivals and tours to expand their horizons.
