Its about starting in a really subtle place and then bringing it to a really big place: Dan Nigro talks tempo, vocals and artist relationships as he gets his teeth into the production of Olivia Rodrigos Vampire [Video]

Currently enjoying huge success as the producer of Chappell Roan’s Good Luck, Babe!, Dan Nigro is perhaps best known for his collaborations with Olivia Rodrigo. 

He’s produced both of Rodrigo’s albums so far – 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Guts – and Mix with the Masters has now captured him in his studio (on video, that is) as he talks through the making of Vampire, Rodrigo’s huge 2023 single.

Vampire starts quietly and keeps building to a massive final crescendo, and this “arc”, as Nigro calls it, was definitely intentional. It’s about “starting in a really subtle place and then bringing it to a really big place,” he confirms.

Changes in tempo help with this, of course: Nigro reveals that the original demo was recorded at around 138 or 139 bpm, but that this tempo gradually came down as Rodrigo believed it felt “rushed”. The final version, it transpires, starts at 135 bpm, rising to 138bpm when the drums kick in.

Some of …