DERA INTERVIEW: ROUGH TAKES, RESTRAINT & THE FEELING BEHIND VICTONY’S ‘$LICK’ [2026 EXCLUSIVE]
DERA INTERVIEW: The producer behind Victony’s ‘$lick’ on rough takes, restraint, and letting the feeling of a record lead.
Before he was a producer, Chidera Godfrey Ezeani was a listener trying to work out why a record made him feel something. Now known as Dera, he grew up on his dad’s Michael Jackson, Prince and Daft Punk records, then taught himself production at night while studying Mathematics and Statistics by day. The catalogue that followed takes in Darkoo, Joeboy, Mr Eazi, Blaqbonez, Ayra Starr and CKay, plus a contribution to Burna Boy’s Grammy-winning ‘Twice As Tall’. His closest partnership right now is with Victony, culminating in ‘STARLIFE’. In this instalment of Viper Presents, we catch up with Dera to talk rough takes, restraint, and building a record around a feeling.
What five words define your sound?
Melodic, soulful, rhythmic, warm, and curious. I like music that feels good in the moment but still has something you can sit with after. I’m always trying to bring a little feeling and personality into whatever I’m making.
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
I pay close attention to what the artist is doing, even in the rough takes. Sometimes the little imperfect moment is the one that makes the record feel human, so I try not to polish the life out of it. I’ll listen back a few times and see what’s really working before I start adding too much. The song usually tells you what it needs if you give it a bit of space.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
Victony’s ‘$lick’. I co-produced it with Ozedikus. I got to produce most of the project, and that record gives you a feel for the sound we were building across it.
It feels like a good introduction to the kind of emotion and detail I like bringing into a record. I’m proud of how the different pieces came together. It’s one of those songs where the feeling comes through without needing to over explain it.
What inspired you to make that song?
I was drawn to the emotion in Victony’s performance. I wanted the production to support that feeling and give his voice room to lead. When I’m working with an artist, I’m always listening for what feels most like them, and then I build around that. With ‘$lick’, it was about letting the mood stay front and centre.
This interview is part of our long-form content series, now hosted exclusively on our Substack. To read the full conversation with Dera and gain access to our archive of deep-dives into the architects of Hip Hop and global culture, head over to the Viper Substack.
[READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE]
