North West is sharing more details about her growing interest in music production, revealing how she approaches making beats and naming her favorite song from her father Ye’s 2007 album Graduation. The 13-year-old discussed her creative process during a recent interview with Emwell for the Well Well Well series, released on October 30.
North, the eldest daughter of Ye and Kim Kardashian, explained that her production process often begins with listening to music and deciding what kind of sound she wants to create. She said she usually develops an idea for the beat before moving on to other elements of a song.
“Usually, I listen to a lot of music first, and I feel like what type of song I want to do, like what type of beat first,” North said. She added that sampling is often an easier starting point than building a track entirely from scratch.
The young artist also revealed that she currently uses Ableton for music production. She previously worked with an ASR, a sampling workstation, but said she has now shifted her creative process to the digital audio workstation.
North’s comments follow her recent involvement in music sessions with Ye in Japan. She recalled spending time in the studio with her father while working on her own material, describing the experience as a form of musical training. Ye encouraged her to practice rapping without instrumental accompaniment, which she said was challenging but helped her improve.
During the interview, North also discussed her favorite song from Graduation, choosing “Homecoming,” the track featuring Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The song, which appeared on Ye’s third studio album, was released in 2007 and became one of the project’s most recognizable tracks.
North previously dressed as the Graduation-era bear mascot for Halloween in 2023, a costume inspired by the album’s artwork. She said she was listening to the record when she came up with the idea for the outfit. When asked about her favorite track, she named “Homecoming” and sang part of its chorus.
The conversation also included North’s reflections on her developing music career and the projects she has been working on. She confirmed that her earlier project Elementary School Dropout would not be released, explaining that she wanted to develop a different sound and continue making music.
North said the project eventually evolved into Grammar School Dropout, as she began producing more of her own material. She also revealed that she has two additional unreleased albums in development.
Ye’s Graduation was released on September 11, 2007, and featured songs including “Stronger,” “Good Life,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and “Homecoming.” The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and became a defining release in the rapper’s career, with its electronic-influenced production helping shape the sound of mainstream hip-hop in the late 2000s.
