# Michael Uzowuru

Michael Uzowuru // (born November 10, 1991) is an American record producer and songwriter. He has produced and written for SZA, Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Vince Staples, Earl Sweatshirt, and Rosalía, among others.

## Life and career

Michael Uzowuru was born on November 10, 1991, in Los Angeles and raised in both Cypress, California and Rancho Cucamonga, California. He went to Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga. Uzowuru is of Igbo descent through his mother, who immigrated to the United States from Nigeria.

### 2010–2015: Career beginnings

Uzowuru began his music career by making independent beat tapes and working with a number of collaborators. His early projects include works with Vince Staples and Odd Future's Domo Genesis, Matt Martians from the Jet Age of Tomorrow, and Hodgy Beats.
In 2012, Uzowuru released a mixtape with the title Winter in Prague with longtime friend and collaborator Vince Staples. In 2013, Uzowuru produced the opening track "Pre" for Earl Sweatshirt's debut album Doris. Later that year, he produced "Tweakin" and "Yap Yap" for Chicago rapper Vic Mensa's second mixtape Innanetape.
In addition to producing for other artists, Uzowuru released a number of instrumental and solo projects in 2014, notably Paisley Palm Trees, which was premiered by The Fader magazine and Pink Orchids, released in August 2014.

### 2016–present

Uzowuru was named in the production credits for Frank Ocean's 2016 visual album Endless and Ocean's long-awaited second studio album Blonde. Uzowuru was credited as both a writer and a producer on the track "Nights". About Uzowuru's collaborations, Frank Ocean stated, "...his appetite has grown; his vocabulary, musically, has grown so much over the time that I’ve known him."
He also executive produced rapper Kevin Abstract's second album American Boyfriend, which debuted in the fall of 2016.
In 2017, he appeared as co-producer on Frank Ocean's single "Chanel" released on Ocean's Beats1 radio show. Scott Vener and Pharrell Williams premiered a remix done by Uzowuru and collaborator Jeff Kleinman of Little Dragon's "High" featuring Denzel Curry and Twelve'len
In 2018, Uzowuru's work appeared on Anderson .Paak's "Til It's Over", which was used in Apple's "Welcome Home" commercial directed by Spike Jonze.
In the spring of 2019, Uzowuru composed the score for the short film Guava Island, starred and produced by Donald Glover and released by Amazon Studios. The following summer, Uzowuru was credited for writing and production on Beyoncé's compilation album The Lion King: The Gift, having worked on the tracks "Mood 4 Eva" and "Brown Skin Girl". He also wrote and produced for artists FKA Twigs and GoldLink. Later in the year, Uzowuru appeared on the production and writing credits of the Frank Ocean single "In My Room".
Uzowuru collaborated with Spanish singer Rosalía through 2020 and 2021 and co-produced her album Motomami, which ended up winning the Digital Album of the Year Award in the Latin Grammy Awards of 2022.
In 2022, Uzowuru executive-produced Vince Staples album Ramona Park Broke My Heart. The album received widespread critical acclaim and appeared on several best album year-end lists. After collaborating with him for the same year, SZA added, "...he’s an omen, a sign I’m doing something different, special and necessary."
In 2023, Uzowuru composed the score and co-produced the soundtrack for the Amazon TV series Swarm created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, which was also released as an EP. He contributed to 10 out of 18 tracks on The Great Impersonator by Halsey (singer)

## Influence

In a 2015 MSNBC interview, Uzowuru mentioned a number of musicians across a wide range of genre as his inspiration, including Elliott Smith, Nirvana, Kanye West, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Afrobeat, Fela Kuti and Björk.

## Discography
### Music for TV and film

List of scores composed for Film/Television :
| Year | Film | Studio / Company | Director |
| 2020 | Becoming | Netflix | Nadira Hallgren |
| 2019 | Guava Island | Amazon | Hiro Murai |
| 2018 | Welcome Home (commercial) | Apple | Spike Jonze |
| 2018 | 5 Reasons iPad Pro Can Be Your Next Computer (commercial) | Apple | |
| 2023 | Swarm (TV series) | Amazon | Multiple |

### Writing and production credits

List of songs produced, showing year released, artist and album name :
| Year | Artist | Album | Song |
| 2024 | Nemahsis | Single | "Chemical Mark" |
| 2024 | Sofia Valdes | Silvia (EP) | "Un Momento" |
| 2024 | The Kid Laroi | Single | "CALL ME INSTEAD" (feat. YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Robert Glasper) |
| 2024 | Vince Staples | Dark Times | "Nothing Matters" |
| 2024 | Vince Staples | Dark Times | "Children’s Song" |
| 2024 | Vince Staples | Dark Times | "Black&Blue" |
| 2024 | Vince Staples | Dark Times | "Shame On The Devil" |
| 2024 | Vince Staples | Dark Times | "Freeman" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "No Excuses" (feat. Ludwig Göransson & Kamasi Washington" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Steps Beach" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Dadvocate" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Survive" (feat. Chlöe) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Happy Survival" (feat. Khruangbin) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "H3@RT$ W3RE M3@NT T0 F7Y" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "A Place Where Love Goes" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Talk My Shit" (feat. Amaarae & Flo Milli) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "We Are God" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Real Love" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Cruisin’" (feat. Yeat) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Can You Feel Me" (feat. Legend) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Running Around" (feat. Fousheé) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Yoshinoya" |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "In the Night" (feat. Jorja Smith & Amaarae) |
| 2024 | Childish Gambino | Bando Stone and The New World | "Lithonia" |
| 2024 | SZA | Lana | "No More Hiding" |
| 2024 | SZA | Lana | "Diamond Boy (DTM)" |
| 2024 | SZA | Lana | "Scorsese Baby Daddy" |
| 2024 | SZA | Lana | "Get Behind Me (Interlude)" |
| 2024 | SZA | Lana | "Another Life" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Only Living Girl in LA" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Ego" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "The End" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Hometown" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "I Believe in Magic" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Hurt Feelings" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Dog Years" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "The Great Impersonator" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Arsonist" |
| 2024 | Halsey | The Great Impersonator | "Lucky" |
| 2023 | Ni'Jah | Swarm (EP) | "Big World" |
| 2023 | Ni'Jah | Swarm (EP) | "Agatha" |
| 2023 | Ni'Jah | Swarm (EP) | "Sticky" |
| 2023 | Snoh Alegra | Single | “Be My Summer" |
| 2023 | Dominic Fike | Sunburn | "4X4" |
| 2023 | Sofia Valdes | Silvia (EP) | "Midnight Freak-Out" |
| 2023 | Sofia Valdes | Silvia (EP) | "Easy" |
| 2023 | Sofia Valdes | Silvia (EP) | "Wild" |
| 2023 | Sofia Valdes | Silvia (EP) | "Silvia" |
| 2023 | Sofia Valdes | Silvia (EP) | "Barbed Wire" |
| 2023 | thxsomuch | Sleez (EP) | "Screws" |
| 2023 | Ryan Beatty | Calico | "White Teeth" |
| 2023 | Ryan Beatty | Calico | "Bright Red" |
| 2023 | Bakar | Single | "Good News" |
| 2023 | Lous and The Yakuza | IOTA | "Lubie" |
| 2022 | SZA | SOS | "Notice Me" |
| 2022 | SZA | SOS | "Open Arms" (featuring Travis Scott) |
| 2022 | SZA | Ctrl (Deluxe) | "Awkward" |
| 2022 | Burna Boy | Love, Damini | "Love, Damini" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Saoko" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Candy" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Chicken Teriyaki" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Hentai" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Bizcochito" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "G3 N15" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Motomami" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Delirio de Grandeza" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "La Combi Versace" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "Diablo" |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "LA KILIÉ " |
| 2022 | Rosalía | Motomami | "LAX" |
| 2021 | Kenny Mason | Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut | "4ever" |
| 2020 | Omar Apollo | Apolonio | "Bi Fren" |
| 2020 | Omar Apollo | Apolonio | "I'm Amazing" |
| 2019 | Frank Ocean | Single | "Little Demon" |
| 2019 | Frank Ocean | Single | "In My Room" |
| 2019 | SiR | Chasing Summer | "Hair Down" (featuring Kendrick Lamar) |
| 2019 | Beyoncé | The Lion King: The Gift | "Brown Skin Girl" (with Saint Jhn & Wizkid, featuring Blue Ivy Carter) |
| 2019 | Beyoncé | The Lion King: The Gift | "Mood 4 Eva" (with Jay-Z & Childish Gambino) |
| 2019 | GoldLink | Diaspora | "Days Like This" (featuring Khalid) |
| 2019 | FKA Twigs | Magdalene | "Cellophane" |
| 2018 | Kelsey Lu | Single | "Due West" |
| Anderson .Paak | Single | "Til It's Over" |
| Jorja Smith | Lost & Found | "February 3rd" |
| Ludwig Göransson | Black Panther: Wakanda Remixed | "Ancestral Plane" |
| Choker | Honeybloom | "Drift" "Starfruit NYC" "Jet Stereo" "Daisy" |
| Troye Sivan | Bloom | "Running Shoes" |
| 2017 | A$AP Mob | Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Crazy | "RAF" |
| 2017 | Jesse Boykins III & Noname | Bartholomew | "Into You" |
| 2017 | Little Dragon | Single | "High (Michael Uzowuru & Jeff Kleinman Remix)" |
| 2017 | Rex Orange County | Apricot Princess | "Waiting Room" |
| 2017 | Frank Ocean | Single | "Chanel" |
| 2016 | Frank Ocean | Blonde | "Nights" |
| 2016 | Frank Ocean | Endless | "Rushes To" |
| 2016 | Kevin Abstract | American Boyfriend | "Empty" "Seventeen" "Blink" "Tattoo" "Yellow" "Kin" "Runner" "Papercut" "June 29th" "Miserable America" "Echo" "I Do" |
| 2014 | Vic Mensa | Single | "Major Payne" |
| 2013 | Vic Mensa | Innanetape | "Tweakin" (featuring Chance the Rapper) "Yap Yap" |
| 2013 | Earl Sweatshirt | Doris | "Pre" |
| 2012 | Domo Genesis | Single | "Crushed Velvet" |
| 2012 | Vince Staples | Winter in Prague | "Winter in Prague" "Lord" "SK La Sermon" "Twitch" "Waterpark" "Matlock" "Traffic" "SK Climactic" "Mattress" "Black Oprah" |
| 2012 | Vince Staples | Single | "Champagne Wishlist" |
| 2011 | Vince Staples | Generic | "Martin Ruger King" "Barreta Scott King" "Gold Chain Ricky" "Vicoden" |
| 2011 | Vince Staples | Shyne Goldchain Vol. 1 | "Versace Rap" |
| 2011 | Domo Genesis | Single | "Cashmere" |
| 2011 | Domo Genesis | Under the Influence | "Mind Games" |
| 2011 | Hodgy Beats | Single | "April 27th" |
| 2010 | The Jet Age of Tomorrow | Journey to the 5th Echelon | "Want You Still" (featuring Kilo Kish) |

### Mixtapes and EPs

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2014 | Pink Orchids | |
| 2012 | Winter in Prague | with Vince Staples |
| 2011 | Paisley Palm Trees | |
| 2010 | Space is the Place | |
| 2010 | The Mellowest Trip | |
| 2010 | No Need for Sense | |

### Singles

| Year | Title |
| 2015 | "Without You" (featuring Anderson .Paak) |
| 2014 | "April 13th" (featuring Vic Mensa) |