William Wiik Larsen
William Wiik Larsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1986 Oslo, Norway |
| Genres | Pop, Hip hop, R&B |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | IDAP, BMG |
William Wiik Larsen (born 15 September 1986) is a Norwegian record producer and songwriter. After crafting many multi-platinum songs in his home country, he produced and co-wrote the worldwide hit "Am I Wrong" for Nico & Vinz. He currently resides in Los Angeles.
Early life
Larsen was born in Oslo, Norway. His father was a professional musician in the 80’s, and his mother a singer. Having an substantial musical influence as a child got him pursuing the same path, and at an early age he started experimenting with instruments, drum machines, keyboards and turntables.[1] At the age of 6 he started playing the drums in the school band. He later moved on to study drums and percussion at the Norwegian Academy of Music (Norges Musikkhøyskole) at the age of 10. At age 14, Larsen started to enter Scandinavian DJ competitions, among them the DMC National DJ Championships which he won 2005 and 2006, to go on to represent Norway in the World finals (DMC World DJ Championships[2]).
Musical career
2004
In 2004, Larsen joined the music-collective and record label Pass It Records, where he released the official mixtape Homework the same year. During his time at Pass It Records he was a tour DJ for several of the countries hip hop acts. In 2005 he stopped DJ’ing and went on to solely focus on music production under the name Nasty Kutt.
2007-2008
In 2007, his longtime collaborator, manager and Pass It owner/founder/managing director, Julian Alexander, decided to close down Pass It Records. The pair then decided to work together on launching their own production and publishing company IDAP Music in 2008.
In the years to come, Larsen worked in the Norwegian music industry as a hip hop/pop producer with 21 IFPI[3] (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) Certifications, 5 of them being multi-platinum.
2009-2012
In 2009, he had his first major U.S placement with the song City Lights featuring Bun B from Method Man and Redman's album Blackout 2. The Def Jam/Universal release debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[4] The same year Larsen started his collaboration with Envy (now known as Nico & Vinz).
In 2010, IDAP Music released its first album as a label, Gatekunst. The annual project, in conjunction with Forente Minoriteter, was held specifically to help youth build their musical talent. The Norwegian government endorsed workshop project focused on young talent being mentored and given the chance to work with already established artists.
In 2011, IDAP Music in collaboration with Universal Music, launched the company’s second label project, the single Min Ting, at VG-lista Topp 20. The single featured rappers like Norwegian Vinni from Paperboys, Yosef from Madcon, Lars Vaular og OnklP, and Swedish rappers Timbuktu & Promoe.[5]
2013
He made the permanent move to the US November 2013. In April he also signed a worldwide Joint Venture deal with IDAP Music & BMG Chrysalis. The same year he changed his moniker to Will IDAP.
Nico & Vinz
The collaboration between Larsen and Nico & Vinz started in 2009. Their first single One Song, produced by Larsen, became their breakthrough in Norway,[6] and charted at #19 on the Norwegian billboard and received massive airplay. The music video for the song also won a Norwegian Grammy for video of the year. While this was the only song he produced for their debut album, he had a much bigger part in their follow up album which got a worldwide release through Warner Music. Larsen and Nico & Vinz reconnected in 2011, and together with Larsen they created the sound for the follow up album Black Star Elephant. The first song they recorded was Am I Wrong, which did well[7] and topped the iTunes charts in over 40 countries.[citation needed] The album was recorded in Oslo, Botswana and Los Angeles. Larsen produced 10 songs on their international album Blackstar Elephant.
International discography and credits
| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Broiler | Single | "Daydream" | Producer |
| 2016 | Florida Georgia Line | Single | "H.O.L.Y." | Writer |
| 2016 | Broiler | Single | "Money" Feat Bekuh Boom" | Producer |
| 2015 | Tish Hyman | "Dedicated to" | "Home For Christmas" | Producer |
| 2015 | Kygo | Single | "Stay" Feat Maty Noyes" | Producer |
| 2015 | Nano | Single | "Perfect Melody" | Producer |
| 2015 | Broiler | Single | "Fly By Night" Feat Tish Hyman" | Producer |
| 2015 | Nano | Single | "Lion" | Producer |
| 2015 | Tish Hyman | "Dedicated to" | "Subway Art" | Producer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | "The Good Lie" Movie Soundtrack | "Find A Way" feat. Emmanuel Jal | Producer |
| 2014 | Jessie J | Sweet Talker | "Personal" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "Am I Wrong" | Producer/co-writer[8] |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "Know What I'm Not" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "Miracles" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "My Melody" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "Another Day" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "People" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "Imagine" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "Homeless" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2014 | Nico & Vinz | Black Star Elephant | "When The Day Comes" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2013 | Dirt Nasty | Palatial | "Bang Her" feat. Too $hort | Producer |
| 2013 | Dirt Nasty | Palatial | "Threesome" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2012 | Angel Haze | Reservation | "CHI (Need To Know)" | Producer |
| 2012 | Three Loco | Three Loco EP | "Beer" | Producer |
| 2012 | Three Loco | Three Loco EP | "Make Em Wait" | Producer |
| 2010 | Madcon | Contraband | "Walk Out The Door" | Producer/co-writer |
| 2010 | Madcon | Contraband | "City Lights" feat. Bun B | Producer/co-writer |
| 2009 | Method Man & Redman | Blackout! 2 | "City Lights" feat. Bun B | Producer |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Song/Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | NRJ Radio Awards | Most Played Song of the Year | “Kjører på” | Madcon |
| 2011 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Norwegian Album of the Year | “Back to business” | Erik & Kriss |
| 2011 | Swedish Grammy Awards | Best Hip Hop/Soul Album of the Year[9] | “Sagolandet” | Timbuktu |
| 2011 | Norwegian Grammy Awards | Video of the Year[10] | “One Song” | Envy |
| 2010 | Norwegian Grammy Awards | Best Hip Hop album | “Helt om natten, helt om dagen” | Lars Vaular |
| 2010 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Norwegian Album of the Year | “Aldri solgt en løgn” | Karpe Diem |
| 2008 | Norwegian Grammy Awards | Best Hip Hop album | “Fire Vegger” | Karpe Diem |
| 2006 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Norwegian Album of the Year | “It is what it is” | el Axel |
References
- ^ http://www.discogs.com/artist/235621-Nasty-Kutt
- ^ http://www.dmcdjchamps.com/about.php
- ^ http://www.ifpi.org/about.php
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/268533/eminems-relapse-tops-billboard-200
- ^ http://www.vg.no/rampelys/vg-lista-topp-20/hiphoptoppmoete-paa-vg-lista-showet-paa-raadhusplassen/a/10087432/
- ^ http://www.nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org/artists/envy/
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/1893501/nico-vinz-am-i-wrong-single/
- ^ http://www.nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org/artists/envy/
- ^ http://www.badtasteempire.com/oba-management/timbuktu-wins-at-the-swedish-grammis/
- ^ http://www.nobelpeaceprizeconcert.org/artists/envy//