“You don’t always need to mix a song — hear me out…”: Grace Davies on DIY production, breaking studio rules, and trusting your earsSinger-songwriter turned producer, Grace Davies, has come a long way since her time on the world-famous singing competition, The X Factor. With four EPs and one on the way, she’s learnt what it takes to work both independently and under major record label Syco, and is now spreading her producer wings with her upcoming album, The Wrong Side of 25, showcasing the first time that Davies has sat in the producing chair for an entire project.
Alongside her notable sync work, which has seen her catalogue appear in popular UK TV shows such as Love Island, Britain’s Got Talent, Strictly Come Dancing and more, the producer is focusing more on bringing her releases to life, using plugins and other studio equipment that can help make the visions in her head a reality.
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In this Studio Files interview, Davies sits down with MusicTech to delve into her new role as a producer, how that has changed her relationship with singer-songwriting, and how she can use equipment to help further develop her sonic creativity.

What did you learn about yourself as a producer while producing IWPBWT and The Wrong Side of 25?
IWPBWT was the first time I’d co-produced a whole project; it was really important for me in understanding the value of trusting my instinct.
I would send stems to my producer and say, ‘This probably isn’t very good, but maybe something like this… I’m sure you have a better plugin, though, and he’d be like, ‘Grace, I’m just gonna use yours because there’s nothing wrong with it and it sounds great’. It really gave me a confidence boost and assurance that just because I’m not the ‘named producer’ who is being paid for the job, doesn’t mean I’m not capable of doing it and chipping in. It was also the first time a producer recognised that I’m essentially coming up with all of the production ideas and leading the way a song would sound counted as a production credit — and that was really eye-opening for me.
I’ve always said since the beginning of my career that I have a producers head but not an engineers hands — i.e. I’ve always had a strong vision for production and been able to sit next to a producer and guide them, but it sometimes takes someone with zero ego to go “you’re actually doing most of the producing here, I’m just doing what you tell me to do” and give you that recognition.
Grace Davies in the studio. Image: Press
Lockdown in 2020 was actually a great time for me as a songwriter because, with no one else there to do it for me, it forced me into the uncomfortable zone of really honing my craft as an ‘engineer’. I’m grateful for that time and for the producers I worked with during that period who really championed me.
Transitioning from a singer-songwriter to a recording artist and now a producer, how has your perspective about making music changed?
My love for the creative process has grown so much more. I’ve been on stage since I was three years old, and I viewed songwriting as a necessary chore before — my love was performing. But, being in a studio for 18 months, working things out, problem solving, surrounding myself with incredible musicians and having the time and patience to try out the weirdest, least commercial ideas was the most fun I’ve ever had. I think the tables have very much turned for me, and the studio is now my happy place.

What’s your latest gear or plugin purchase?
My latest plugin purchase was iZotope RX 11, and let me tell you, it has been worth its weight in gold on this album. My co-producer Paul and I made the very easy mistake of, during the writing process, saying ‘Ah yeah, that’s cool, let’s just sing that in as a rough guide’ whilst making the demos.
A very crucial thing to note — I will never be able to sing something with as much emotion or conviction as when I’ve just written it and don’t really know what I’m doing… I’m just never able to capture the same magic! So when you’re ‘roughly’ singing something in with no headphones and speakers blaring and then, later down the line, you end up changing production or releasing acapella’s with that as the final vocal, that becomes a gigantic problem.
iZotope RX11 in Davies’ project
RX 11 was critical in removing so much noise from the background. You’re really able to zone in and visually pick out sounds you want removing, rather than just sticking something like Waves’ NS1 on it that’ll create quite a dull sound over the main recording. It’s great for removing clicks, pops and saliva noises too.
What’s the best free plugin you own?
One hundred thousand per cent, it’s the BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover from Spitfire
AUdio. For anyone who’s into huge orchestra sounds but doesn’t want to pay thousands of pounds, this is a great free plugin to help you play around.
There’s a string interlude on my album, which I used this plugin for before firing MIDI stems over to Paul. It’s genuinely so much fun and sounds great considering it’s £0.
Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra in Davies’ project
Your recent singles, ‘A Wonderful, Boring, Normal Life’, feel like a new era compared to previous releases. How has your creative mind changed in the time since you were on X Factor, having released a lot of music since then?
I think I just started making music for my younger self — the one I was before I even knew I wanted to do music. My recent releases and upcoming album are inspired by the songs I grew up listening to in the car: ELO, ABBA, Robbie Williams, The Beautiful South, The Carpenters, etc.

So much of that music is made ‘out of the box’ (real, live instruments) — and sure, it’s way more expensive to do that and technology has come on so much that we don’t always need to do it that way anymore, but there’s something so exciting about working with real musicians, being in the studio and hearing a 20 piece orchestra play your songs… It’s magical.
That’s a big reason why my sound is so different to how it used to be. I’m finally giving myself the time, room (and budget) to create music that matters to me and not just following charting trends. I feel like I’ll listen to this music in 20/30 years time and it won’t sound dated. Particularly as an independent artist, using live musicians and ‘out of the box’ production is very expensive — but it’s the most fun I’ve ever had. I really don’t feel like you can ever completely emulate the sound of instruments and outboard gear through plugins. They come close but nothing compares to the real thing.
What’s a music production myth you think needs debunking?
This is more about the process of actually finishing a song, but I really don’t think you always need to mix a song… Hear me out.
Of course, there are occasions where you get as far as you can, either by yourself or (as an artist) with a producer, where you’re thinking, ‘all the elements are there, we just need someone else with a fresh pair of ears to take it to the next level’. In my case, this is often unnecessary and the hard-wired process of sending a song to mix before it goes to master can hinder, undo, delay and cause more stress — all because that’s just the way the processes of finishing a record have been laid out for us.
Grace Davies in the studio. Image: Press
I think there’s a charm in naivety and simply not really knowing what you’re doing. I often turn dials on gear or plugins and think ‘that sounds great… No idea what I just did, but I don’t care because it’s wicked.” And I think the same goes for a lot of producers; just because there is a step put in place to send a song to an outside body who ‘knows what they’re doing’ doesn’t mean you have to utilise it. If you’re happy with how something sounds before it goes to mix, just don’t go to mix! Go straight to master! Even the best mixing engineers can overcomplicate, overclean things, take out emotion or vibe or just simply have a different vision from you.
Particularly in my experience, I’ve ended up wasting money trying out different mixers and then eventually going back to the original producer who either delivers mixed stems or just delivers the pre-masters themselves. On this album, my co-producer Paul mixed everything because A) he’s a genius, but B) I always tend to give mix notes as we go along — and we’re both perfectionists, so even our demos sound like finished records! It’s obviously case by case,e but I do know a lot of artists who feel the same anxiousness when sending a song to mix. It can really make or break a song. If you don’t feel like it needs it, don’t let anyone tell you that it does. Don’t cause yourself more stress and cost yourself more money.
 
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