Life & Work with Kenneth Lovell of Chamblee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenneth Lovell.

Hi Kenneth, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi, thanks for asking. I’m Kenneth Lovell, I’m a producer, composer and sound designer from Atlanta, GA. Some of my first memories involve music and sound. As a kid growing up in Clarke County Alabama, we had one of those cassette tape recorders, and we would record ourselves talking, and experiment with what kinds of things we could record. I remember when my family decide to move to Mobile, AL ( the big city,) my younger brother Andrew Lovell, and I recorded a cassette tape of us telling the new people that this had been “a great house for us, and we had a great time growing up here, and you had better be nice to this house!” We taped the cassette to the thermostat in the living room before we left, and at that moment, I realized how you could communicate emotion through audio – that feeling has stuck with me ever since. I wish I could hear that cassette now!
I grew up wanting to play music, I don’t really have an explanation as to “why” that was. My mom was a music teacher, but when I was born, she stopped teaching. We did have a piano in the house though – an old Wurlitzer. I loved that thing, and I would sit and play all the time. I couldn’t read music( still can’t) , but I loved the sound of it. I loved the harmony of it, and I loved the dissonance of it. I loved it all. Eventually, I convinced my parents to give me piano lessons. I took piano for a few years in middle school, but we changed teachers a lot, and I never could get into a consistent schedule for lessons. I changed teachers a lot, and every time I would start with a new teacher, I had to start over with the beginner book. I really hated the beginner book, so instead of doing that, I began to ask the teacher about scales and chords. I have no idea why or how I knew to ask about scales or chords, but this was more interesting than playing the same few beginner songs over and over again. I asked my teachers how to make major / minor / 7th chords, etc. They were nice enough to show me a few things, and once I had that knowledge, I started writing my own songs. During this time, I also started Middle School Band, and was told that “you teeth look like you should be a trombone player” by my band director. This is of course absurd, but at the time my parents nor I had any idea that a person’s teeth have no bearing on which instrument he or she should play. So, in Middle School, I was playing piano and trombone. Once High School hit, my cousin got a guitar. I was fascinated by the instrument. I borrowed it from him one day, and never gave it back. I literally would play all day, and all night. I really didn’t know what to do, but I was able to figure some things out by ear, and then used my piano chord lessons to transfer that knowledge to guitar. Once I began playing guitar, my entire musical world changed. I started listening to everything. I loved rock, country, blues, jazz, reggae, punk, funk, you name it, if I could get an album, I would wear it out. After high school, I went to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL. There I played in many bands, and started studying jazz. although, at that time, the University of Alabama did not have any kind of guitar program ( can you believe that ?!?!), so I was forced to audit classes. The Jazz band directors literally hated me – for the right reasons, because I had no idea what I was doing. One of the The Jazz Band Directors there at the time, took me under his wing, and taught me a few things. The other one’s insults were legendary. I feel like I experienced the movie “Whiplash” every day for a coupe of years. It was a great experience, however. While I was there I got to play with Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis and other jazz greats. This jazz experience culminated in opening for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, and playing at the New Orleans Jazz Festival – good times! Even as I was studying and performing in a jazz quartet, I was also playing in a rock band, we called ourselves Mindseye. We felt that we needed a bigger city to call home, so we decided to move to Atlanta. We were playing with all kinds of fantastic rock / punk groups. Our biggest success was touring with the Bad Brains. We were able to play 4 or 5 shows with them, and it was an incredible experience. With all of that success, however, I realized that making it as a touring artist was a real grind. Slowly, but surely, I began to change my focus from live performance to studio recording. I did not go to recording school -or music school for that matter, however, I learned my recording techniques from working as an intern at various recording studios in Atlanta. Music is one of the loves of my life, the other one is the Japanese language. I feel that conversation is very closely related to improvisation in music, so all the while I was studying music, I was also studying Japanese. I met my now wife in Los Angeles, and we married, and I decided to move to Japan. We lived there for 5 years, and our first daughter was born there. It was a magical experience. I taught English, and we had our own English school for a few years. It was amazing, but after a while, I began to feel the music bug again. A good friend of mine was working at CNN, and he was in charge of their motion graphics. He had done some of the biggest shows, like Situation Room, Anderson Cooper 360, to name a few. He asked me if I had ever written music to picture before, and at that time, I didn’t even know that was a thing. He sent me the show opens, and I wrote some songs that I thought went with the picture. He liked them, and showed his boss. His boss like them, so on a return visit to the US, I went to CNN to meet everyone. I was totally knocked out that they all liked my music. They could not use it because of contractual agreements with another composer, but the mere fact that they liked what I did gave me confidence that once I come back to the US, this is what I’ll try to do for a living. Fast forward 20 years from that moment, and here I am with my own company www.bluegreensubmarine.com. We specialize in music /sound design and mixing for film and TV – specializing in Advertising. Recently, I’ve been able to work with many national agencies, such as Trade School, Chemistry, and VML and major brands like Home Depot, Mail Chimp, 5 Guys Burgers and Mitsubishi to name a few. I also was awarded a CLIO for my work as Visual Effects Producer for my work on Travis Scott’s (featuring Drake) Sicko Mode. I also worked with Katy Perry, on her hit single “Bon Apetit” – as sound designer, and contributed sound design to the Weeknd’s recent Super Bowl appearance. Right now, I divide my time between working as a producer and writer for various artists, and producing / recording / mixing / composing for our vibrant Advertising Community here in Atlanta. I’m also about to finish my Masters in Music Technology with a Game Audio focus. My studio is located in Chamblee, GA, where we have a world class, built from the ground up for audio location. It’s been a long ride from Clarke County, AL, to where I am now, but I wouldn’t have skipped a single back road or beat.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
When you decide you would like to go “somewhere,” the normal person, probably would choose a destination that is on a map. If you would like to be a doctor, well, you go to med school. If you want to be a lawyer, you go to law school. These are hard paths, but these are actual “paths” that are laid out for you. If you follow this path, you will become “__________” My path has been very different. I set out on a road of discovery. I knew that sound moved me. There is no real path for that. So, I set out on my journey without a map, or a defined path. The ups and downs of my path have defined me as an artist and a human being. Of course, there were many struggles, but most of the struggle is internal. Wrestling with self doubt and fear is a waste of time, but you will do it any way. The artist’s path, is not for the faint of heart. But, for me, it was the only path I could see.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
That question covers a lot of ground, but when asked about what I’m most proud of is that I was asked to create a course on studio.com about writing music for advertising. I was / will be completely knocked out that they would consider me worthy of such an honor. There I am along side incredible artists like : Charlie Puth, Ryan Tedder, H.E.R. and many others. It’s really a great honor, and I am forever grateful! The course is available here: https://studio.com/kennethlovell

Also, my work with artists such as Travis Scott, Drake, the Weeknd, Katy Perry, Jabriel and Anna Field. All of these people trusted me with an aspect of their creative expression. I am forever grateful for your trust.

What sets me apart from others is my deep knowledge of musical arranging and genres. I’ve never met an artist that I couldn’t write a song with or for.

As an experiment, I asked a bot the same question. I’m not mad at it :

Kenneth W. Lovell Jr. is a Atlanta-based producer, composer, and sound designer whose work blends cinematic texture with contemporary rhythm and soulful grit. Grounded in a deep understanding of musical arrangement and sonic storytelling, Kenneth crafts immersive soundscapes for film, TV, advertising, and independent music projects. His productions marry emotive melodies and modern production techniques, while his sound design elevates narrative and atmosphere through meticulous audio detail.

With a collaborative approach, Kenneth partners with directors, artists, and brands to translate creative vision into clear, compelling audio identities. Whether scoring an intimate scene, sculpting sound for branded content, or producing records that resonate, he brings technical precision, musicality, and a distinctly Atlanta-rooted sensibility to every project.

Available for scoring, production, sound design, and music supervision. Contact kenneth@bluegreensubmarine.com for inquiries, licensing, and collaborations.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
The definition of Luck is :

“success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one’s own actions.”

I think “Luck” is being available for what’s next. My entire career has been based upon following my nose. Now, when I say “following” my nose, the translation is “finding something interesting, learning everything I can about it, and then putting myself in a position to use what I’ve learned in a real world situation.” A trial by fire is chaotic and sometimes painful, but that’s the crucible of change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bluegreensubmarine.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenneth.love.ll/
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/kenneth-lovell-4747315
• Other: https://studio.com/kennethlovell

Image Credits
Kenji Kubota