Songs You Know with Toby Gad

The Producer Duo Behind Every Song Ever Made | Stargate #020

Songs You Know with Toby Gad

Show Notes

Mikkel Erikson is one half of the legendary production duo, Stargate. The duo are behind hits like Rihanna’s 'Only Girl in the World', Katy Perry's 'Firework' and Ne-Yo’s 'So Sick', as well as producing tracks for Beyoncé, Wiz Khalifa and Coldplay.

From Mikkel’s journey growing up on the quiet coast in Norway to relocating to New York in the early 2000s, Mikkel shares Stargate's creative process and how they shaped anthems like Wiz Khalifa's 'Black and Yellow'', Beyoncé's ‘Irreplaceable’ and Rihanna's 'Diamonds'. Mikkel also dives deep into Stargate's pursuit of excellence, their early influences from jazz and electronic music and how he met his collaborative partner Tor Erik Hermansen.

On Patreon this week, a fan calls in via the Patreon and exclusively asks Toby and Stargate questions! Join the community here: https://www.patreon.com/SongsYouKnowPodcast

Listen on:

Apple podcast - https://apple.co/3UX4VnF Spotify - https://spoti.fi/40Uul9g

Subscribe to our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SongsYouKnowPodcast

Stargate links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stargate/?hl=en Spotify: https://bit.ly/42rOnax

FOLLOW ►

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songsyouknowpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@songsyouknowpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

More from Songs You Know with Toby Gad

Oct 20, 2026

Today, we have Elijah Blake on the pod! Elijah is a 2x Grammy-award winner who started writing songs as a teen. His hits include his song "I Just Wanna" with Dej Loaf, "Climax" by Usher, and "No Love Allowed" by Rihanna. In this episode, we talk about his upbringing in Haiti and the tough transition to the United States, his journey from being a songwriter to being in the spotlight as an artist, and the differences between being on a major label and being independent.

Oct 7, 2026

Today we're talking with Walter A! Born in Brazil and moved to the states when he was 5, Walter A is a legendary hitmaker with iconic songs such as "My Heart Will Go On" and "All I Want For Christmas" under his belt. We talk to him about his methods as a producer to get the best vocal performances, his extreme stage fright and his feud with Mariah Carey.

Sep 22, 2026

Today we're talking with legendary hitmaker David Foster ! His iconic discography includes "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, "The Prayer" by Celine Dion , and "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth Wind and Fire . David's songs are known for their beautiful lyrics, key changes, and breathtaking moments so it's no wonder he's won 16 Grammys! If you've ever wanted to know the stories behind the world's BIGGEST songs and tips on how to breakthrough as a songwriter, this is the podcast for you!

Sep 8, 2026

Today we are talking with Scott Hoying! Scott is most known for his successful a capella group, Pentatonix, who were the winners of the reality show "The Sing Off" and have since won 3 Grammys. In this episode, we talk about what it was like growing up as a queer kid in Texas, finding his bandmate Kevin Osula on Youtube during Kevin's pre-med finals, and the surprise, 99-person flashmob by his husband's family at his wedding. We had so much fun talking and singing together, so we hope you enjoy this episode too!

Aug 18, 2026

This week we have Oak Felder on the podcast! Oak is a Grammy-award winning, multi-platinum record producer and songwriter. He is the man behind Demi Lovato's hit "Sorry Not Sorry," Alessia Cara's "Here," and Sabrina Carpenter's "Sue Me." In this episode, we dig into the actual recording sessions of Oak's biggest songs. You'll get to hear all the gang vocals, all the harmonies, and all the secrets. Oak Felder makes predictions as to how AI will influence musicians, songwriters, producers and the music industry as a whole. He gives his best advice to those wanting to make music into a career and he talks about the differences between producing songs for hip hop and RnB vs producing songs for pop music.

See all episodes →