Photo by Cam Major at The Orange Lounge Recording Studios
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Music Producer and Songwriter Rich Pilkington remembers sitting down to play classical piano as a young boy. While this was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with music, it was only the starting point.
Soon afterwards he started playing drums. He later took it upon himself to learn Pro Tools in order to record, produce and mix his high school bands. This was the true foundation of his career as a music producer.
Rich went on to study music at Leeds University, making a firm decision to follow what he believes is his calling in life. “Music is a form of expression that can’t be put into words,” he says. “It’s a feeling that connects us as humans on a deep emotional level, and nothing compares to it.”
When beat and melody come together
Just as playing classical piano shaped Rich’s understanding and experience of music, so too has Electronic Dance Music. As a teenager he had an eclectic mix of influences ranging from rock artists such as Bloc Party and Sum41, right through to modern classical composer Ludovico Einaudi. Whilst Rich is mostly known for writing and producing Pop and Electronic music, it’s drawing from these different influences within music that he’s developed his own sound.
It is with his current artist project, Leon Taro, that he hopes to showcase this diversity of inspiration. He shares: “I wanted an outlet to create the music I wanted to make. I’m regularly writing and producing for others, and whilst it’s incredibly enjoyable, I wanted to create something for me. No other opinions. Having the freedom to create music as a means of expressing myself.”
Leon Taro has already seen over 17 million streams, and has secured multiple placements on Spotify and Apple Editorial playlists. He has also been featured on BBC Introducing Radio, on the television show ‘Love Island,’ and across multiple DJ radio shows globally.
A powerhouse of creativity and inspiration
Rich’s most successful cuts to date are ‘Warrior’ by Mark with a K and Robert Falcon and ‘Believer’ by C-Pop Star Zhang Zhehan.
Mark with a K is a hugely successful Belgian DJ specialising in hardcore EDM and has had over 245 million streams across all platforms.
‘Warrior,’ the song written and vocal produced by Rich, is the fourth track on his 2018 album, Mass Hysteria, and the second most streamed song on the album.
Two versions of the song were released, and the music video was shot at the notorious EDM festival ‘Tomorrowland’ in Belgium. The song has over 45 million streams across both versions to date.
Rich’s talent in songwriting and production led to the creation of a highly catchy, emotive and euphoric topline. Crowds sing along at Mark’s shows and at festivals worldwide. ‘Warrior’ also went on to hit the Dance charts across multiple countries in Europe (France, Portugal, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium) and also in Mexico and Japan.
‘Believer’ is another one of Rich’s most successful cuts. It’s the second song on artist Zhang Zhehan’s 2024 album ‘Datura,’ which to date has achieved over 100 million streams.
Zhang Zhehan is a well renowned Chinese actor and singer who won the Weibo Award for Rising Star of the Year in 2020.
Rich was an integral part of the song’s creation being the sole songwriter and producer on the song. This showcases his incredible ability to bring a song to life being involved in all stages of its creation.
He pulled personal inspiration as well as the personal story of Zhang Zhehan as inspiration and influence for its creation. ‘Believer’ also happens to be Zhang Zhehan’s first song in English and videos of the audience singing along at concerts across Asia show how it resonates strongly with his large fanbase.
A track record of phenomenal success
Rich has been phenomenally successful in his career. He has written and produced close to a hundred and fifty songs for artists, including a no.1 hit across 5 Asian countries. He has also written and produced songs for numerous high profile EDM artists, including releases by labels Ultra (Sony) and Armada. His credits have accumulated over 77 million streams, and he dreams of the day when he will hit his target of 777 million streams mark.
In addition to this he has placed songs globally in television shows, in commercials and on channels, including Disney, Netflix, WWE, Food Network, among others. He won an International Songwriting Competition (ISC) for the ‘Best Dance Song’ which was judged by the late Avicii, and Bastille, and he wrote and produced a semi-finalist contender to represent Portugal in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest.
He remains humble in spite of this phenomenal success so far. “I know I still have a long way to go. I’m forever chasing bigger goals, but as I get older I’ve become more aware of the importance of being present and enjoying the journey, not just focusing on these targets.”
A vision for the future
Rich says moving to Toronto, where he currently resides, was a life-changing experience for him. “It was only when I moved to Toronto 7 years ago, in 2018, that I went full-time in music,” he says. “It was a scary venture as I had to survive solely from my music work. Fortunately it worked out, but it took seven years of hustling and working other jobs to get to that point.”
Rich’s incredible journey has not been without its challenges. He says if he has learned anything since his decision to follow his calling in music, it is that as a creative, you have to be your biggest supporter and advocate. “Self-belief is essential,” he says. “There are days when you question what you’re doing, and whether something you’ve created is good enough. We get caught up in our heads sometimes but it’s imperative to believe in yourself and what you’re creating, even if no one else does. That’s the only way that you will get to the top.”
This is definitely where he finds himself today: fighting his way to get to the top of the industry. He hopes to advance his career further by moving to LA in the near future; where he hopes to get closer to the heartbeat of the nation’s music industry.
He mentors up-and-coming artists, and he wants to continue to use his unique sound to impact lives and the industry at large.
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