Producer Ryan Gladieux on engineering hits, working with the greats and loving the journey
5/29/20261 hr 4 min
Ryan Gladieux is one of my producers so this episode feels like two friends catching up in a studio and going deep on the music industry.
Ryan started as a recording intern at Atlantic Records and Warner Music Group in 2011. He eventually worked his way up to head engineer, racking up credits on some of the biggest songs in the world — including Timber by Ke$ha and Pitbull — and getting to work up close with artists like Flo Rida, Rihanna, T-Pain, Charlie Puth, Ty Dolla $ign, Charli XCX, Saweetie, Dua Lipa and more.
In this episode we get into what it was really like inside those sessions…the stories you don't hear, the wild nights, the trial by fire of becoming an engineer, and what the music industry actually looks like from behind the glass.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSumi Krishnan· Host0:00
Ryan, welcome to the Dream Life Club podcast. We are so happy to have you here.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:05
Thank you so much for having me. It is wonderful to be here. This feels so professional.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:09
It's very professional.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:10
Do, do the Dream Life listeners know anything about our podcast history?
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:15
No.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:15
[gasps] Okay.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:17
So we might have to fill them in.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:18
Yeah. Well, I'll let you decide how, to what degree we fill them in.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:22
Okay. Well, first of all, how do you pronounce your last name?
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:24
Oh, God. That's gonna take longer. No, it's, it's really- Then the other one's easier ... it's really fast to explain.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:28
Okay. Go.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:29
So [laughs] [laughs] I pronounce it Glad-you.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:33
Glad-you.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:34
But Glad-you, softened.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:37
Like you're glad. Glad you.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:38
I'm just glad you're... Yeah.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:39
Glad you came.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:40
I'm glad you- I'm glad you came today. I've never, no one's ever done that one before.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:42
[laughs] Sorry. [laughs] That's like me with Suemi. It's such a rare one.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:46
I can't imagine. Exactly. [gasps] Exactly.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:48
Good thing you're not a lawyer. And then they think they're really funny. But honestly, I- I never thought to say that to you ... you've never said it to me, and I've never said Glad you- No ... to you.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:57
All right.
Sumi Krishnan· Host0:57
So. Okay, cheers.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest0:58
Cheers to us. Uh, don't- Let's not actually cheers- No, lie ... 'cause we will spill these. [laughs] We will.
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:02
Let's challenge ourselves.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:03
Oh, God. Really? Here's... Oh.
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:06
Oh my God.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:06
[laughs] Cup just...
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:09
This is not supposed to be a random catch-up episode.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:12
Sorry.
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:12
We wanna know- You're right, you're right ... we wanna know- We'll, we will do that ... all about your amazing stories.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:15
Let me- Okay ... okay, so if we're talking about me- Okay ... the, the last name thing, there is actually, um, a tiny bit of a studio-ish tie-in story to that.
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:23
Okay, tell us.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:23
I got told by a French producer I pronounce my last name wrong.
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:26
Why does he have to be French?
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:27
The, because of my last name.
Sumi Krishnan· Host1:28
Okay.
Ryan Gladieux· Guest1:29
It's, it's relevant to the conversation