Kyla Moscovich speaks a language most can’t understand. The trumpet player extraordinaire can translate any artist’s request into a buttery soft horn section that melts over their vocals for songs like Victoria Monét’s “On My Mama,” J. Cole’s “4 Your Eyez Only,” and unheard tunes from superstars. Her musical ingenuity is what gets her in the studio, but her discretion and comfort with artists keeps her in their hearts.

“There was one period of time right after [Victoria Monét] had her child, and she was going through what a lot of mothers go through with postpartum depression,” Moscovich told REVOLT. “The studio is one of the places where any artist should feel safe to embark on those emotions rather than shy away from them.”

In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” the Grammy Award-winning producer and trumpet player explained how Monet’s smash single “On My Mama” came about, her own “weird” rituals that invite artists to be their most authentic selves, and how she translates thoughts from J. Cole and others into music we all love.

Check out the exclusive chat below.

Who was the first artist you were in the studio with that made you feel like you made it?

Cole, for sure. It was in 2016 while working on the 4 Your Eyez Only album in New York City. One call led to me being in the room, and it was a blessing. That was the first time I was ever in a session where someone gave me both creative freedom to do certain things and had their own ideas. He had this idea from an old-timey, record-sounding kind of [thing]. I told him, “I have this horn. It’s a darker version of a trumpet, and we can detune it a bit and make it a specific way, so we can get it to sound that way. We could also add a specific plug-in that would make it sound super vintage.” We had fun with that. The rest of the record was random riffs by me, but that first horn line, you hear on the song “4 Your Eyez Only.” He’s super chill. He’s really fun. He knows what he wants. He’s very detail-oriented. He has good ears. He has a specific idea he hears in his head, and he wants to emulate it. That’s why he has really good producers and good instrumentalists around him who can help translate that.

Congrats on winning at this year’s Grammys! Your horn play on “On My Mama” was the most distinctive part of that song. How did the record come about?

That record came from a long process because, with Victoria, we’re working on at least 10 records at a time. We’re always bouncing back and forth between different records because she’s always writing. She’s a real powerhouse in her craft, and she’s incredible. There was one period of time right after she had her child, and she was going through what a lot of mothers go through with postpartum depression. The studio is one of the places where any artist should feel safe to embark on those emotions rather than shy away from them. A lot of artists try to shy away from being parents in general, especially women. I guess Victoria felt detached from the industry as a whole and was like, “What do I even tell these people? I can’t relate to them in any way right now. I do not feel fly. I do not feel good. Let’s start listening to stuff that’s inspiring that might be a mantra.” She is a positive person. She didn’t want to sit there for very long in a negative space.

I think Deputy sent over the record, or we started listening to it in the studio. One thing led to another, and it just turned into this thing. She told me she wanted a party record or a club record. I knew I had to add HBCU horns. Where else am I going to go with it? With Victoria, she keeps the same elements for both of her albums. It’s like a little family. She doesn’t really stray away from that. I actually met her the day I moved to LA five years ago.

Apparently, you also hit the studio with Beyoncé.

Yeah, we actually did a couple of different things. There were writing camps, which I cannot speak about, personally. There are other studio sessions that I cannot speak on. There are also video shoots that I also cannot speak about (laughs). There are a lot of NDAs going around.

What are your greatest talents that people keep coming back for?

I trust my ears, and I know what a record would need to be elevated to where it translates what’s going on in the artist’s head as best as I can. That’s where my strength is. Whether somebody has writer’s block and needs someone to write a record, whether they need someone to record them quickly in Pro Tools, or whether they need someone to help orchestrate, or help format the song or produce it. Whatever needs to be done, I’m there to do it.

What is your creative process?

My process is weird as f**k. I’ve realized that if I want to create the best possible product for whoever is receiving the product — whether it’s myself, another artist, or another producer — I need to be in my most comfortable element because what we do reveals a lot about ourselves. So, you’re at your most vulnerable state. Victoria doesn’t like the lights on. I don’t like the lights on when I’m in my sessions, either. I love to take my shoes off when I’m recording. I want to feel as grounded as I can. I’m also a floor person. I love sitting on the floor. A lot of the time in the studio, I’m on the floor. That was one of the things that brought me closer to Victoria.

If she sees me on the floor stretching, which is every single time, she will, at some point, take her shoes off, get on the floor, stretch with me, and chat and hang out for a few minutes. I think that just invites people to be themselves and feel more comfortable.

You seem to have an almost familial relationship with Victoria Monét. Have you two cried in sessions together?

We’ve had every emotion in the studio. If you aren’t connected with her team on a personal level, you won’t make it very long. It’s got to be a safe space. That’s the only way you’re going to create music like that.

It sounds like you’ve endeared yourself to some of the most talented people. What’s the most star-studded studio session you’ve been a part of?

Hands down, Brandy and Babyface. They’re two individuals that are very open and very opinionated in their own right. They know what music shouldn’t sound like in their head and are very serious about what it sounds like outside, too. I think that’s why they connect really well and why they’re able to collaborate with others so well. It was a writing camp, but it was one of those things where you’re assigned rooms for specific time periods of the day, and then they have you rotate. But I was working with D’Mile at that camp. What was cool was that we were working on a record we had started penning with Charlotte Day Wilson, Deron Wade, and a couple of others. Suddenly, I put flugelhorn on it because we were still working things out. All we had was really a mantra and a vibe of the record. It was a rainy day, and we sampled the rain outside. Brandy and all of us sat on the floor in this big kumbaya vibe.

What were some of the funniest moments you’ve had?

A lot of bonding happened between Victoria and me during her pregnancy. There were only maybe four of us who knew she was pregnant. People would come by to sessions. Usually, we’d be smoking and drinking up in there, having a good time. People were offering her s**t, and we had to come up with excuses as to why she wasn’t over there bartending drinks like she usually does. Other people were trying to get her to hit the blunt, and we would laugh about that.

How did Victoria’s pregnancy affect her creative process?

Aside from being somebody I work with, she’s also an inspiration. I’m a woman who wants to achieve certain things in life, and people like her remind me that it is tangible and it is still possible. She’s navigated this so gracefully that it’s really dope to watch. She shifted in many ways. Her body shifted. The sound of her voice shifted. She learned to love herself again in a lot of ways.

Are there any unreleased records you’ve been a part of that you can’t wait to see come out?

There are so many. I’m literally going through the Rolodex right now. I’m excited for the world to hear some records I’ve done with Kaelin Ellis. The same goes for Iman Omari. I also worked on a bunch of records with Buddy that are amazing.

What are your plans for the rest of 2024?

I’m working on my music if I’m being completely honest. It feels weird to talk about because it’s not something I’ve ever done before. I’m very used to catering to everybody else’s records, helping them bring their things to life, and helping them translate what’s going on in their minds. I’m definitely going to have a bunch of the people I’ve worked with as collaborators on my projects. Winning at the Grammys is cool, but it’s not the end goal.