MM Exclusive: In Conversation with Monro

In an exclusive sit down ahead of his project dropping in a few days, Monro frames this moment plainly: he’s stepping into his own voice. A Grammy and Juno-nominated songwriter and producer, he’s long been celebrated for elevating others, writing and producing for Jhené Aiko, Rico Nasty, V (of BTS), NewJeans, Adekunle Gold, Masego, Nines and more, shaping platinum records and global hits along the way.

Now comes ‘These Things Take Time’, a project he entirely wrote, produced, and performed. “These Things Take Time is the beginning of me stepping out from the shadows of helping other artists tell their stories, into telling my own. For years I’ve produced and written for others, but finding my own voice – what I want to say, how I want to sound – has taken time. That’s why this project carries that title.”

These Things Take Time feels like you reclaiming your voice. Was there a specific moment when you knew it was time to step out from behind the boards and put your name on the music?

There wasn’t one specific moment, it was more of a slow realisation. I’d been in rooms for years working on other artists’ music and one day I caught myself wondering what mine would sound like if I stripped everything away. It started as curiosity, but over time became more of a necessity for me. I made three different projects that I never released before These Things Take Time. I had to do the work privately before I felt ready to present myself publicly as an artist.

You’ve said patience is central to this project. What’s one lesson that took longest to learn before you could make this EP?

The biggest lesson has been learning to trust my own intuition, zoning in on my voice and quieting the doubt that creeps in. When I work with other artists, it’s easy to see what sound fits them. But with myself, I had to strip away my identity as a producer and rediscover who I was as an artist.

The record moves between heartbreak, family weight, and flashes of euphoria. How did you balance telling personal stories with still making music built for the dance floor?

It honestly wasn’t something I overthought. I knew I wanted the production to sit in a more rhythmic space, that part was intentional. But the stories and melodies just came out. If I start analysing that side too much, it kills the feeling. Producing and songwriting come from two completely different parts of my brain.

You’ve worked with Jhené Aiko, Rico Nasty, and V of BTS. How much of their worlds do you hear echoing back in your own EP?

I hear them all echoing back in some way. Every artist I’ve worked with has taught me something different, but the common thread is how unapologetically themselves they are. That’s what makes them great. I try to remind myself of that every time I write, that my uniqueness is the point.

‘Ever Since You Said I’m Leaving; hits hard emotionally, while ‘Loose’ feels lighter and free. Are these snapshots of different versions of you, or one continuous thread?

It’s all a continuous thread. Ever Since You Said I’m leaving is a crash out moment that comes from losing someone close to you, it’s an open wound and an unfiltered moment of desperation. Loose is the next stage of dealing with that loss, the escapism stage. Loose is a yearning for a night where you forget about everything and let someone else take the wheel for a minute.

You described this project as coming home to yourself. What part of that home, musically or personally, still feels unfinished?

I’m still learning how to be vulnerable in public. Making this project was the first time I put my actual voice on record not just metaphorically, but literally. That was new territory for me. There’s still so much I want to explore vocally, visually and sonically. These Things Take Time is the foundation but the home is still being built. The new music I’m working on feels even more honest, I’m constantly pushing myself to be better.

Genre boundaries don’t seem to cage your sound. Was that fluidity a conscious choice, or just the natural result of moving between London, LA, and your wider influences?

I think it’s just the result of creating on my own and having the freedom to make whatever I want. I grew up listening to so many different styles of music and being around a lot different cultures. It really exposed me to a lot of different worlds – all of them which I loved and was inspired by. So when it came to not have a box to create in and letting go I could feel all my influences coming out. I’m chasing emotion and texture more than genre. The blend just reflects how I have lived and continue to live.

As a teenager you pivoted into filmmaking and captured early footage of Kendrick Lamar and A$AP Rocky. Does that visual storytelling shape how you build songs now?

Completely. I’ve always seen music as a visual experience. Back then I was obsessed with framing, colour, and how an image could hold emotion, that transferred into how I produce. Every song starts like a scene in my head. I want people to see the music as much as hear it.

People know the résumé: nominations, plaques, global collaborations. What do you hope listeners notice when they strip all that away and just sit with These Things Take Time?

That it’s human. You can have all the accolades in the world, but if the music doesn’t make someone feel something, it’s empty. I hope people hear the imperfections, the honesty, the relatability. I wasn’t trying to impress anyone, I was trying to tell the truth. Making music for big artists can get you caught up in the accolades but this music for myself has felt like a more honest process, It reminds of the feeling I had when I first started making music, at the moment it’s not about how well it does it’s about how much I can impress myself with making music I really love.

The title suggests this is a beginning. Will you lean deeper into the producer and artist duality, or is this your first step into being unapologetically just Monro?

I’ll always be both. Producing will always be part of my DNA and I love helping artists tell their stories. Right now I’m balancing my time between working on my own music and working on music for others and I’m loving the jump between different worlds. These Things Take Time is the first chapter, a foundation. I don’t feel the need to choose between being behind the music and in front of the mic anymore. Monro is both and this project is exactly that statement.