When Daniel Nigro started working with Chappell Roan, she had only one EP to her name and was debating giving up music. Now, after a roller-coaster 2024 that saw Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” spend five weeks in the US Top 20, the duo are among the biggest names in pop music, credited with breathing new vim into the genre. Nigro, as a result of his Grammy-winning work, is increasingly in-demand as a songwriter and record producer. “It feels like it’s been a big year,” he says from his home in Los Angeles. 

Elle Hunt: What does a producer do?

Daniel Nigro: That’s such a complicated question because a producer can do many things. Some are strictly musical, while others just help the artist get the best version of themselves. I’m somewhere in the middle—there to have conversations and guide a song while also getting in the trenches of the production. I’m always honest with the artists I’m working with—you need to build trust.

EH: How do you balance your own tastes against the artist’s?