10:05 a.m
Daniel is only called Ovy by his mother and one or two family members, as even his father already calls him Ovy most of the time. In this conversation we will also say Ovy.
The winner of Latin Grammy in the “Album of the Year” category for the production of the album “Tomorrow will be beautiful” by Karol G. He found music on the side after spending several years lost, without direction or direction, he didn't know what to do after he left wanted to start his life at school.
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As a big football fan, at some point he was inclined towards this sport – he played left-back, his position was skillful – and he was included in the first B of the Golden Eagles, but he became demotivated and added reasons to quit this football did not want to give him anything to eat .
From football to music, it's a familiar path that some have taken, but with Ovy it wasn't so obvious. From the fields in which he worked seasonally, it was clear to him that he did not want to study, nothing fulfilled him in the university lecture halls. “I didn’t want to be a dentist, surgeon, doctor, engineer or anything like that, but I didn’t really know what I wanted.”
He then worked in the retail store, it was the street school, “that's where I learned to appreciate how hard it is to work, you know? “I didn't study, I earned my living on the pitch and I enjoyed it, yes, but I understood that it was super hard work, getting up at 3:00 in the morning and leaving at 5:00 in the afternoon .” “
In times of uncertainty, some turn to fate for signs, but with Oyv, fate was neither capricious nor sending coded signals, it was direct and to the point. It came in the form of a cousin's friend who installed the digital audio program FL Studio on his computer and music came his way: “This person taught me the program that I use to make music today.” I will always respect this person, I really admire him and I feel like that day changed my life, it saved my life because I didn't know what I wanted to do.
Music was neither his goal nor his dream, as perhaps happens to many artists and composers today. It wasn't even in the classrooms of the La Salle educational institution in Campoamor: “I caused a lot of trouble, I dressed like a reggaeton player, I sang and made videos in Movie Maker at the time, but had nothing to do with making music .”
Ovy had an advantage in his favor, he was restless and hyperactive (and still is): “My mind was never still, I was never satisfied with anything.” Music complemented this hyperactivity, he himself says it was so was like channeling so much energy. He also understood that if he wanted to succeed in life, he had to find a passion, and this came in the form of sounds and rhythms.
Not a singer, but a producer
Like a child presenting a toy for the first time, Ovy begins playing around in this program, but it was still a long way from making music. “When this program came into my life, I swear, I sat searching day and night, playing around with sounds and watching how it was handled. I became more and more addicted to the music, the rhythms and the sounds it made.”
And although Ovy discovered his passion, he also didn't believe that he would make a living from it, but rather that it was a hobby. But since hobbies also make friends, the Paisa directly interacted with people who did the same in this show. “For example, I met those who changed my entire chip and who really played a key role in all of this. Their name is La Compañía, they come from San Andrés.”
The Company: Mr. Pomps, Migueman, Gotex and Dj Maff were, according to records from a decade ago, the first to be responsible for J Balvin's success, Ovy was just getting started. “I thank them very much because I understood that you can be great in music.”
Out of the surprise of finding her on the road and with the same hyperactivity as always, ready to learn, Karol G entered his life. Thanks to La Compañía he met Carolina Giraldo Navarro: “They were the ones who introduced me to Karol, how could I not be grateful. “I know them and become their producer”, but that didn’t happen overnight either.
A successful relationship
In defining his relationship with La Bichota, Ovy explains that this connection was honest from the start. “When I meet her, I tell her I make music. She goes to my house to listen to what I'm doing. That day we created a song called Ricos Besos. This song changed everything.” Both were looking for a way and here too fate led them headlong towards a common goal.
Ovy managed to decipher the sound that Karol G wanted for her career and after some good chemistry, And when they saw there was a connection, the magic happened: “I understand what she has in her head and we have formed a great team: me with my rhythms, she with what she had in her head.” From that moment until today they have never lost their way.
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As in any relationship and as a work team, they had their ups and downs, their differences, “but we never got carried away by ego or pride or anything like that, we always shielded our connection and our formula.” And we know, that we should never harm him.” But it's also clear that the friendship goes beyond business and that the connection has strengthened them both.
“Ovy on the drums” was a further development of Karol G himself. Years ago he was looking for a name. Amidst the sounds he created, the Drums He did that one day in a studio in Medellín. “Ovy did the drums,” they said, and he liked it. Then “Ovy killing on the drums” came out, which translated means Ovy killing it on the drums. “Then Karol told me that killing (which also means killing) didn't sound so good, that I should leave it as 'Ovy on drums' and I stuck with it.” That was in 2012.
The Ovy on the drums label
As a producer, Ovy believes he has reached his personal best in recent times (3 or 4 years).
And what is the seal like? I ask him. “Very minimalist,” he replies. It's about creating a song that sounds “big” with just a few elements. And his analysis begins.
“There are a lot of songs that have little things, for example Tusa by Karol G with Nicky Minaj, It's a violin, a piano, a bass and a lot more Drums And now it sounds huge. That’s my sound and of course we’re changing more and more, but I’ll never stop being minimalist because I love being simple.”
On this successful path There are references that inspired him, from Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Pharrell and Will.i.amwho he sees not only as great producers, but also as personalities who went one step further with their brands, “real entrepreneurs, they have left a legacy.” He wants to continue on this path.
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For this reason, and in such a competitive world, preparation has been an open topic.
If a musician asked him how he made the tusa or what chords he used, he would answer that it was in B minor, but the chords were, for example, G major, B minor, D major and A- be major.
“I did everything by ear, but I didn’t know what I was doing. I played a chord, it sounded good to my ears, but then Yes, I studied musical language, ear training and counterpoint. Everything made sense then.”
Clarity and concentration are qualities that summarize that from the moment he first opened the audio program until today he has never stopped learning or creating, but we must add “persistence” which he even focuses on having his neck tattooed.
It all adds up Change and competition don't bother you. “And today, when there are 98,000 songs being released every day and it can be harder to be successful, I'm always trying to make a difference. Getting where I am may be easy, staying is harder, but here we go.”
The Latin Grammys
At this year's awards gala in Seville, Spain, Ovy had high expectations. He walked the red carpet in a honey-colored suit that matched his blonde dreadlocks. Under a black shirt, a crystal necklace with the figure of a bear, a candonga in each ear and dark glasses.
At that moment he told us how important it was that so many Colombians were nominated, but he had not yet received a gramophone.
“My first nomination at the Latin Grammys was with Cob, I didn't understand much about the Academy, I was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, this was during a pandemic, and I even borrowed two Grammys to pose and be ready. The ceremony was virtual, I had in my head that I would be the winner.”
In 2020, Contigo by Alejandro Sanz won in the Record of the Year category and René by Residente won in the Song of the Year category. “I cried because I wanted a Latin Grammy.” Then he was nominated with Provenza and with Mamiii and didn't win either. “There I understand that a Grammy isn't won by the most famous song or the one that sounds the most, but that they are masters of music who reward the best in the industry with their experience and knowledge.”
But the excitement came. Ovy on drums, as producer of Karol G's album Tomorrow will be nice, This 2023, two gramophones were taken home: for best urban music album and the main prize of the evening, album of the year.
“At this moment, here in this interview, it still seems to me as if it was a dream, it is a great happiness. I am very proud and feel super satisfied, I dream so much about a Grammy, it has finally happened and all the more Mañana will be beautiful with this album, which is a collector's item for life, a great album, I don't know if I will surpass.
Ovy thinks for a moment and insists that music is such a passion that all he thinks about is making good music, period. Here are his plans for 2024, he already knows that he will release his producer album in which he puts all his energy, “of course it will produce great artists and new artists,” he said.
Another thing that he told us in Seville and that he repeated today in this lecture is that he wants to be a role model for new generations of Colombian producers. “We must continue to do our part to ensure our country continues to grow musically. There's something for everyone, you know, there's a lot of talent, very good people. “You have to work hard to inspire and leave a musical legacy.” Spotify has just appointed him as a mentor for Radar, the program they use to give visibility to new artists. “I will always be hand in hand with new artists,” which is his way of giving back to the industry everything the industry has given him.
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He talks about football whenever he can because even though he knows his dream of football failed, he was able to meet his idols through music. As a child he wanted to play for Real Madrid and although he is not a footballer today, he is friends with many players. He has already met Messi, Suárez, Vinicius Jr. and the one who was the left-back of the Brazilian national team and who was introduced just as another fan: he told Roberto Carlos that he was his idol and that he was the left-back because of him.
Ovy has found his way with music, he spends 24 hours a day thinking about music, even when he dreams he creates sounds. Daniel will continue to travel the world as Ovy, creating his drums and minimalist sounds so that you, At home, enjoy the songs that bear your stamp: “Ooovy on the drums.”
IN ONE MINUTE
Your top 3 producers…
“In the third, Ryan Leslie; two, Scott Storch and one, Dr. Dre.”
Top 3 artists I would love to collaborate with one day…
“Don Omar, Daddy Yankee and Eminem.”
What does Karol G mean to Ovy on drums in three words?
“Perseverance, faith and greatness.”
Why is Community 13 important to you?
“I spent part of my childhood there, in San Javier and my father's family lives there, it was part of my life.”