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Many may know The Pocket Queen as a drummer first and foremost.
This comes as no surprise considering her remarkable credits drumming alongside the likes of Beyoncé, Dua Lipa, and WILLOW, in addition to her multiple viral covers on her YouTube channel, which has nearly 250K subscribers and over 25M views.
Her most-viewed video, a performance to “Din Daa Daa,” has over 5M views on YouTube.
That said, The Pocket Queen is more than who she is behind the kit—she’s also an avid multi-instrumentalist, artist, and music producer. “When I look back at recordings of myself as a kid, teaching my parents harmonies and breaking down songs, it’s clear to me that more than anything, I have a deep love for music that goes beyond just the drums,” she tells us. “I think my love for music has very much informed the way I play the drums, and why I play the drums, but it comes from a place of love for the craft and love for what music represents.”
“So, as I started to fall deeper and deeper in love with music, I wanted to really understand how I could best be of service to the art form. And as I thought about all the skillsets and gifts that I possess, it made me resonate with the title of a music producer in addition to being a drummer. That realization caused me to pursue producing and becoming the best music connoisseur possible. I think even what I choose to do on social media comes from a place of really trying to honor music at large.”
In celebration of the release of her new Groove Essentials sample pack, The Pocket Queen sat down with us to discuss the art of drum production, finding long-term success on social media, the collaborative process, and more—read highlights below.
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The Pocket Queen on the world of drum production
One quality that makes The Pocket Queen’s dedication as a music producer clear is the intense focus she brings to how she shapes her drum sounds, from the timbre of individual elements to the sonic aesthetics of the overall kit—she shares some of her top insights below.
The kick is the heartbeat
“I always pay heavy attention to the kick; the kick is the heartbeat,” she says. “It’s what drives the song. So, when mixing my drums, it’s often my intention to make sure the kick is felt first and foremost. If the mix were a visual thing, I would picture the vocal being in the very front, and then behind the vocal would be the kick. Some people might disagree, but that’s my personal approach to making sure that you feel like the kick punches through the music.”
“I also pay close attention to my musical inspirations, who all have hard-hitting drums. When I think of Pharrell, Timbaland, Kaytranada, or Dr.Dre, they all had that sort of hard-hitting, forceful sound. I’m trying to also embody that in my own way.”
Warmth is about preservation
Whether it’s in her songs or her samples, The Pocket Queen’s sounds share an indescribable warmth that makes them feel timeless. “I think there’s a lot of warmth and low end from the way I mix my drums,” she tells us. “That’s something that’s probably reminiscent of past decades—I think my drums tend to have a throwback, vintage feel to them.”
But how does one capture the elusive concept of warmth? While it might be tempting to reach towards an array of plugins or outboard gear, The Pocket Queen suggests that less can be more here. “I actually think that things are naturally warm,” she explains. “I feel like it’s the natural essence of sounds that come from instruments, but today, there’s more equipment than ever that makes them louder and brighter. When it comes to warmth, I’m just trying to keep everything in its natural state. That’s how I see it.”
“I do intentionally try to create a nice balance though, so that you’re not just listening to yesteryear when you’re listening to my drums. I want them to remind you of the past, while still being in the present.”
The Pocket Queen on finding long-term success with social media
Going from uploading her first video 17 years ago to establishing herself as one of the most recognized drummers across social media, The Pocket Queen is a veteran when it comes to building an online presence as a musician. “I’ve watched my career evolve over time, and I’ve also watched social media evolve over time,” she reflects. “Sometimes, there can be this deep-seated fear that you’ll get left behind, or that you need to spend all of your energy trying to keep up with what everyone else is doing, chasing the algorithm, and getting as much attention as possible.”
For the many musicians who are eager to emulate her success, The Pocket Queen assures us that these fears aren’t at the core of how she has maintained a successful—and more importantly—sustainable relationship with social media, sharing two key lessons she’s uncovered along her journey.
It’s about who’s watching, not how many
“Even from the very beginning, it’s been my belief that I’d rather have 12 loyal fans than 12,000 fans who aren’t ever giving me their full support or attention,” The Pocket Queen shares. “It’s not about how many people are watching. It’s about who’s watching and who you invest in truly connecting with.”
“I’m just so grateful that my first ‘viral video’ happened around 2017. I think there’s been a steady incline when it comes to my brand and presence on social media, but it hasn’t necessarily been linear with how much content I put out. I just hope that serves as an example to people that you can have a balanced life, and that you don’t have to spend all of your time trying to keep people’s attention. At this point in life, I’d rather have people’s attention when I truly have something to say, because I just think it’s kind of useless if I’m telling everyone to look at me and I’m just like, ‘Hey everybody,’ and that’s it, you know? I just want to have something to give to people, and make that worth it.”
Don’t take yourself too seriously
“The key is to make your audience feel something,” The Pocket Queen says. “And sometimes, that means just acting on inspiration, being silly, and incorporating life into your content. For example, if I notice that people are getting a rise out of me looking into the camera, I’m like, ‘Oh, that seems to be something that creates some kind of emotion within people.’ So, I’m going to keep that around.”
“Most recently, it’s been this chair that I play in that seems to disturb everyone’s soul. I have a producer chair for my studio that I also use to play the drums. I think people are just really thrown off by the fact that I’m playing in this chair, and I just find it hilarious, which is why I haven’t changed it yet. If anything, I’ll probably make it even more grandiose. In the next couple of years, I’ll just make a chair that’s so ridiculous because everyone is so wrapped up in it.”
The Pocket Queen and her legendary chair in action.
“There are a lot of things that are outside of my intentions that have happened here that I really put to God. I really credit him with a lot of different things that have happened successfully in my career—but the intentional thing that I did do was make sure that I was paying attention to my audience!”
The Pocket Queen on the collaborative process
Whether it’s her work with WILLOW or featured artists for her own releases, The Pocket Queen’s emphasis on building authentic relationships unmistakably carries over to her collaborations with other musicians—she shares the stories behind a few of many highlights below.
WILLOW and “false self”
“WILLOW is definitely someone who’s special to me, because I’ve been a big fan of her artistry for a very good minute,” The Pocket Queen tells us. “I’ve been watching her from afar. I took it upon myself to take initiative to try to be involved with her and her story by reaching out to her producer, Chris Greatti. The main thing that I told him was to let me know how I could be of service.”
“About six months later, he set up a session where I was just playing different drum loops and things for inspiration. And then maybe six or seven months after that, he sent me a song called ‘false self’ that had Willow Smith on it. That’s pretty much how that went, and it was really cool because I was able to see an intention that came to reality. I’m super excited to even just be a part of her band, and to be playing with her. It’s probably the funnest gig I’ve had in my entire career.”
Duckwrth and “Good Vibes”
“Duckwrth is appearing on my new EP, and he’s one of my favorite artists right now,” The Pocket Queen shares. “He’s so innovative and different, and that’s what I love most about him. He was gracious enough to appear on my recent single, ‘Good Vibes,’ and we’ve been going back and forth and collaborating either in-person or virtually on his music as well. I think it’s just really beautiful that I feel like I’m becoming a part of a great artist community, where it just seems like we’re all working together and helping each other’s visions come to life.”
Incorporate The Pocket Queen’s sounds into your own productions
If you’re eager to incorporate The Pocket Queen’s sounds into your own productions, they’re more accessible than ever with her new sample pack, which specifically focuses on the infectious sounds of disco.
“I personally find disco to be one of the most universal genres that exists in music, mainly because it sticks to the format of four-on-the-floor,” she says. “It’s a rhythmic format that exists in various different walks of life and cultures. It’s very easy to understand, and therefore it’s easy to connect and unify us with a four-on-the-floor beat. I think that’s probably one of my favorite things about it—it’s not trying to do too much, besides make you groove and bring people together. In fact, just bringing people together on the dancefloor was a heavy focus of the disco movement at large. You saw all types of people, and it didn’t really matter.”
“It’s a beautiful thing that this pack speaks to disco, because ‘Good Vibes’ is also a reflection of that era of music. I wrote this particular song in 2020, because I just felt like the world was in such a somber mood and needed a pick-me-up. During this time, I was also reflecting on my love for Quincy Jones, live instrumentation, and key modulations. The pack plays a very big part in some of the inspiration for my upcoming EP.”
Last but not least, if you’re looking to draw more inspiration from The Pocket Queen as a drummer, be sure to also check out her new signature drum sticks. “My sticks should be at your local Guitar Center or any other music stores that you can think of,” she shares. “It would mean a lot to me if people requested them. My new year’s resolution is to try to learn how to be more vulnerable and plug my things, even if I feel awkward doing it. So, please support my upcoming EP and the singles, go purchase your girl’s sticks, and also get the sample pack—I hope you enjoy it, and let me know what you think about it.“
Dive into The Pocket Queen’s expertly-crafted drums, melodic loops, and more:
March 7, 2025
