Chantal & Raine They’re not the first production duo to make an impact on popular music, but Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk stand out from the rest. First, unlike the Dust Brothers or Jam and Lewis, these two Canadian-born console wizards offer their clients the option of working with both or either one of them on studio projects. Equally important, where many producers draw from previous experience as musical artists themselves, Kreviazuk and Maida both keep that side of their careers active, through their own solo performances and recordings as well as Maida’s ongoing position as lead singer with the band Our Lady Peace.
Their story boasts a unique personal dimension too, in that their partnership doesn’t end at the studio door. In fact, the door to their particular studio leads directly into the rest of their house, where they live as husband and wife and raise their three young sons. Ultimately, though, it’s their work that earns Chantal and Raine respect, whether producing on their own or together. And their flexibility in terms of what they can offer their clients is the final ingredient in their recipe for success. Much of that stems from the diversity of their talents, but it owes as well to lessons of their marriage that they’re able to apply to the sessions they oversee.
“It’s almost like a community thing,” Raine suggests. “For example, Carrie Underwood came over one morning to record some songs we had written. I called a few musicians who are friends of ours. They came over, and in three hours we cut four songs. It was really exciting because it went back to the way music used to be made, really quickly and live.” “But it also happens because we work as a team,” Chantal adds. “Raine and I have been together almost 14 years, we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary this year, and we’ve learned how to use the instincts we’ve developed from being together when we’re working in the studio.” Both bring significant creative experience to their partnership. In 1992, Raine co-founded Our Lady Peace, with whom he has since toured internationally and recorded albums that have sold more than 5 million copies. Chantal launched her career as a solo artist in 1996 with Under These Rocks and Stones. By the time of their marriage in 1999, Raine had begun producing Our Lady Peace albums and would assume the same role for Chantal’s sophomore release, Colour Moving and Still, as well as co-writing four of its tracks with her. Since then, Chantal & Raine have produced projects by Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Miranda Cosgrove, Hilary Duff and the Veronicas, among others.
At times the work requires involvement in the songwriting process or matching songs they’ve written themselves to artists in need of material. Sometimes it can even come down to knowing when to step back and let the process take care of itself, as Chantal did on one session when she excused herself even though the band had asked her to help them conceive some new tunes.
“These were four big personalities, counting myself, and we needed to remove one,” she remembers. “I was the perfect one to remove. That was the right thing to do for this project because, after all, it was their record, not mine.” “We check our egos at the door,” Raine continues. “After all, our music is already out there. We’re not trying to live vicariously through someone else. There’s no hidden agenda when we work with an artist. Always, it’s about our trying to bring out the best of what they have to offer.” From holding the spotlight as stars in their own right to working effectively in the background to shine that light on their clients, Chantal & Raine offer a distinctive combination of fine-tuned ears, experience, and empathy. “In our lives and in what we do as producers, it’s really about capturing the moment,” Raine sums up. “There’s no plug-in or studio technology that can substitute for that.”