AWARDS & ACCOLADES

BIO

DJ SWANQO (GRAMMY AWARD WINNING MUSIC PRODUCER)

James Steed better known by his stage names SwanQo, DJ SwanQo and Swaggs is an Afro-Latino American song writer, vocalist, recording/mix engineer, videographer and entrepreneur. SwanQo is also Grammy winning producer most known for his work with multi-platinum recording artist Cardi B. SwanQo and his production partner Sean Island are credited as producers for ‘Washpoppin’ the first song Cardi ever recorded which went on to launch her career and amass millions of streams and views. SwanQo and Sean’s most recent production work with Cardi B include the Platinum Certified single ‘Get Up 10’ which is the Intro on Cardi’s Grammy winning debut album ‘Invasion of Privacy’.
SwanQo has continued to work with ‘KSR’ the record label that helped harvest Cardi’s career. Simultaneous with this work, SwanQo continues his pursuit of budding talent and has launched his own Independent record label ‘Galixee Records’ and creative management firm ‘Galixee Management’ where he offers creative consulting.
SwanQo’s work in the studio has often been summarized as “Pure Genius”. “The smallest thing can inspire Swaggs. I’ve seen him take a single sound and within 10 minutes have a complete song done with lyric ideas. Then he goes into the booth and without a pen or pad comes up with the most unique melodies and cadences for a top line.”
SwanQo’s pure genius wouldn’t come as a surprise considering his upbringing. Born into a southern Baptist household lead by his grandfather who was a traveling blues/gospel guitarist, SwanQo was surrounded by music and singing at all times. By the time he was 7 years old, SwanQo’s mother had taught him 3 part harmony. Prior to that, SwanQo sang in the choir and took piano lessons for several years. By the age of 15 SwanQo was playing the guitar, piano, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and drums; all while writing and recording his own music.
While recording his own music, SwanQo became obsessed with getting his recordings to sound as high quality as the music on the radio. This obsession turned into a passion and he spent night and day of the next 14 years studying audio engineering on his own through YouTube videos, books and picking up tips from other engineers.
While in his 2nd year of college SwanQo was running a makeshift recording studio and record label from his dorm room. Promoting himself as an artist, SwanQo gained the attention of some notable names such as rapper Lil’ Cease  (known for his work on Junior MAFIA with Notorious BIG). SwanQo continued to film, record and recruit talent until his graduating year of college where he met Matthew Sean Allen his friend from High School. From that moment the two formed a production and writing duo while opening a home studio in their hometown in Hudson Valley, NY.
When they met, Sean was just getting into the production field but with much dedication, managed to teach himself how to play the piano and learned how to Produce using FL Studio and Logic X. Sean is Jamaican-American growing up in a house where he heard soul and old school carribean music played by his mother.