Michael Uzowuru, the Producer Behind Frank Ocean and Rosalía, Steps Into the Spotlight

For over a decade, Michael Uzowuru has helped shape the sound of some of the world’s most influential and cult-favorite artists, including Rosalía, Frank Ocean, SZA, and FKA Twigs. Now, the famously elusive producer is stepping into his own spotlight with a dreamy, 10-track ambient album, Total Effort, inspired by the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Aphex Twin. Accompanying the record is a beautifully assembled book of screenshots, personal notes, and photographs that offers an intimate glimpse into his creative process, inspirations, and the people who have shaped his journey. Below, Uzowuru speaks to W about his debut album, creative partnerships, and the importance of vulnerability as an artist:

Michael Uzowuru: I am so sorry I’m late! I joined my friend Steve Lacy on his tour yesterday, and we didn't get back in until really late, so I overslept!

Ava Nirui: It’s okay! I feel like you have so many musician friends.

MU: Some of my closest friends are artists I work with. I think it stems from when I was a child skateboarding and making music. You naturally hang out with people who do the same things as you. I've been in the music industry since I was 17 or 18, and I'm turning 35 next week. A lot of the people I knew then, I'm still working with now. I met Frank when I was 18, and we've been friends for 16 years.

AN: What were you like as a teenager?

MU: I still feel so connected to my teenage self. I'm still that person, just older. I was very into skating, music, art, and streetwear. I was quite shy and reserved, and spent most of my time at home consuming as much media as possible. I listened to everything from Joy Division and Soft Cell to Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and A Tribe Called Quest. I was obsessed with music. I would wake up listening to it, listen in the shower, walking to school, at school, walking home, instead of doing homework, and then go to sleep listening to it.

AN: Was there a particular song that made you think you wanted to become a producer?

MU: “Mikey Rocks” by The Cool Kids. Those beats were so good. Or “Mr. Me Too” by Clipse. I actually started making beats because, in freshman year of high school, a friend knew I was the biggest Kanye West fan. He came up to me at lunch and said, “Kanye makes beats. You should make beats, too.” Then he gave me a CD with FL Studio on it. That was the moment I became a beatmaker. Funny enough, that guy ended up storming the Capitol.

AN: Oh my god! I thought you were going to say he became a huge music producer!

MU: No! He's a humongous menace to society!

AN: You've made music for so many prolific artists, including Frank Ocean, SZA, and Rosalía. How is your approach different now that you're making something for yourself?

MU: When I work with another artist, I feel like I'm starting from zero. I ask myself what that person and project need. With my own work, I'm asking, “What does Michael need?” Creating for myself is similar to journaling. I'm constantly making music or thinking about music. Sometimes you don't fully understand what you're feeling until you've gotten it all out. You might think you're angry, but realize you're actually grieving. When I work with other artists, I'm perceiving their emotions and trying to fill in the cracks. I want people to see these artists the way I do, with love and humanity. With myself, I'm simply trying to express myself.

AN: I love that you created a visual companion to the album. The book almost feels like the inside of your brain. Why did you decide to make it?

MU: At times, an artist's gift to the world is their vulnerability and the specificity of their experiences. I obviously put that into the instrumental music, but there's something about words that connects us as human beings. I realized the book was similar to how I made the album. I would write on Tumblr, in my Notes app, or tweet things because that's just what I did. I was never thinking they would become a collection. I was just being and doing. I also take a lot of screenshots. When I was working with the design firm Graphic Thought Facility, I would constantly send them screenshots, and eventually I had this enormous folder. We realized, “Oh, this is a book.”

I started searching my Notes app and going through my Tumblr, which was transformative. It made me remember how I felt in 2012 or 2016. What was I going through? What was I hoping for? Do I still want those things? My version of these books that inspire me, like Brian Eno's Oblique Strategies and Ryuichi Sakamoto's tour book, is an impressionistic memoir. It's not supposed to be about me. I'm just the subject somehow. It's about time passing, process, and perspective, and what being in the practice of something can do to you. It's about how your needs, values, and ideas converge to propel you forward.

AN: Looking back at those teenage photographs, was that when you realized you were a creative person?

MU: I think that's when it crystallized that I was devoting myself to creativity, artistry, and expression. I was gaining the tools to express myself and create in the way I truly wanted to. It made it clear what I'm here to do and who I am.

AN: Young people are under so much pressure to figure everything out. Do you have any advice for someone who's feeling that way?

MU: First, I want to say that I feel you. The fact that you're asking the question already puts you quite ahead. It shows that you care, that you have integrity, and that you're curious. To feel something is the first step. Knowing what you want to do and knowing the path you're on is a privilege. It's not unusual to be confused about where you are in life. You have to live in that uncertainty as much as you can. You need to live life and try things. The number one thing I tell my little brothers, and anyone I love who's trying to find their way, is to romanticize being bad at things. Fall in love with doing hard things and struggling. Find the heavy boulder you're willing to push up the hill, incrementally. Be willing to lose some steps, go backward, and keep going. Once you find something you love enough to do every day, and you know how to keep doing it when it's hard, you'll become unstoppable.