Producer, songwriter, and musician Rodney Jerkins (A.K.A. Darkchild) launched his career when he began to learn classical piano at the age of five. In his late teens he declined several signing offers, his focus fixed on still shinier prizes. Things began to take off when he was invited to pitch ideas to Mary J. Blige when he was only 18. The two-time GRAMMY-winner has since worked with artists such as Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, and Beyoncé. He creates largely in his Orlando commercial studio and his L.A. home space.
Artists are attracted to production for many reasons; Jerkins’ primary draw is the sense of fulfillment that artistry fosters. “I love the whole creative process,” he says. “Working on the idea of something that God puts in the air, you pull it and the next thing you know it turns into something dynamic.”
When a producer begins a collaboration with an artist, the temptation to emulate their existing work can be strong. Jerkins’ approach, however, merely begins with earlier output and then transcends it. “I want to see who they are as an artist and then I dig into who they are currently,” he says. “I try to get into their psyche, into where they might be in their life. A lot of this is gaining insight into whether an artist is coming out of a relationship or maybe going into one. Understanding that leads the direction of the song. When Whitney Houston dominated with all of her ballads, I was the one to come up with ‘It's Not Right but It's Okay,’ which was up-tempo and out of her wheelhouse.”
Jerkins’ biggest challenge came early in his career. It demonstrated wisdom and maturity when, rather than recoiling from criticism, he embraced it. “Clive Davis was Whitney Houston’s song guy,” he says. “It was my first meeting with him and I was only 17. I thought I had something special, and he just shot it down; it wasn’t even close to her level. That was humbling, especially at my age. Some people might have given up after that, but I took it as ‘I’ll come back and see you when I’m ready’ and he allowed that. Then we hit the home run.”
Come back, he did. Dramatically. “I was 18 when I was invited to play some beats for Mary J. Blige,” he says. “I arrived and there were 10 producers in the lounge waiting to play her their stuff. I’d received the call two days before and I had nothing prepared. So, I locked myself into my dad’s basement and recorded all of these ideas in one day. When I went to play her my music, she loved it so much that she sent all the other producers home. We started work on Share My World [shortly thereafter]. I have five songs on that album, all of which I’d written in that one day. That was the turning point of my career.”
Jerkins remains prolific. Last year he established his Christian division Alienz Alive—some refer to it as a label but he’s adamant that it’s far more than that—and has signed several artists to production and distribution deals. Projects on his 2025 slate include work with DJ Khaled, British singer-songwriter Raye, and a handful of others that are still in the formative stage.
Visit instagram.com/rodneyjerkins, darkchild.com, alienzalive.com
