Grammy-Winning Producer Gabe Simon of 'Stick Season' Fame Returns to Belmont

Hitmaker behind Noah Kahan, Dua Lipa and Koe Wetzel shares industry wisdom with future music pros

Nashville-based songwriter and producer Gabe Simon, architect of Noah Kahan's breakthrough album "Stick Season" and a 2011 Belmont University graduate (music business/entrepreneurship), returned to his alma mater to speak with current students about his journey from college band member to Grammy-nominated producer. 

​​Simon, who recently earned the number one spot on Billboard's Top Rock and Alt Producer chart with 18 songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot Rock and Alternative charts, has worked with top artists spanning genres, including Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, Halsey, Maroon 5 and Koe Wetzel. His work with Koe Wetzel earned him the number one spot at Billboard’s U.S. Country Airplay for five consecutive weeks earlier this year.

The guest lecture from the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business was moderated by Belmont students Maria Toker and Caleb Irwin who currently intern for Simon at his publishing entity "Abide by the Vibe" and offered candid insights about the music industry and creative process.

As a Belmont graduate, can you tell students how you got from Belmont to your current position in the industry?

Simon: "I graduated in 2011, [and] I was in a band. It was very, very fun. We were touring on the weekends as much as we could. [While] we did everything we possibly could to succeed while being in college, I was terrified [of] graduating, knowing that at the end, I would have no more reason not to focus on growing up and existing in life and doing things. After we got out of college, I felt a little bit like I wanted more than just to be in the band. It was a wonderful experience traveling around and seeing people and kind of learning about what it means to collaborate, what it means to be open-minded, what it means to kind of just be useful and be flexible in all kinds of situations, and all those things, I really felt like they went into play into the decision of becoming a writer and a producer."

Simon detailed his early struggles, including driving for Uber while trying to build his songwriting career, before his breakthrough collaboration with Dua Lipa on her debut album.

"So really, my foray into being a postgraduate, outside of a band, was just writing as many songs as I could and trying to get them placed with as many people as I could."

What do you wish you had known as a student at Belmont University?

"That's a really hard question because one of the best things about being a student is just not caring about many things other than what you're doing. It's so wonderful and freeing. I remember having a conversation with my girlfriend at the time, who's now my wife, and she told me, ‘Just remember: You are the scum of the earth. You're working your way up from there.’ And I think that's important to remember."

Simon emphasized the importance of being useful and giving people attention as "one of the greatest gifts we can give."

For everyone who may not know what a producer is, what role does the producer take in the studio, and are they in charge of all creative decisions, or is that ultimately up to the artist?

“The goal of a producer is: get artists from A to B. That's it, whatever route that needs to take, and hopefully it's in the most efficient and healthy and positive way. But sometimes you got to go dark, sometimes you got to go up, sometimes you got to make massive mistakes, and sometimes you got to just nail it."

Simon described how production varies dramatically depending on the artist, noting Noah Kahan's neuroses about his voice but trust in Simon's mixing decisions, while other artists like James Bay have different priorities. He also discussed work-life balance and staying well mentally.

"If my brain's in a good spot, their brains are in a good spot. We can all kind of move together. But there are so many unknown variables that happen in the midst of making records."

He shared his production philosophy, explaining, "I move very quickly. I want all albums done between three and four weeks. Four weeks, we're in and out because I'm trying to capture a moment. I'm not trying to capture eternity."

Simon also reflected on his work with Noah Kahan: "’Stick Season’ took 14 days to make. We went there. We had these great songs written. We wrote them [and] recorded one of them every single day. We wrote ‘Northern Attitude’ one day and were just moving quickly. We weren't overthinking anything. We were just having fun making music. That's it. Just have fun making music. That's a great gift.”

Click here for a Spotify playlist of songs Simon has written.