When it comes to the world of art and music, turning one’s creativity into a profitable career is no easy task. There’s a reason that so many talented artists and musicians throughout history have toiled away working odd jobs only for their work to be discovered posthumously. The business side of becoming a successful artist is imperative for someone to actually make a living from their work, but for most of the world’s wildly creative people, business and art just don’t line up.

Thankfully for those in the music industry however, there are people like Music Producer/A& R Specialist Duarte Geraldes Figueira, founder of the imprint agency, DGF Agency, and co-founder of one of Portugal’s leading booking agency, Bridgetown Talent Agency. Hailing from Lisbon, Portugal, ‘Duda,’ as he is known widely throughout the music industry, began his career coordinating projects for some of Portugal’s most recognizable musical acts back in his teens. After starting the incredibly popular sound system Fyah Box Sound back in 2007, Duda began coordinating the careers of Richie Campbell, Lhast, Regula and many other well-known artists.  

“I think the fact that I did everything available in the work field allowed me to learn from all perspectives. With Fyah Box Sound I was in charge of being the creative input for the new campaigns, marketing director, booking agent, MC, promoter, event producer, and all other business aspects of it,” explains Duda.

As a music producer/A&R specialist, Duda handles everything from planning the image of the artist and their musical approach, to organizing their events, releases, PR and much more. What makes him such a uniquely talented individual that artists around the world want to work with is the versatile nature of his skill and his ability to organize their careers in a way that actually brings a profit.

In 2012 he began coordinating the career of famed Portuguese rapper Regula. The two started working together just before Regula’s hit album “Gancho” was about to be released. Duda invited him to come on board and release some of his tracks through Fyah Box Sound and that’s what really got the word out about the artist’s upcoming album.

Duda recalls, “After doing a collaboration with Fyah Box for the song ‘Casanova feat. Leftside,’ and releasing the single ‘Berco D’Ouro,’ people were just expecting the new album like nothing else we have ever seen before. The streets were hot for it.”

Knowing that he had a winner on his hands, Duda went to the biggest CD retailer in Portugal and convinced them to put “Gancho” on the shelves. Not only did the album sell out within hours of making it into the store, but it sold more copies than those of Rihanna, Beyonce and Tony Carreira had sold in a week! Next Duda went to work paving the way for Regula to reach a wider audience by coordinating several shows across Portugal. He got Regula on the bill of some of Portugal’s biggest concerts, including a 2014 show at Semana Academica de Lisboa, Campo Pequeno with Valete in 2012, headlining for a hip hop festival at Coliseu de Lisboa in 2013, as well as the Sudoeste Festival in 2014.

“Working with Duda is, and has been, a constant learning process. The success that I have obtained during these times, is due to the teamwork that we built, where Duda is an essential element because of the commitment that he assumes,” explains Regula. “His innovative spirit and vision that he transmits, his effort and dedication that are characteristic of him, and the responsibility that we both took to the process.”

In 2010 Duda began working as the A&R specialist for multi-award winning artist Richie Campbell. The two have continued to work together ever since, and the collaboration has been beyond fruitful for both of them. As Campbell’s A&R specialist, Duda has handled the A&R side of practically every album Campbell has released as a solo artist.

Duda says, “My journey with Richie towards the beginning of his career as a solo artist. I was part of every aspect of his career. From the music, to the brand, to the shows, to the personal life… me and Richie are friends and work partners. I’ve worked with him as A&R, as driver, as fashion advisor, as event producer, PR, marketing planner, counselor, and anything else you can imagine. It has been such a long journey that I can’t even remember all the stories.”

Over the years Duda has played a major role in the release and success of several of Richie Campbell’s albums, such as “My Path” (2010), “Focused” (2012), “Live at Campo Pequeno” (2014), “In The 876” (2015) and the EP “Richie Campbell” (2010).

Aside from coordinating a plethora of major international events for Campbell, Duda was also the A&R man behind the artist’s hit 2016 single “Do You No Wrong.” The song topped the charts earning a Gold and Platinum Award on the Portuguese sales charts and was a major viral success garnering more than 10 million views on YouTube. Earlier this year Campbell released the single “Heaven,” yet another hit production led by Duda. The song was an immediate success and garnered more than two million views on YouTube in a little over a month after its release.

“I love being around the creation. I feel like we are always leaving a legacy, anytime that we develop something. It’s a joy to see the results of our work connecting so deeply with people. The creation and the way we put it out is a beautiful experience as a human being,” explains Duda.

“A moment that made it really clear for me was during a Richie Campbell performance watching every fan going crazy over the song ‘Piece of Bread.’ We went to Berlin to record a couple of songs for his album Focused, and that was one of them. I remember the amazing days that we had and the recording process in detail. I remember how important it was for the vibe to be right. Those conversations, those laughs, those moments, everything that happened is why I work as a music producer/A& R specialist.”

While his work involves coordinating for highly-acclaimed artists, those are not the only professionals he represents. Through his meticulous planning, ingenious sense of how to form powerful artistic collaborations and ability to manage a team, Duda has been hugely influential in the career of Portuguese music producer Lhast. Over the years Duda has connected Lhast with a long list of artists and coordinated collaborations that have been invaluable for both Lhast as a producer, and the artists, whose songs have gone on to become major hits.

Some of the hit song collaborations that Duda has coordinated for producer Lhast include Diogo Picarra’s “Historia,” which has over five million views on YouTube, Regula’s “Tarzan,” Profjam’s “Xama,” Plutonio’s “Nao Vales Nada,” and Valas’ hit songs “As Coisas,” “Alma Velha” and “Acordar Assim.” Duda is also the one who connected Lhast as the producer of Richie Campbell’s award-winning hit “Do You Know Wrong.”

“I’ve worked with Duda for a long time on a bunch of different successful projects, since the beginning he has always pushed me to deliver the best and stay focused,” explains Lhast. “I think he strives in this industry because of his great understanding of both the artistic and business side. He always finds a strategy that fits the artist concept and always executes it with ease.”

After making a name for himself in Europe, Duda moved to the United States where he has continued to lead the way as a music producer/A& R specialist for many well-known artists. As an A&R specialist at Rebeleon Entertainment, he is currently working on the upcoming releases for artists that include La Santa Cecilia, Gloria Trevi, Mon Laferte, Latin Grammy Award winner Alejandra Guzman, Enjambre, Mitre and several others.

“Being around the creation, and then seeing it come to life, and then watching people singing out loud the words and harmonies that you saw being created is what brings me joy to be a project coordinator,” says Duda. “The passion for being behind the scenes and seeing everything happen out of nothing is what lights my career.”

A decade after his career first began, Duda has come fully into his own as one of the most sought after music producer/A&R specialists on an international scale. When it comes to overseeing an artist’s career and taking them to the top, Duda has proven himself to be a driving force behind the success of some of the music industry’s best-known talents. With his keen sense of business, timing, meticulous planning and knowledge of what audiences are looking for, Duda’s role is a rare gift that allows the artists he works with to stay focused on their creativity, while he manages everything else.