By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nuran Sami from Egypt
Photos = Vakseen

You don't stumble upon genuine characters in the entertainment industry that often. I'm talking about people behind the scenes here. Like a sincere self-appointed master of a diverse range of arts, today's subject has sensationalized at least one diligently-produced song to which you might have jammed. He has also produced paintings that you would love. His art has overwhelmingly exquisite details.

Otha Davis III, who's widely known by the stage name Vakseen, is a painter, recording artist, music producer and the CEO of his own entertainment company. He taught himself both the primary and advanced aspects and techniques of developing modern music. He has rocketed from amateur to a manager and executive thanks to his devotion, countless talents and great content.

Having teamed up with pioneer brands like Adidas MTV, CBS, Complex, Tupac Shakur’s estate, Samsung and S.M. Entertainment, it's no surprise to acknowledge that he's earned two Billboard No. 1 hits with T.I's "I'm Back" and Pitbull's "Timber" featuring Kesha. It's noteworthy that "Timber" has over 1 billion YouTube views as of April 2018. Moreover, he has contributed to some of your favorite shows like "MTV's Made," "Toddlers & Tiaras," "MTV's Awkward" and "National Geographic Wild."

Vakseen's music-production and songwriting is not limited to only Western artists, but it has also trespassed the language barrier and gotten tremendous acclaim and reception all the way South Korea's legendary pop groups like EXO, NCT 127, Shinee, Super Junior and Red Velvet. His remarkable melodies and exceptional production have created chart-topping and million-seller Korean pop tunes. "EXO loved it ultimately when they heard it," stated Vakseen about EXO's reaction to its song "Chill" on which he worked. He added, "EXO is very performance-oriented, so you want to have sections to show out. You want to make something that feels good, but can still allow them to move." Coming hand-in-hand with EXO's member Chanyeol's production skills, Chanyeol said, "For the song 'Chill' I worked on the lyrics with an empty track without demo lyrics. I think that’s part of the reason why the lyrics were able to come out pretty naturally." The song "Going Crazy" is another tune that Vakseen worked on for EXO, which fans have glorified immensely.


- You've worked with various prominent musicians and have a Billboard No. 1 hit and have received two platinum plaques. What was your first major success in the music industry as well as the most recent?

My first major success was landing TI’s first big single, 2010’s “I’m Back,” after his highly anticipated prison release. That record shot to No. 1 and served as my introduction to the business in so many ways. As for my most recent success, I’d have to say it was with EXO. I recently found that “The Power of Music” finally sold over 500,000 albums toward the end of 2017. So we just earned another gold plaque."

- One of your accomplishments was contributing to the highest-selling Korean pop album ever. In the process of making a Korean record after having the lyrics written or the demo done in English, how are the lyrics turned from English to Korean while maintaining the same rhythm and melody?

Maintaining the same rhythm and melody is actually the easier part when it comes to translation. We place or sell the records fully written in English. From there, the labels typically have certain Korean writers in mind who will translate everything. For the most part, the rhythm and melody are almost always exact. It's the lyrics that usually end up changing. In some cases they’ll keep a similar concept but a lot of the time, the song is completely different.

- EXO's Chanyeol would actually love to go as far in production as producing a full EXO album in the future. How do you see him as a producer?

I couldn’t really say. We’ve never actually been in the studio with Chanyeol. We’ve met EXO, but even that was a rare moment. They’re all so talented so I’m sure he can excel as a producer as well.

- When you began working with SM Entertainment, you started hearing from deeply impressed fans. When did you start to get feedback and with which group of fans do you have the closest bonds?

I didn’t really hear much from any of the groups of fans until we did Red Velvet’s “Rookie” in early 2017. Reveluv showed a lot of love, but I’d have to say that EXO fans are probably our biggest supporters. We worked on “Ex'act,” but after “The War” album dropped last summer, everything went crazy. They totally shut my Twitter down. I still interact with the group of EXO fans on a consistent basis so the love has been surreal.

- Something that's commonly asked by fans is, do the producers ever meet with the actual artists or is it all behind the scenes?

Nine out of 10 times, it’s typically behind the scenes work. Some artists are very hands-on, but the music scene is like this in most countries. I think that’s actually forcing more producers to become a brand themselves. We’re so tired of just being that person behind the curtains.



- Can you tell us the story behind this photo? What was it like to hang out with EXO?

Basically, we were in Seoul for an SM songwriting camp. During one of the session days, the A&R team said we were all going to see EXO perform at the Olympic Hall. When we got there, security guards were dragging screaming fans out of the venue. It was pure pandemonium. The only time I’ve seen something like this is in old Michael Jackson concert footage. It was unreal. Once inside, we enjoyed the show and EXO ended up performing three or four of our songs. Their energy and performance is top-notch. That was pretty amazing, especially seeing the fans go insane. So just before the performance ended, we were leaving early to head backstage and to meet the guys. The moment was short and sweet but they took the time to thank us for our hard work and for all the incredible songs our team had contributed. As I mentioned, most production work is behind the scenes so this ended up being one of those really special moments.

- Congratulations on obtaining a Los Angeles Certificate of Recognition. Can you tell us why you were you chosen for such a tremendous award?

Thank you. I received those certificates for some community work I did in 2017. I’m a featured artist in Project ARTvertise, which is an amazing project with the sole purpose of beautifying Los Angeles. I’m featured in a 34-piece art collection that took place last year and is still currently featured in various bus-shelters throughout Los Angeles.

- Do you have any words for people struggling to achieve their happiness, but who are crippled by something like mental illness, body image issues or bullying?

Surround yourself with positivity at all times. Through the good and the bad, no matter what, love and believe in yourself 100 percent. You deserve the happiness you seek!

wisdom117@korea.kr

* This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.