When you hear Doechii stretch the limits of her voice, creativity and vulnerability on 2024 standout Alligator Bites Never Heal, you should partly thank her recording engineer, Jayda Love, who’s been there for it all. From spending 10 days in Florida grinding out songs we still haven’t heard to translating Doechii’s off-the-wall requests into tracks we love, Love is the secret weapon that’s not so secret anymore.

“The front half of ‘FIREFLIES,’ which is two songs combined, has a lot of spatial ear candy going on. I remember her saying she wants it to sound like a vagina opening up (laughs). And I was like, ‘Bet, I got you.’ So, this song just kinda sounds like sex. It’s about sex and love,” Love told REVOLT.

In this installment of “Studio Sessions,” Doechii’s dedicated engineer explained how a personal conversation led to the artist opening up about her life on “BULLFROG.” Love also discussed Doechii’s creative chemistry with Janelle Monáe and how Alligator Bites Never Heal was created. Read the exclusive chat below.

How did you first connect with Doechii?

I was actually on call at a studio in downtown LA, and they hit me on a random night saying, “Hey, we need an engineer, like now.” I told them I could be there in 15 minutes. When I got there, she was there in a bonnet, barefoot, and I thought, “Okay, that's the artist” (laughs). She hopped in the booth, and we actually recorded “STANKA POOH” that night. That was the first song we ever did, and I thought she was raw as hell. I didn't know she was affiliated with TDE yet. She hadn't been announced yet, but we did that session, and her management at the time told me, “Hey, if you're around, we'd love to have you work with her.” I just kept coming back. This was around the end of summer 2021.

Since “STANKA POOH” was recorded in 2021 but ended up on Doechii’s 2024 mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, when did you all stop recording for that project?

We didn't stop recording for the project till the night before we turned it in. We recorded her she / her / black bi**h EP in the early days of 2021/2022. But that shifted because she was working on her debut album, and then somewhere along this past summer, it shifted. It was her personal goal to put together this mixtape of all these songs that we've had over the years. Some of the songs came from the “Swamp Sessions.” Some were just old songs we really thought were strong, really loved, but just didn't look like they were going to make the album. So, we put together this body of work that we felt represented her the best. I think the final background vocals of “FIREFLIES” were recorded like the night before we turned it in.

So, she was working on a debut album while putting together Alligator Bites Never Heal?

Yeah. We were simultaneously working on two projects at once, and then shifted the focus to put in time for the mixtape.

Something about what you do in the studio made her want to work with you more. What do you think you brought to her recording process?

I think I brought consistency. She was hopping around a lot when she first got to LA and first got signed to TDE. She was kinda between studios and engineers. She’s the through line throughout all her music, but I helped put her on the same vocal chain, the same template, and gave her that foundation for her creative ideas to just come out and flow. I’m able to translate those ideas to the technical side. If she wants to sound like a monkey in outer space, I'm like, “Okay, I need to translate that and make sure that happens.” I think we connected after the first couple of sessions from that consistency of her being able to explore more creativity.

Can you give me an example of a weird request of hers that you helped translate on a song?

How explicit do you want me to get (laughs)? The front half of “FIREFLIES,” which is two songs combined, has a lot of spatial ear candy going on. I remember her saying she wants it to sound like a vagina opening up (laughs). And I was like, “Bet, I got you.” So, this song just kinda sounds like sex. It’s about sex and love.

Walk me through a typical Doechii session.

It’s changed over time. We worked together for about three to four years now. Before, it was night sessions with lower lights. She was very quick, so the mic needed to be hot and ready. She would walk in, Airdrop me a beat, and then be like, “Alright, let's go.” That was kinda her vibe. Then, over time, it's been more chill, more intentional. She likes to record in the day, and she likes to record her demos herself. It helps her write. She needs to write on a mic, so she'll record herself. I have a template for her in GarageBand, and she'll record herself at home. Once she's confident in the song, she'll bring it into the studio and then we can load it up from there.

Now, there are more candles. If we have a studio with a window, that's great. She’s as comfortable as she can be in the booth. She's still barefoot. That has stayed consistent throughout the years. If I'm there early, I always just want to make sure that everything is ready, smells good, lights are good. I'll throw some “Boondocks” on the TV or something. If she walks in and wants to go right away, she can. But if she wants to just chill and kind of zen out, that's an option for her, too.

Earlier, you mentioned the “Swamp Sessions.” What were those?

We went to Miami to record. She wanted to be home. She wanted to be in Florida. It was just us thugging it out against the label's wishes at the time. She and I had a conversation outside of the studio saying we need to put a project together that we can bring to them, and they can give notes on versus all of us trying to grasp at straws and put together something. That was the intention of that trip. It was just friends, close people involved. Her DJ came. It was just people who creatively could help her get to a new space. I think it planted the seed for this project. The project we left with from Florida wasn't this project, but the trip helped. It helped put a lot of things in perspective.

How many songs did you record in Florida?

We left with around 14 songs that we were confident to play, but we recorded more than that. We went with writers and producers Dixson and Camper, who both worked on “BOOM BAP.” My very close friend Brian Schwaller, who helped me engineer that camp, ended up making this project, which I'm very happy about. We were there for about 10 days. I want to say this was May 2023.

Which artists do you think Doechii has the best collaborative chemistry with in the studio?

The first artist that comes to mind is Janelle Monáe. She brought me along for that session, and then they played her the first version of “Phenomenal.” We ended up cutting a scratch reference that night, and they knew the song that they wanted her on but gave her that creative freedom to do whatever she wanted. From what she made, they pieced together what would fit their mold. For features, she usually gives multiple versions, so someone can pick and choose what they want and what they see fit. It also gives her the space to explore all the options. [She] and Janelle were both super open to each other's creative processes. They let us take the time to get it where it needed to be, and then we came back in with them and just tightened everything up, and that's what “Phenomenal” was.

Do you remember a song or a lyric that came from a conversation you saw Doechii have?

It had been a minute since she had written a song about herself. When I first came on, a lot of her songs were very narrative and personal, but still creative. It doesn't mean every song is sappy or sad or whatever. But, this time she was kinda like, “If I'm in a place where I'm at now and how I feel, and I write about how I feel, I don't think that will translate well.” I was very honest with her and told her, “A lot of the stuff you're going through, other people are going through, and the artists you love and resonate with, they write songs about being sad or being the bad person in a relationship or being depressed or being not the best version of themselves, and you still love them, and it still resonates with you.

I think a few days after we had that conversation, she wrote “BULLFROG” at home and then came in the studio like, “Alright, I got an idea for that.” I think she did “BULLFROG” and then shortly after did “CATFISH,” and started “BOILED PEANUTS.” I felt like the conversation we had really helped her do those songs. If it doesn't work out, you don't have to put it out. People don't have to hear it. But you as an artist, and this being your release, need to write about yourself. You need to do this for therapy because if you don't, you're going to be blocked creatively.

What do you have coming for the rest of 2024?

We're on tour now. We’re just doing this tour, locking back in, recording as much as we can, and just putting together something that will get us closer to something [that is] hopefully as great if not better than Alligator Bites Never Heal.