GleeFan Exclusive: Adam Anders Talks Mashups, Recording Sessions, Amber Riley’s Solo Album & More!
Recently the Glee cast hit the milestone of becoming the Number 8 Top Selling Digital Artists in the US. While many credit the success of the show to its big name stars like Lea Michele and Darren Criss, the real driving force behind Fox’s musical comedy is the man behind the scenes- Executive Music Producer Adam Ander’s. He’s responsible for taking the David Guetta and Usher’s pop anthem “Without You” and turing into Rachel Berry’s power ballad for Finn. He’s also the genius that took Adele’s “Someone Like You” and “Rumor Has It” and turned it into an unforgettable mashup that Adele’s own manager thought was “brilliant [and] so creative.”
Here in our GleeFan.com exclusive Q&A Adam has answered your questions! He talks about the challenges of producing music for the show, the process behind it, Amber Riley‘s Solo Album, and Noah Saw Salling’s accident in the studio!
Q: “What inspired you to pursue music producing? How did you become involved with Glee?” – Joey S. (17, Arizona)
A: I grew up in a musical family. My first memory is sleeping under a mixing console. I was always writing songs…and then realized I needed to record them. So I started making demos of my own songs in my bedroom. The rest is history really.
Q: “How do you plan what songs to use for each episode? And what’s their process of elimination?” – Laura M. (Ireland)
A: Ryan Murphy plans all that while he writes the script with the writing team. A lot of times he give me options and I tell him what I think works the best musically. This especially happens a lot on mashups. He says “I want to mash “X” up with something…Any ideas?”
Q: “When arranging songs, what do you consider first, the artist who will sing it or how you want the song to sound?” – Olga Benitez (Puerto Rico)
A: On Glee, the scene drives what my partner Peer and I do. Then based on the song, we may decide to do a totally new take that would sound amazing on the particular character singing it. When working with traditional recording artists outside of Glee, it’s all about the artist. Whatever is best for that artist wins out always.
Q: “Who is the goofiest person in the studio? Can you give us a story of something that had you in laughs?” – Raquel H. (Los Angeles, California)
A: I don’t know who is the goofiest… That depends on who is the most tired that particular week! But Mark did bring his dog [Noah Saw Salling] to the studio, and let’s just say it wasn’t potty trained yet.
Q: “It’s speculated that you are the executive producer for Amber’s album. Can you give us any information about the genre, release date, or 1st single for Amber solo album? Anything really!” – Rocelle Alexia (Toronto, Canada)
A: It’s true. I am Executive Producer on Amber’s Album. I am her biggest fan and am so excited to be a part of it. I have always said she is one of the best singers on the planet, so this album has to be made, and it will be amazing! There is no release date yet…but look for it sometime before summer.
Right now I’m neck in neck with another bubble, so EVERY member is extremely important! When you’re done entering, please get a friend or family member to join as well, because a few extra people will make or break the competition at this point! I’ve seen the Glee fandom come together in the past, and I cannot express how thankful I would be if I actually won the competition. As anyone in college can tell you, student debt is the worst, so I would be incredibly grateful if you guys could help me out! You have no idea how much it would mean to me.
