Hitmaker, producer, recording artist, and dad—these are a few titles August Rigo has earned himself over the past decade.
Having worked with the likes of One Direction, Justin Bieber, NCT Dream, BTS, and SHINee's KEY, the Toronto-raised Filipino artist is living the dream a lot of his fellowmen in the Philippines wish for. He's got a head filled with tunes and colors he could pen into earworms and the guts to deliver it with confidence. Whether it's for himself or the next big hit of a Top 40 chart-topper, Rigo's knack for songwriting certainly proves he has so much to offer the scene while raising the Philippine flag with pride.
Bandwagon caught up with August Rigo to talk about his work as a songwriter and producer, what it's like collaborating with some of the biggest names in music, and the kind of space Filipino creatives can have in the global scene.
Could you walk us through a day in the life of a songwriter/producer?
My usual day in the life when I’m not traveling goes like this: Wake up 7-8 a.m., breakfast and hangout with my daughter till her nap, then I hit the studio for a couple of hours. I try to spend most of my day hanging with the family and after Ruby’s bedtime, that’s when the real work begins. I work till about 1-2 a.m. and I do it all over again the next day. Some days are longer than others depending on the workload.
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How different is it working on your personal music compared to creating material for other acts?
I try to treat everything I do with the idea that it is mine. I’ve found that the songs I personally love most are always the ones that people gravitate to. I try to give every song a personal touch regardless of who or where it’s going too.
When it comes to working with an artist, do you write according to the artist or do you come up with the song first then pitch it?
If I don’t personally know the artist, I try to envision what I would like them to sing or perform and go from there. I have had better success starting with a great song and pitching from there.
Since you work with multiple producers and songwriters at the same time for a single track, could you tell us a bit more about what your collaborative process is like?
The collaborative process is great. Tedious at times because of the remote work but it’s enjoyable to get different energies and perspectives on one track. 'On' and 'Black Swan' are great examples of that.
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How did you first get your foot in K-Pop and Pop music and work with the likes of One Direction, Justin Bieber, and Kehlani?
I first was introduced to K-Pop in 2013 when a producer friend of mine (IDR) asked me to join an SM Entertainment writing camp in Korea. With regards to the other artists, it really all started with standing outside of record labels in NY. That was what got my foot in the door and after that it was just a constant grind. I wrote a song a day for years, which served as training ground so to speak. I basically just kept writing songs and getting better till I got the attention of label representatives culminating in the first three Justin Bieber placements.
Working with BTS was such a privilege and I also was happy to share the success of 'Black Swan' with my fellow Pinoy songwriter/producer Vince Nantes. The process was very secretive, lol. We didn’t know it was coming out till it came out. It was the best surprise ever.
'End of My World' was actually written way before KEY got his hands on it. But rewind to 2014, the one time I got to meet KEY at SM. I remember talking briefly about doing some music for him and so when the opportunity to have this song performed by him came, I was very excited.
My work with Baekhyun was done during a camp at SM Korea with The Stereotypes. They were looking for something with a Chris Brown type of vibe, I also wrote 'Betcha' with the amazing Kenzie who is a superstar writer out there.
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What is it like being a Filipino-Canadian musician in that space?
Being Filipino-Canadian in that space is like a double-edged sword. There are times when your appearance leans to a certain perception of the music, whatever that may be, but at the end of the day, I just try to make great music. I’m proud to be a Filipino in this space, carving out the way for up-and-coming creatives like myself.
Leanne & Naara's 'Anticipation' certainly led them toward a different direction sonically. What was your creative process like for that song?
I felt the progression with their previous music leaning towards this sonic so I decided to push it there. They are so talented that any way we did this it would have sounded great but I felt like this direction would be a great way to straddle the international market. They sent me the demo of that song and I just started playing the piano to the acapella playing with chords and building the production from there. I like working with them because they trust me and I trust them.
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Are there any plans to work with more Filipino artists in the near future?
I’m making a point to work with more domestic Filipino artists. I’m doing a whole EP with Leanne and Naara right now, I also have an amazing song with Angelina Cruz that will be coming out in the near future that I think could be a big hit. I actually wrote it in Tagalog so I’m excited to see the response from that.
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What kind of music do you listen to? Anything that may surprise fans?
I love country music. I enjoy the focus on songwriting and I learn a lot from it.
What's on your playlist right now?
Leanne and Naara - 'Anticipation'
Ginette Claudette - Inside EP
Brian Puspos - 'Amnesia'
Ckay
Ingrid Andress - 'Breaking More Hearts than Mine'
Sam Hunt - 'Breaking up in the 90's'
The Eagles
Kanye
Drake
Check out August Rigo's latest track here:
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