Is Dua Lipa a ‘boss b***h’? Meet her creative team Coffee, Koz and Chelcee who spill secrets in 'Song Exploder'
If you're a Dua Lipa fan, you'll want to catch Volume 2 of Netflix's new music docuseries 'Song Exploder' on December 15. The second volume of the docuseries kicks off with an episode of the British pop star with a special focus on her hit 'Love Again' from her sophomore studio album 'Future Nostalgia'. If you haven't been acquainted with the show before, 'Song Exploder' weaves together in-depth interviews, archival footage and raw recordings as each artiste breaks down their hit song, layer by layer, and gives an intimate insight into the personal inspiration behind the music and lyrics.
In the first episode, Lipa breaks down the composition of 'Love Again' and introduces her creative team. Throughout the episode, we see a celebration of her individualism, her creativity, and her drive while at the same time, there is a revealed closeness with her team that is refreshing to watch. The album does include credits for several writers/producers, but we've included the names featured in the first episode of 'Song Exploder'.
Clarence Coffee Jr
After Lipa explains that 'Love Again' stemmed from a broken relationship, 'Future Nostalgia' co-writer Clarence Coffee Jr is introduced. "Coffee is an amazing songwriter who I've worked with since I've really started writing songs," says Lipa. "Coffee is like my spiritual guiding light. We've always been there for each other, especially when there's crazy love situations involved."
Coffee then notes, "She's family to me, so... She was definitely going through some personal things, and she really wanted to express it." He adds further in the episode, "Dua's always gonna come from a place of honesty. She does wear her heart on her sleeve, so to speak."
For the standard edition of 'Future Nostalgia,' coffee has worked on tracks such as the self-titled opener, 'Physical', 'Levitating', and 'Love Again'. He is a Grammy Award-winning and Juno Award-winning songwriter, producer, and executive producer from Miami, Fl., now residing in London, UK. Apart from his efforts with Lipa, he also credits on 'Un Dia (One Day)' by J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy, 'Make It Out Alive' feat. SiR by NAO from the album 'Saturn', 'Water Me' by Lizzo which awarded Coffee with a Grammy Win, and 5x Platinum-selling track 'The Feeling' feat. Halsey by Justin Bieber on the Grammy-nominated album 'Purpose'.
Stephen Kozmeniuk
"Koz is always, like, my number-one man that I love to have in the studio. I feel like we always nailed what the record was gonna sound like together," says Lipa of Stephen Kozmeniuk.
Kozmeniuk is a Canadian record producer, songwriter, engineer and instrumentalist from Whitehorse, Yukon, who has the production and writing credits on projectss uch as Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, and more. He began his musical career in the Canadian band Boy. He has also worked on numerous soundtracks for projects such as the films 'Love, Simon,' 'The Space Between Us', the series 'We Are Who We Are', 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' and more.
Chelcee Grimes
Co-writer Chelcee Grimes is introduced as a fun, down-to-earth member of the 'Future Nostalgia' team. Lipa says, "Every time I work with Chelcee, songs always start on a guitar. And Chelcee's so funny. She's just like, 'Come on, mate, let's do this song and go have a pint down at the pub,' but more in a Liverpudlian accent."
Lipa notes, "For Me, I love that energy, when you know people that you feel comfortable around, that I can be honest and talk about things that are very personal to me. And I know it won't leave those four walls unless it's in the form of a song."
Grimes shares, "My respect and my love for Dua comes from the fact that she is a boss bitch. She's completely in control. She's not closed off at all."
Chelcee Grimes is a British singer/songwriter and TV presenter from Aigburth, Liverpool, Merseyside and also a footballer currently playing for Tranmere Rovers L.F.C. She has written songs for Dua Lipa, The Saturdays, Kesha, and Kylie Minogue. She is also an artist signed to RCA Records. In June 2018, she released her debut single 'Just Like That'. The music video uploaded to YouTube gained over 100,000 views within 24 hours.
Lorna Blackwood
In the 'Song Exploder' episode, Lipa also revealed she received some vocal guidance from vocal coach Lorna Blackwood. "I went in with my vocal producer, Lorna. She helps me visualize emotions. So, there are parts, although they're sad, she's like, 'Sing it with a smile,'" explains Lipa. Blackwood helps her clients with anything from warm-up techniques to preparations for major TV performances. Her skills have been called upon by the likes of Tom Walker, Ellie Goulding, Grace Carter, Rae Morris, Mabel and George Ezra to name a few.