Prairies is the production project of an Atlanta-based artist who builds atmospheric guitar-driven alt-pop that pulls from hip-hop’s rhythmic foundation and the textural grit of post-hardcore. The music lives in the space between electronic experimentation and acoustic intimacy — made for nighttime drives through cities that feel both familiar and distant. As a producer, Prairies works with independent artists to shape full tracks and honor each collaborator’s story through sound. Production isn’t just about compression ratios and EQ curves. It’s about understanding who someone is and what they need their music to feel like. With “Molly Water,” the first fully self-produced release, Prairies stepped out from behind other producers — no concessions, no middleman, just instinct translated directly into sound.
SNQLX: When starting a new project, how do you decide which sonic world to enter — or does the song decide for you?
PRAIRIES: When I’m starting on a new project for an artist, I am always letting the artist lead (unless otherwise directed, which rarely happens). We arrive at the sonic world usually through multiple conversations and a reference playlist of songs that’re currently inspiring them. So, between the reference playlist and my understanding of the artist as a person, it’s usually pretty clear what sonic direction to head into! And then sometimes, yes: the song does a sort of unfurling of itself, and I am merely a vessel of discovery!
SNQLX: Where do you draw the line between what you do as a producer and what you don’t? How did you arrive at those boundaries?
PRAIRIES: For myself and the way that I work/run my business, the line is mixing and mastering. When artists hire me on, they also hire a network of professionals that I regularly work with who do that job for me. I could accomplish the task myself; but I find it valuable for me to focus on the part that I love most (creating and arranging), leaving the refining and distilling to people who really love and are good at what they do in those fields. When I went full-time, I wanted to make sure the service I was offering was the best it could possibly be for the artist: for me, that meant outsourcing the parts I didn’t enjoy as much, which allowed me to focus on the parts I enjoy a lot. The artist gets my best work, gets another set of ears and brains on their song, AND I get to spread the love (money and opportunity) around to other professionals in the space. Everybody wins!
SNQLX: Production is creative work, but it’s also a service to other artists. How do you navigate being both an artist and a collaborator-for-hire? Is there ever tension between those roles?
PRAIRIES:I do think there is some inherent tension between art and capitalism. I navigate it by trying to lead with integrity, always. I also try to establish what feels like a good, fair price for all the work I put into my services. I endeavor to give each artist what I believe to be their money’s worth, as well as be flexible when and where I can. I also had to realize that I am just not a good fit for everyone, and that that’s okay. It’s not always perfect, and I think it’s probably something I’ll be navigating my whole life!
SNQLX: Are there any principles or instincts you return to, even when every project demands a different approach?
PRAIRIES: Great question! I think something I do return to a lot is honoring the artist’s story and background. For me, no matter the genre, I always am trying to find ways to articulate what the song is about through the tunes and aesthetic choices I make. No matter the genre, if an artist’s song is about taking their last breath… then maybe I explore sampling their breaths in the instrumental or add some church bells if they mention they’re from the south. That’s a bit on the nose, but you get what I mean, hopefully.
SNQLX: “Molly Water” was your first self-produced release after working with other producers on previous tracks. What changed between those experiences — not just in the sound, but in how you approached your own voice?
PRAIRIES: I enjoyed working with producers, man… but I think I was always destined to be one myself. I think my biggest frustration was always having the vision live so clearly in my head, and then not being able to filter it through this other person to get what I wanted. When I started producing for myself, I was finally able to remove that other person and get straight from my brain into the DAW. That was extremely gratifying for me! My voice completely changed because I didn’t have to make concessions in my own music anymore. It was sick!
SNQLX: How do you know when a project is truly finished?
PRAIRIES: When the artist is happy with it! I try not to get too cerebral about this part of the process. Perfection isn’t real and it will keep you frozen and stagnated if you let it! Do we like it? Great. Let’s finish it, and move on to the next one.
SNQLX: When you’re deep in a project and it’s not clicking, what do you do? Walk away? Push through? Start over?
PRAIRIES: You have to make that call in the moment, on a per song basis I think. Some songs benefit from a two-week break. Others have the answers buried just under the surface and you just have to keep diggin and carving away at it. Other times, you just scrap it all and start again. I’ve done all three and I think the common through line is that there was an instinctual pull in any of those directions from either me or the artist, we just had to trust it and go for it.
SNQLX: What do you look for in a collaborator beyond technical skill or talent?
PRAIRIES: Passion, enthusiasm, and commitment. I want to align myself with artists who really want to do this thing as a career. I want to know that when I deliver them a great song, that artist is not going to give up on themselves or give in to fear. I want to see them promoting and advocating for themselves and giving themselves a real chance at success! Also, always looking for someone who’s a good hang and who loves food!
SNQLX: When someone hires you to produce their track, what questions do you ask them before you start? What do you need to know beyond the reference tracks and BPM?
PRAIRIES: I ask them about their background, whatever they’re comfortable sharing. Then we chat music! I ask them for what I call “The Building Blocks”, which are: Chords, Key, BPM, Lyrics, and a 3-5 song reference playlist of how they want their song to sound, and we go from there!
SNQLX: When working with a vocalist, how does their voice shape the production choices you make?
PRAIRIES: In almost every way! When I’m listening to an artist’s demo, their tone and timbre are definitely giving me various ideas. Those ideas are usually aligned with their references so after I have a listen to that playlist, I just have a go at the instrumental!
SNQLX: What’s the biggest misconception people have about production work, and what do you wish listeners understood about what goes into a track?
PRAIRIES: That it’s all about music. I think music is definitely a big part of it, however I think there are large parts of the production process that are about love, trust, psychology, sociology, religion, science, politics, etc. There’s someone I met doing music and they told me once that production is all about getting the song from A to B, it doesn’t really matter how you do it: could be through talking, mostly. For all the music you hear, there are 10+ deep conversations between producer and the artist that you don’t hear, 20+ different occasions of artists fighting their own demons, etc. All of this informs how the music gets made, and none of it is the wrong way.
@urboiprairies if you’re an artist and want to be making @bia briar ❦ level bangers, fill out the form in my bio and let’s get to work! ive got slots open all this spring and summer 🙂 #musicproducer #producer #singersongwriter #altmusic #fyp ♬ drain me – bia briar
SNQLX: How did you develop your taste? Was it conscious study, or did it emerge from just making a lot of stuff?
PRAIRIES: I developed my taste by listening to a lot of music. I have always been a voracious fan and consumer of it, so very naturally I think I developed a taste of my own that is informed by quite a few different genres. But, largely pop is the influence since my dad listens to a lot of top 40 radio, always has.
SNQLX: Is there a gap between knowing how to use a production technique and knowing how to explain it?
PRAIRIES: One hundred thousand percent, yes. I think a lot of my journey as a producer (still ongoing, btw) is moving from those technical explanations in my head to being able to practically apply them in real-world sessions and songs.
SNQLX: When you imagine Prairies five years from now, what does that look like — not in terms of success metrics, but in terms of the work you’re making?
PRAIRIES: I think it’ll look like me making songs for artists that I am really proud of, continuing to honor each artist I get the great pleasure of meeting and working with. And hopefully that’s still my full-time job! I love this stuff!
SNQLX: If you could go back and tell yourself something when you first started producing four years ago, what would it be?
PRAIRIES: You can do it. You have no idea what incredible joy and fulfillment awaits you on the other side of this choice. keep going, and I love you!
The written responses reveal the principles beneath the instincts — navigating the tension between art and capitalism, drawing boundaries around mixing and mastering, reframing imperfection as a productive force. But production isn’t just philosophy. It’s presence, energy, and the work that happens in real time when trust is built and vulnerability is invited. In our video conversation, Prairies opens up about the first clunky track produced for a friend, the sound that keeps slipping away, and why the back catalog stays public even when all the mistakes are audible. Watch below to see the person behind the process — laughing, thinking out loud, making sense of what it means to create for a living.
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