Out now, Brazilian DJ and producer Öwnboss and respected songwriter SELVA teamed up for their Monstercat debut with festival heater, “RIOT”.
The release comes during Öwnboss’ busiest summer yet as his 2023 World Tour smashes the halfway point. SELVA, also known as Brian Cohen, is a platinum-certified songwriter, producer, and vocalist who has worked with huge names in the electronic circuit and is quickly becoming a go-to force in the industry for anthemic dance hits. Paired with Öwnboss’ signature bass house groove, industrial synths, and SELVA’s unifying songwriting style and own vocal interjection, “RIOT” is a dancefloor bomb headed straight for the main stage.
When this single dropped I reached out to interview both Öwnboss AND SELVA. Unfortunately Öwnboss was delayed in Israel due to airline issues, but is home safe and was eager to rap about the song. I am super excited to introduce you to Öwnboss.
Where are you based and where did the name Öwnboss come from?
I’m from Brazil. I was born in a city called Curitiba, but I have lived since I was a child in Florianópolis, both cities in the south of the country. As for the Öwnboss name, it’s a little bit literal. I grew up in a really traditional family, with familiar jobs and expectations. I tried hard to fit in, but since the early days I felt and knew that I didn’t want to live a life like that. I wanted to create, to produce my music, to travel around the world and inspire feelings only music can. That’s where the name came from. The desire to follow my dreams, to be my actual own boss, to serve only what I believe and put my whole energy into that. Looking back, it worked great. And I am really happy to have chosen this path and to see how happy everything has made me.
I was recently in Ibiza. Sorry I missed you. But we did get to see Swedish House Mafia perform at Ushuaïa. Did you have a good time on the White Island?
I had an amazing time. I may say it was not my first time on the island, but definitely was my favorite one. I used Ibiza as my base for the 2023 European summer tour, so I could hang out with friends, family, play in really huge and important stages and can’t wait to come back. To be honest, spending more time on the island and playing in Ibiza has always been a dream to me. The city where I live and where I was raised, Florianópolis, is always tagged to be the Brazilian Ibiza, so I used to watch the great names of electronic music performing almost in my backyard!
Also, we used to have a Pacha in Florianópolis, where I always tried to play and never could (a long time ago). It’s crazy to think that I’ve now played at the original Pacha in Ibiza, just one day after the iconic venue’s 50th anniversary. Being in the real white island, feeling the energy of such legendary stages… It’s another level. A dream that came true and that I intend to repeat more often.
Your Tomorrowland set is amazing! How was that? And that stage… Gets bigger and better every year!
Likewise I said about Ibiza, returning to Tomorrowland was something so magical it’s hard to put into words. Playing the mainstage again, being able to close the Crystal Garden stage was epic!
Since last year I have been dreaming about returning and playing again.I spent a lot of time preparing myself, producing new songs that I’m proud of and new mashups. It was really special to me, one of those gigs that is for the books. It was my second time there and believe me when I say: the feeling, the energy, the impact of everything in Tomorrowland is unbeatable and incomparable.
Do you get nervous playing in front of so many people, or do you pull energy from the crowd?
That’s a good question. I must say I’m a shy guy, so usually I feel more comfortable playing in front of big crowds than in small clubs. I don’t really know how to explain it. Of course that has changed a lot along my career and nowadays both crowds have almost the same effect on me, but that was something clear for me back in the days. That said, I’m always pulling energy from the dancefloor, trying to figure out what they want to hear, what can I offer and how can I make the party even harder!
You collaborated with SELVA on “RIOT”. Tell me more about that single. And how did you first meet him?
Brian (aka SELVA) is a good friend of mine and a person that I’m always talking with. Beyond our friendship, he is one of the most creative and talented songwriters in the world, so working with him is more than a pleasure. He first came up with the melody of “RIOT” in the shower! then when he later shared the demo with me I knew we had to work together on this. It was such a catchy chorus that the song was sounding great no matter what. It had more than ten versions in different styles, but we were really after the revolutionary energy of it, trying to create the sound of a generational anthem, when Brian brought the idea of using a children’s core. In my opinion, one of our biggest successes in the creative process.
“RIOT” is out now on Monstercat, one of electronic music’s most influential independent record labels. What does it mean to you to release with them?
It’s been a great experience since day one. They seemed really enthusiastic about releasing “RIOT,” the energy and commitment they put in was impressive and Brian and I feel really comfortable talking and planning the next steps with them. I have and had the opportunity to release my tracks on different and amazing labels so far, and it’s always nice to find a team that wants as much as the artist to see the song performing in the best way possible.
Fans can hear “RIOT” on Rocket League Radio. That video game is seeing 6.4 million average daily users. What does that sort of exposure mean to you and have you had a chance to play the game yet?
For me, being in one of the biggest free games in the world, like Rocket League, is a unique feeling. Something that even without knowing it, I always dreamed of achieving as an artist. I didn’t have time to play it yet because the last couple of months I’ve been touring a lot, but games have always been a passion of mine. I remember when I was playing 1998 FIFA World Cup and use to listen to “Song 2,” by Blur, and I see now that it is a music that remains with me to this day, so I always wanted to produce songs like these, that will grow and always be with people, because they mark us for the rest of our lives. I know it’s something very important for my career, especially representing a Brazilian season, because we have a lot of big names in electronic music. Being here is a gift to me and I’m very grateful for that.
Where do you find inspiration for a new single and what is your songwriting process like? Are you sitting down to write, or do the words just come to you in your sleep?
I’m not a songwriter so when I start a song from scratch I work in two ways. I create an instrumental and imagine a vocal for that song (and then I look for some songwriters to collab or talk to a record label for us to create the idea the way I imagine in my head) or I take a vocal already ready and start creating on top of it, polishing the instrumental, the vocal and all the details until it comes together the way I want it to. I always visualize something that I want, usually based on some music I’ve listened to or something that I think will fit my shows and then I go for it. I get a lot of ideas from other artists too, which makes the process easier. In the case of “RIOT,” the idea came from SELVA.
Your hit single “Move Your Body” is approaching 300 million Spotify streams. Tell me more about that single. Pretty sure we’ve all heard it… That drop is fire!!!
Insane, right? And if you cross the data from all the platforms, the number is even bigger. That’s something you can only dream of as an artist. I always believe in my work and try to produce songs that make sense to me, and I don’t have enough words to express how proud I am of this number and where “Move Your Body” took my career. It’s a song that I produced with SEVEK, another Brazilian musician, and the idea was to create a song people could dance to, mixing different elements of electronic music. That’s a song that brings so much energy that even now, years after its release and playing the track every single gig, I can’t stop smiling and feeling the beat. I jump, I get too excited. It affects me in good and special way, and I’m very happy with that.
Who designed the album artwork for “RIOT” and what is the meaning behind that design?
Monstercat is behind the artwork for “RIOT,” though the idea itself was discussed with our teams together. The idea here was to get the youth spirit, the wish to shout out loud and fight for your dreams to come true, you know? To make your voice heard. We do believe this track has a battle anthem half revolutionary vibe, so the idea was to approach it.
Where is the best place to learn more about you and to listen to your music?
The best place to learn more about me, I believe, is on my Instagram page, where I try to update everyday with tours videos, backstages of my trips, new music, daily and regular life content and stuff. And my music can be found in all the streaming platforms, Spotify, Apple, Deezer, and on YouTube as well. And on stages and festivals worldwide, see you on the dancefloor!
Thanks for doing this, man. I enjoyed getting to know you. In all of the interviews I do I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thank you for the interest and the opportunity here. It’s always a pleasure to talk about music with fellow enthusiasts. I hope I can keep traveling, spreading my music around the world and letting a little bit of what I believe into other people’s lives.
For more information about Öwnboss, go to:
Website | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube
