At first glance, Nick Mira seems just like any other 17-year-old making beats on his laptop… Until you look at his production credits and realize he’s produced multiple top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Mira is originally from Richmond, Virginia and is known as a prominent member of the producer supergroup, Internet Money. Besides trending on Youtube for his live sessions, where sometimes he’ll effortlessly cook up 10 beats in 3 hours, Mira has produced for late rapper XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, Lil Skies, and more. In the midst of all of his recent success, we sat down with Mira to discuss some of his work.
DailyChiefers: What artists and producers have you been listening to in your free time?
Mira: A lot of Uzi, Trippie, Tracy, Peep, to be honest. Pierre [Bourne] has been one of my favorite producers the past few years, especially his work with Young Nudy. They make some crazy ass songs together. Wheezy is forever one of my inspirations as a producer. Outside of Hip-Hop, Pierce The Veil, Beach House, Sampha, Camila Cabello. I listen to a little bit of everything, just not country music.
i wanna do a project w/ Uzi ?
— Nick Mira ? (@nickmira_) May 19, 2018
DailyChiefers: Despite your success, you’re constantly working with up and coming artists, why do you think it’s so important to develop artists?
Mira: For a producer, developing artists is more hands on. It makes sense over a producer waiting for artists to reach out to them. Producers can take initiative and guide their own artist’s success, which in turn will boost their own. Building artists is a really underrated process that a lot of young producers neglect. Producers would rather just upload beat videos on instagram, waiting for an artist to come to them.
DailyChiefers: I loved the record you did on “tommykazi,” how’d you link up with Kevin Kazi & Tommy Ice?
Mira: I had no idea about that record until I was mentioned on twitter. The other producer, croisade, used one of my loops, I believe. They made a good record, that song is dope.
DailyChiefers: Juice WRLD recently brought you out on stage at a show. How does it feel watching a live crowd react to your music like that?
Mira: It really didn’t even hit me until I watched the videos I took at the show. A year before that show, my homies and I were singing all these songs, knowing every word. Now everybody in the world can have that feeling. It’s really surreal and hard to take a grip of.
S/o to @JuiceWorlddd for doing the right thing and bringing the man behind his biggest hits on stage last night @nickmira_ #InternetMoney ? pic.twitter.com/fm0b7tlrJo
— Big Business Bird ?? (@birdmanzoe) August 5, 2018
DailyChiefers: I heard a rumor that Sting’s daughter is a huge fan of Lucid Dreams, any truth to that? If so, how does that make you feel considering you sampled Sting?
Mira: I had no clue, damn that would be funny if it’s true. It’s whatever though; I’m not sampling anymore and if I do, I don’t plan on using music from big artists like Sting again.
DailyChiefers: Lucid Dreams peaked at the #3 on the billboard charts. How did your friends and family reach to you producing a top 10 ten hit?
Mira: Everybody was really happy for me! Low-key I think people around me had been tired of the song considering I used to play it everywhere last year, back when it was just a Soundcloud track.
Billboard Hot 100: #4(+2) Lucid Dreams, @JuiceWorlddd [6 weeks]. *new peak*
— chart data (@chartdata) June 25, 2018
DailyChiefers: A lot of people on Twitter have been debating the validity of producers using loops. Considering you sell loop packs, what are your thoughts?
Mira: [Laughs] Hip-Hop started off with producers using loops and loops only. A lot of people’s favorite hip-hop producers have no musical skill, just technical skill, which is cool if that’s all you want to do. However, there are a bunch of producers who play instruments and make original compositions for other people to listen to or even flip. It’s a really stupid topic for people to complain about. Loops are really convenient and help get beats done when you need to have a bunch ready for artists who need them ASAP, for me at least.
DailyChiefers: Additionally, you’ve landed some huge placements from these packs. How does it feel knowing that melodies you’ve created inspired records such as “Fuck Love?“
Mira: It’s a crazy feeling having an idea you’ve created, originally for you, but someone else ends up using it and turns it into a hit! That doesn’t happen often, but when it does it’s magical.
