Appu Krishnan (Born December 22, 1981), known professionally as "The Professor", is a music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. He started his professional career in the US as an instructor at the prestigious "Musicians Institute" in Hollywood teaching programming, mixing and synthesizers. Rapidly he moved on to working with Sony/RCA label as a producer and songwriter. He has worked with artists such as Christina Aguilera, Jordin Sparks and The Jacksons; collaborated with producers such as Shea Taylor, Brandon Friesen and Emile Ghantous.
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Biography
Originally from Kerala, India "The Professor" started his love for music since a very young age. He started playing Keyboards in his native Kochi for local school and college bands. In his teens Appu was part of Rajagiri High School, Sacred Heart College and Cochin University bands winning several inter university competitions and eventually becoming a session musician and programmer. In college he studied Physics and later graduated from the Cochin University of Science and Technology with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering.
Showing huge appreciation for synths and music technology, Appu moved to the United States and enrolled in the Audio Engineering program at Musicians Institute, followed by the Keyboard Technology program and eventually ending his studies at Bachelor's in Keyboard performance..
Career
The Professor has a broad experience with different types of music. Starting with organic Independent rock music all the way to Pop and EDM.
Early works
During 2009-2010 Appu worked as Engineer with the Italian composer Valente Bertelli and Aaron Embry on Valente's album Music for Rooftops. In 2011 he work with the Colombian singer Laura Torres AKA "Laura y la Máquina de escribir" on her debut album laberinto. The album consisted of Spanish and English songs with rock, indie influences combined with creative visuals and soundscapes. Appu produced and mixed the entire album. The single Laberinto "Laberinto" won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. In his student years at Musicians Institute, Appu also did set ups and sound design for the Brazilian keyboard player Renato Neto for his concerts with Prince.
Pop Production and Recent Projects
In 2012 Appu worked alongside Tracklacers and songwriters Jamie Hartman and Phil Bentley on the Christina Aguilera's Album "Lotus". He was in charge of writing and arranging synth stings and piano for that album's song "Army of Me". In 2013, Appu was a composer on the "The Best Man Holiday - Original Soundtrack" album. for the Universal Pictures movie The Best Man Holiday In 2014 he co wrote and co produced Greek artist Eleni Foureira's single "Party Sleep Repeat" along with Vassy, Phil Bentley and Blackjack music. In 2014 he worked for the major music production software company East West creating "Intruder". Which is a demo that showcases the full potential of their newest piece of gear "PRO Drummer". In 2015, the Grammy nominated artist Lisa Harriton, Joshua Bartholomew and The Professor, joined forces to create Elle Rae's "Lovestruck".
Other Works
Appu has collaborated with producer Brandon Friesen on various projects including Billy Ray Cyrus, Laura Bell Bundy and Friesen's Arbor TV artists. He has engineered for The Jacksons alongside producer Emile Ghantous. Other collaborations include RCA artist Treasure Davis and Canadian singer Aleesia Stamkos.
Academic work
Appu Krishnan gives yearly lectures at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Synthesis and sampling. He teaches Music Production and Synthesis at Musicians Institute, Hollywood.