Meet Pedro Kayat | Music Producer & Audio Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Pedro Kayat and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Pedro, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
In my opinion, taking calculated risks is extremely important, because it essentially gets people out of their comfort zone and opens doors for new opportunities and experiences they would never imagine. I like to emphasize the word “calculated” because it plays a huge role in my decision-making thought process before taking a risk. I always like to think about what benefits it could bring to my life versus what would be the worst thing that could happen if things don’t go according to the plans. If the worst thing that could happen is not even that bad like, for example, getting rejected by an employer, or not getting a gig, I just go for it.

I’ve taken big risks in my life like moving to a different country, away from my family and my friends to pursue my passion which is making music.

I am so glad I took those risks because they led me to amazing opportunities and things I wouldn’t even think about when I was a little kid living in a small town near Rio de Janeiro. Living in Boston for 4 years, getting to know amazing and inspiring people, working in two different studios in NYC, and ending up in my current job at Interscope records. Taking those risks and embracing the unknown definitely paid off.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My name is Pedro Kayat, I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and started my music journey very early, thanks to my parents. My dad gifted an old piano to my mom, and when I was little, I’d watch TV and try to play the theme songs from all my favorite cartoons by ear. When I was around 7, my grandpa, who played the flute, gave me my first keyboard and I joined my first piano lesson. After a couple of years, I got an electric guitar for Christmas, and I fell in love with the instrument and with music, and, from an early age, I knew that that was all I wanted to do. In 2012, I and my dad Marcos Kayat wrote a song named “Sozinho” and showed it to the legendary Bass player Arthur Maia, who helped us produce and record it at his own studio in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro. That was my first time stepping into a studio, and that changed my life forever. I felt so good in the recording studio and I was so amazed by all the gear, instruments, and environment that I realized that making music was my true passion. It all felt like magic, and creating something from thin air felt like a superpower.

Arthur planted a seed in my mind that it was possible to study music, but he would tell me to go to the United States, and so, years later, I applied to Berklee College of Music and got accepted. I had already been studying guitar and music production since my first studio experience and also already had my first job in a studio (Studio Til ˜) so I already knew that I wanted to pursue that career, and Berklee had the perfect course for me, which was the Music Production and Engineering major.

At Berklee, I met a lot of brilliant and talented artists that had a similar goal as I did, and so I started to produce and/or record and mix their music, which was an amazing experience and helped me develop my musicality and production skills, which lead me to great opportunities. I moved to New York and worked in two notable studios: Electric Lady, and Penthouse Studios. I was very fortunate to have engineered for amazing artists such as Jorge Aragão (Brazilian samba legend), Beanie Sigel, and Freeway.

My next step was moving to LA and co-founding a production company “Favorite Song Records” with my two friends Rodrigo Martins (Grammy-nominated producer and engineer), and Manny Moura (Pop Artist and prolific songwriter), and working with independent artists to help them shape their vision and build their song from start to finish. We also did the original song for the short movie “The Way You Sea Me”, which got international recognition and got nominated and won various awards including “Cannes”, one of the biggest film festivals in the world, “Best Film awards”, Sweden film awards”, and many others. It’s so gratifying seeing this project being internationally acclaimed and winning different film festivals around the globe.

Apart from that project, I’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing artists, such as Jorge Aragão, Beanie Sigel, Sara Diamond, HeartBeats [Nicki Minaj, Jesy Nelson], George Garzone, Rodrigo Martins, Natalia Toache, Manny Moura, João Boiajion, C The Third, Nathan Dies, and many others that crossed my path.

At the same time, I’m currently working at Interscope Records studios, which is the label for some of my favorite artists, including Billie Eilish, Tupac, Kendrick Lamar, and Tame Impala, just to name a few. It is really a dream come true to be able to work in this environment and meet and work with so many great people, who have inspired me to pursue my dream and keep inspiring me to never give up on it. If I told my young self that he would be working with his idols he would be very proud of himself and thank me for not giving up, following my dreams, and taking all the risks that opened the doors for me to be here today.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I confess that I only really started liking the city after moving to Venice. The perfect day for me would start with jiu-jitsu training at the Rey Diogo gym, followed by a bike ride to Venice Beach. After that, I’d hop on the bike again and find a good Açaí place to refuel my energy. In my opinion, the perfect way to end the day is by watching the sunset at the beach and getting dinner with friends. The city has so many good food options to choose from, from fancy restaurants and cafes to food trucks. I really enjoy Pampas Grill, in culver city, which is a Brazilian restaurant, so if you’re looking for good food definitely check it out!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I want to dedicate this interview to all of those who are always supporting me and keeping me motivated to strive for the best. There were so many important people in my journey that I wouldn’t be able to fit in this interview, so I’d like to mention my family, friends, and everyone who ever crossed my path and inspired me in some way to keep going.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pedrokayat/?hl=en

Image Credits
Alexx Nielsen, Ádan Santos, gldnchldart