Woodville is a small town in the Manawatū, with a population of about 1600 people. It’s famous for some things, like being the home of Gotfried Lindauer who painted some of our most prominent rangatira. 100 years later, it’s now home to artists of a different kind.
Te Whiti Warbrick, Georgia Boyden, Joseph Boyden and Elijah McDonald are music producers making beats for superstars like Rihanna, Post Malone, Little Wayne, Camilla Cabillo, Ty Dolla Sign, Tyga, Pop Smoke, Rod Wave and more.
“It’s great to work closely with friends that you’ve known for a while and that you gel easy with because you can have fun and you can hear the fun in the music,” says Warbrick aka SickDrumz.
“There’s nothing better than just hanging out with your homies and coming out with a result of the end.”
SickDrumz on working with Rihanna
Warbrick (Rangitāne, Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi) has made beats for internationals stars like Rihanna, Post Malone, Lil Wayne, Camilla Cabillo, Demi Lovato, Britney Spears, Ty Dolla Sign, Tyga and more. One notable song, Needed Me by Rihanna went diamond selling more than 10 million hits.
He remembers working on the song in 2015 from his home in Sanson using broken headphones and a view of the farm and cows.
“Then months later I hear, ‘Oh yeah, we’ve got a song with Rihanna coming out.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, crazy. Like, what?’ And first time I heard it was when it aired on Beats 1 Radio with Zane Lowe and I didn’t even know what beat it was or anything, but to hear the song for the first time was mind blowing,” says Warbrick.
“To hear my music under her voice was incredible. Insane experience.”
The job has taken all four producers overseas. On Warbrick’s first trip to LA, he was rubbing shoulders with Usher, Post Malone and Snoop Dog.
“I went to the studio where Michael Jackson recorded a lot of his big hits at and got to see the fancy gloves.”
His 24th birthday was perhaps his most memorable making beats with Snoop Dog at his mansion.
His love for music began in thet Hato Paora College kapa haka in Palmerston North.
“I learned how to play notes, chords and harmonies from singing with the brothers. So, once I got into making music, all my experience there helped.”
“I’m proud to be a Māori that’s been able to go overseas, work with these artists and succeed and just display to other Māori, who are trying to do the same thing, that this is possible and if you have a dream, follow it because I did that and I’m here now.”
Warbrick and Boyden (aka SephGotTheWaves), first met in LA without realising they lived just down the road from each other back home.
“Working with Joe and Guitars, he makes fire country guitar stuff. I wish I could play a guitar like the bro; he’s the man.”
SephGotTheWaves ‘the man’ on guitar
Boyden specialises in fusing guitar with hip hop. His dream has been to play for a living.
“To be able to do it and do it from where I grew up is crazy because I always thought you’d have to move to America or the UK.”
His first placement was creating a guitar sample for Jay Sean’s song With You. Since then, he’s gained 2.9 billion streams in total and 13 of his songs have gone platinum, selling a million units each.
“It’s been pretty unreal. The money we’ve actually been able to make through music, never knowing that it would’ve actually been possible to make any money from music alone.”
Boyden’s wife and producer of GeoVocals, Georgia Boyden says, “Getting the platinum songs is a massive bonus but I think being able to have the lifestyle that we want, being able to do this for a living, make enough money to live off and for our family, I’d say that’s probably the most rewarding part.”
Talent runs in the family for siblings Georgia and Elijah
Georgia also makes music with her younger brother Elijah, known as Reach High Eli.
“We’ve got a couple placements together now, which is really cool with some big artists, actually all three of us, me, Eli, and Joseph and that was really special,” she says.
Elijah says, “it was my first song that went platinum, and it was with my sister and my brother-in-law. That’s pretty special. Who else can say that?”
All have turned down the opportunity to live and work overseas choosing the quiet scenic life in the Manawatū and continue to pursue their dreams making music for a living.
