Rafael Alves has always known music was his passion. Even when he was just a child, the beat of a song was more captivating to him than a fairy tale. At a young age, he began playing piano, knowing that he was destined to create music in his future. Now, that is exactly what he is doing. Known as Lhast in his home country of Portugal and around the world, he is one of his country’s most in demand music producers.

Throughout his esteemed career, Lhast has worked on several chart-topping songs. His work on Diogo Picarra’s hit song “Historia” received a gold record for its sales, and the song itself has over seven million views on YouTube alone. A similar pattern followed on the songs “Tarzan” by Regula and “As Coisas” by Valas, who was actually nominated for Best New Artist at the New Era Awards because of the success of the song. Many thanks Lhast’s producing skills on their success. The artist Dillaz, who worked with Lhast on the popular song “Arena” believes that the producer is one of a kind.

“Besides the great knowledge and technical ability Rafael has, working with him is a very freeing process, where creativity is encouraged to the max. I feel he brings out the best in me and encourages me to try some things that wouldn’t be a part of my normal process. Besides that, the communication is always very open and I feel we can address any issue very easily with no major complication,” said Dillaz. “I think he’s knowledgeable about the whole song making process, and has a sense of simplicity and open mindedness in the song making process that make him a few steps ahead of the rest. Also, he seems to find the compositions that fit not only me, but many artists. I think he can tune his vibe to the artist he’s working with, and that makes him very versatile.”

Despite all of the aforementioned success, the highlight of Lhast’s formidable career was working on the song “Do You No Wrong” by Richie Campbell. Initially, he just wanted to work on the song as an opportunity to work with Richie Campbell, but he did not expect the vast success that would come from the collaboration.

Since its release on May 4 of last year, “Do You No Wrong” received a Platinum Record Award for over 15,000. It was nominated for a Portuguese Golden Globe and was performed at the award ceremony earlier this year. It still plays on the radio frequently in Portugal, and Lhast never gets tired of hearing it.

“I felt great the first time I heard it on the radio. It was amazing to hear it there. I’ve had songs play there before but this one played was different. It felt really good that a lot of people were enjoying hearing my music,” said Lhast.

The song was an idea of Lhast, who had already created the instrumental for the track with Campbell in mind. The two have known each other for many years but had never collaborated. Lhast is known for his work in hip hop and R&B, whereas Campbell is more of a reggae singer. Initially, working together with such different styles never occurred to them. However, when Lhast created the music for what he wanted to be a love song, he thought of Campbell. Campbell immediately became captivated by Lhast’s work, and wrote all of the lyrics in a short time. Once this was done, the two started to work together on the arrangement and technical aspects, wanting to make the best possible track. They even discussed how the song would be released and how they would make the video.

After finally having the opportunity to work with his friends after many years, everyone made the most of it. The success of the song was just the cherry on top to a great experience for Lhast. They were all able to work together seamlessly. The understood each other’s experience and valued their input. Working on the song was a relaxing project and a good time. Overall, for the music producer, the song meant a lot more than just a simple project. It changed all of their lives, especially his.

“This song was really an amazing moment. Everyone seems to love the song; kids love it, my mother loves it, all my family enjoyed the song and that was a really good moment for me. I have always done music that people in my age group related to, but to have a song touch so many people in different spectrum was really just amazing,” he said.

Needless to say, without Lhast’s producing talents “Do You No Wrong” could never have achieved what it did. The track was his idea, with his instrumental being the basic concept. Without him, there would be no song at all.

Now, the producer is working on many more tracks that will appeal to all ages. Listeners not just in Portugal have the opportunity to listen to his sound, and it is highly encouraged. He is truly one of the best, and any looking to follow in his footsteps should know that it is not only talent, but hard work that makes him extraordinary.

“You have to enjoy the process. Work every day, and have people around you that are in the same mindset, and if possible, in the same area. Understand everything takes time, but you should learn to cherish the small victories, they will keep you going. I think a lot of producers feel they need to work towards a big break, but I think you’re always working for small breaks and that’s what keeps you moving. Once you get to that one ‘big break’ it won’t look so big because you know the work you have put to it, so it’s just another reward for your consistency,” he concluded.