“It all started with Ozzy”: How Andrew Watt pushed through self-doubt to become one of the world’s top producers at 34Andrew Watt has reflected on the early days of his production journey, noting how his work with Ozzy Osbourne helped to propel his career to new heights.
Watt has worked with huge pop artists such as Justin Bieber and Lana Del Rey, however, it was producing Osbourne’s 2020 album, Ordinary Man, that really helped him find his place in the world of rock. He went on to produce Osbourne’s follow-up record, 2022’s Patient Number 9, the Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds, and Iggy Pop’s Every Loser (both released in 2023).

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In an interview with Guitar World, he recalls how making pop tracks driven by guitar helped to get his foot in the door of production for rock: “Rock is something that I love – it’s the music that speaks to me the most, but as I found my way into this business, I had these gigs playing for amazing pop artists and ended up writing their songs, and that became my footing and the thing that I was doing – making pop music that had guitar in it,” he says.
Osbourne and his wife/manager Sharon were then the first to believe he could conquer a great rock record. He says, “When the Ozzy thing came around, I was so excited at the chance to do it, but also kind of doubting myself. Like, these aren’t the records I really make. But with the push and love and guidance from both Duff McKagan [Guns N’ Roses] and Chad Smith [Red Hot Chili Peppers], who were friends at that point, they were like, ‘Come on man, you gotta make this. Of course you can do it. It’s everything you love.’”
He goes on to add, “Once we started making music, I kind of felt that confidence and that became the blueprint. For the Iggy album, we just kind of made music and then Iggy chose the tracks he liked and sang to them.
“Then that led me into working with bands that I love, like Pearl Jam – they’re the best live band there is. And obviously the Stones are everyone’s favourite rock band. Getting to sit in the room with those guys and just record a band doing their thing, keeping it really live, became really important to me and just my favourite thing in the world to do.”

Watt more recently produced the collaborative album, Who Believes In Angels?, from Elton John and Brandi Carlile, which landed back in April. Cameras were allowed in the studio to capture the making of the record in full, with footage compiled into a candid short film documenting the turbulent creative process of making an album in just 20 days.
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