Sarah Tudzin | |
|---|---|
 Tudzin at SXSW in 2019. | |
| Born | May 11, 1993 [1] |
| Alma mater | Berklee College of Music [2] |
| Occupations | |
Sarah Tudzin is an American record producer, audio engineer, and musician. She is also the founder and leader singer of the band Illuminati Hotties. Tudzin releases music on her own imprint label, Snack Shack Tracks, in partnership with Hopeless Records.
Tudzin has produced and engineered records for Boygenius, Weyes Blood, Slowdive, and Logic.
Sarah Tudzin grew up in Woodland Hills, California. As a teen she played drums in school orchestra and jazz ensembles, as well as participated in various bands. [3]
In 2011, she left Southern California for Boston to study at Berklee College of Music, initially focusing on drums. But she quickly grew bored of solo practice and instead switched to the school’s music production and engineering program. She graduated from Berklee in 2014 with a B.M. in production/engineering. [4]
Tudzin returned to Los Angeles after graduating, where she started working as a studio runner at a major recording studio. She soon began reaching out to producer contacts, eventually landing a job with indie-rock producer Chris Coady. She spent over three years as his engineer on records for artists such as Amen Dunes, Porches, and Slowdive.
These experiences, her developed a strong technical foundation in the areas of recording, mixing, drum programming, and production. [5]
In 2017, Tudzin formed her own musical project, Illuminati Hotties , hoping to showcase her broader production and songwriting capacities. [6] [7] The following year, Illuminati Hotties released their debut full-length album, Kiss Yr Frenemies , on Tiny Engines. The album was largely self-produced by Tudzin, recorded in the studio where she had worked as an assistant. [2] [8]
In 2020, after tensions with Tiny Engines, Tudzin worked to regain control over her music. [9] She released a mixtape called Free I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For to fulfill her contract obligations, while paving the way for independent work. [10] [7]
In 2021, she launched her own imprint label, Snack Shack Tracks, through a partnership with Hopeless Records. Under this imprint, she released the third album from Illuminati Hotties, Let Me Do One More on October 1, 2021. [6] Let Me Do One More received wide acclaim with Tudzin saying that working as a producer and engineer gave her the confidence to fully realize her own creative vision. [11] [12]
While continuing her work with Illuminati Hotties, Tudzin built a growing resume as a producer and engineer for other artists. She worked on projects by Weyes Blood, Pom Pom Squad, Speedy Ortiz, The Armed, and more. The high point came in 2023, when she contributed engineering and production work to boygenius ’ breakout album The Record . That album became a major hit, elevating her profile significantly with multiple Grammy nominations and a win for Best Alternative Music Album. [5] [13]
In 2023, she contributed vocals to “Igyah Kah,” a song for the Star Wars: Ahsoka TV series soundtrack. [14] [15]
On June 5, 2024, she announced a new Illuminati Hotties album called Power , released on August 23 via Hopeless Records. [16] [17]
| Title | Year | Artist(s) | Album | Credits | Written by | Produced with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All songs | 2015 | !!! | As If | Assistant Engineer [18] | Mario Andreoni, Raphael Cohen, Nic Offer, Paul Quattrone, Daniel Gorman, Allan Wilson, Phil Boyd [19] | Jim Eno, Patrick Ford |
| All songs | 2016 | Hamilton: An American Musical | Original Cast Recording | Audio engineer [18] | Arthur Sullivan, Christopher Martin, Clifton "Jiggs" Chase, Diddy, DJ Premier, DMX, Duke Bootee, Easy Mo Bee, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Havoc, James Mtume, Jason Robert Brown, Khary Kimani Turner, Lin-Manuel Miranda, The Notorious B.I.G., Oscar Hammerstein II, Poke, Prodigy, Richard Rodgers, Roger Troutman, Swizz Beatz, Sylvia Robinson, W.S. Gilbert | Alex Lacamoire, Bill Sherman, Black Thought, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Questlove |
| All songs | Porches | Pool | Engineer [20] | Aaron Maine, Peter Maine | Aaron Maine | |
| All songs | Springtime Carnivore | Midnight Room | Engineer [21] | Tommy English, Greta Morgan | Chris Coady | |
| All songs | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis | This Unruly Mess I’ve Made | Assistant engineer [18] | Anderson .Paak, Andrew Joslyn, Bob Stone, Budo, Buster Harding, Cab Calloway, Cardiak, Carla Morrison, Chance the Rapper, CritaCal, Darian Asplund, DJ Premier, Ed Sheeran, Elan Wright, Eric Nally, Evan Flory-Barnes, Hollis, IDRIS, Jack Palmer, Jake One, Jamila Woods, Josh Dobson, Josh Rawlings, Joshua Rawlings, KRS-One, Leon Bridges, Macklemore, Mike Slap, Owuor Arunga, Ryan Bedard, Ryan Lewis, Stu Phillips, Tim Haggerty, Tommy Swish, Xperience & YG [22] | Budo, Cardiak, CritaCal, Hollis, Jake One, Jamila Woods, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Tommy Swish & Xperience | |
| All songs | 2017 | Together Pangea | Bulls and Roosters | Mix assistant | Danny Bengston & William Keegan [23] | Andrew Schubert |
| All songs | Black Lips | Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? | Mix assistant | Cole Alexander, Jared Swilley, Oakley Munson, Zumi Rosow, Jeff Clarke | Sean Lennon, Oakley Munson, Saul Adamczewski [24] | |
| All songs | Logic | Everybody | Assistant Engineer [25] | Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Sam Barsh, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Bobby Campbell, Alessia Caracciolo, Jermaine Cole, Charles Dumazer, Damian Lemar Hudson, Arjun Ivatury, Nima Jahanbin, Paimon Jahanbin, Quincy Jones, Kevin McKenzie, Shawn McKenzie, Paul Mitchell, Dominik Patrzek, Michael Render, Leon Ressalam, Carlton Ridenhour, Khalid Robinson, Daniel Seeff, William Smith, Michi Tanaka, Shuntaro Tanikawa, Thomas Lea, Chris Thornton, Diondria Thornton, Tariq Trotter, Ernest Wilson | 6ix, Bobby Campbell, C-Sick, Deats, DJ Khalil, Logic, No I.D., PSTMN, Vontae Thomas, Wallis Lane | |
| All songs | Slowdive | Slowdive | Mixing Assistant [26] | Neil Halstead, Christian Savill, Nick Chaplin, Rachel Goswell, Simon Scott | Neil Halstead | |
| All songs | 2018 | Mass Gothic | I've Tortured You Long Enough | Mixing Assistant [27] | Noel Heroux, Jessica Zambri | Josh Ascalon |
| All songs | illuminati hotties | Kiss Yr Frenemies | Producer, Engineer, Composer | Sarah Tudzin, Tim Kmet, Sapphire Jewell, Zach Bilson [28] | Collin Pastore | |
| All songs | Porches | The House | Engineer [29] | Aaron Maine, Peter Maine | Aaron Maine | |
| All songs | Amen Dunes | Freedom | Additional recording [30] | Damon McMahon [31] | Chris Coady | |
| All songs | 2019 | Weyes Blood | Titanic Rising | Additional engineer [32] | Natalie Mering | Jonathan Rado, Natalie Mering |
| "Titanic" | Dolly Valentine | Non-album single | Producer and Engineer [33] | Dolly Valentine | — | |
| All songs | 2020 | Cheerleader | Almost Forever | Assistant Engineer [34] | Chris Duran, Joe Haller, Josh Pannepacker | Chris Coady |
| All songs | Tim Heidecker | Fear of Death | Engineer [35] | Tim Heidecker, Natalie Mering | Drew Erickson, Tim Heidecker, Natalie Mering, Jonathan Rado | |
| "MMMOOOAAAAAYAYA" | 2021 | illuminati hotties | Let Me Do One More | Producer, Engineer, Composer | — | — |
| "Pool Hopping" | ||||||
| All songs | Pom Pom Squad | Death of a Cheerleader | Producer, Mixer, Engineer [36] | Mia Berrin | Mia Berrin | |
| "Valkyrie" | Lou Roy | Non-album single | Producer and Engineer [37] | Lou Roy | Lou Roy | |
| "Aliens" | Guppy | Non-album single | Producer, Mixer, Engineer [38] | Guppy | — | |
| "$20" | 2023 | Boygenius | The Record | Producer [39] | Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus | boygenius, Catherine Marks, Ethan Gruska, Melina Duterte, Tony Berg |
| "Emily I'm Sorry" | ||||||
| "True Blue" | ||||||
| All songs | 2025 | Julien Baker & Torres | Send a Prayer My Way | Engineer, Additional production [40] | Julien Baker, Mackenzie Scott | Julien Baker, Mackenzie Scott |
| Year | Association | Nominated Work | Category | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Grammy Awards | The Record | Album of the Year | Nominated | [13] |
| Best Alternative Music Album | Won | ||||
| Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical | Nominated | ||||
| Not Strong Enough | Record of the Year | Nominated | |||
| iHeartRadio Music Awards | The Record | Alternative Album of the Year | Won | [41] |
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