WILD HEART was a collaborative endeavor. Urban Rescue worked with two producers, one in Nashville and one in San Diego. Both represent and bring about the honesty we wanted people to hear in each song. We asked our San Diego producer, MARK SUHONEN, (who worked on "His Name", "Magnificent", "Recreate", and more) to share with us a little bit BEHIND THE SONGS.
Q: Mark, what has it been like working with Urban Rescue?
A: Well it’s honestly one of the most fun and rewarding projects I get to be a part of. They give me a ridiculous amount of great ideas and space to work with and I have the creative license to do whatever is honestly needed for the song to see it’s full potential. In one word….FREEDOM
Q: What was your favorite song to work on? and why?
A: Definitely RECREATE! The amount of energy and detail put into it was outstanding. That song naturally made me feel alive and I desperately wanted other people to feel the same way when they listened to it and I did whatever I could to make sure it got there. Also, I’m pretty sure Jordan and I blew out our vocals screaming during the shouting parts of that one! Sorry Jordan ;)
Q: What advice would you give to aspiring producers?
A: It’s better to be relevant than good. Learn as much as you can and stay excited. It’s not so much about the tools but how you use them. Stay true to yourself, the song, the artists and definitely…..follow your (Wild) Heart ;)
ASK YOURSELF: What does this song need to feel like? What does the artist want to express? What microphone should I get so people will buy my records? (haha)
CHECK OUT: The Crowd, The Critic, and The Muse: A Book for Creators by Michael Gungor
LISTEN TO: One Wild Life by Gungor & Recreational Love by The Bird and the Bee
Mark Suhonen is an independent record producer and drummer based out of San Diego, California. Suhonen has worked with multi-platinum selling artists that have won Grammy awards, Teen Choice awards, and Dove awards including, O-Town, Matt Redman, Matthew West, Chris Tomlin, Urban Rescue, RAC, Louis James, Bethel Music, Elevation Worship, Jordan Feliz, Amanda Cook, Dominic Balli and Building 429. Suhonen is also a member of the San Diego Music Award nominated electro-pop duo, Dr. Seahorse, alongside solo artist, Trevor Davis. Suhonen has been producing since 2001 and is most notably known for his programming of drums and various rhythm tracks. Suhonen is currently working with signed and independent artists from Nashville, Ohio, San Diego, Los Angeles and Mexico in the Pop, Latin and Christian genres.