Johan Hugo

Johan Hugo is a double Ivor Novello award nominated songwriter and highly respected producer. He is also somewhat of a global creative, with studios in Sweden, Margate and Malawi.

Known for his avant-garde approach to pop music, Johan’s diverse sound has transcended boundaries, effortlessly merging genres and styles. He predominantly collaborates with artists on complete album projects, co-writing and producing each track from inception to completion. A highlight in his portfolio is his work with Self Esteem. He produced, co-wrote and mixed the Mercury Prize nominated ‘Prioritise Pleasure’ which came out in 2021 to universal critical acclaim. This was followed by co-writing and producing the stunning LP ‘ A Complicated Woman’, released in 2025 and saw the songwriting garner recognition later that year when Self Esteem and Johan were recognised by the Ivors Academy with the Visionary Award. Then the following year Johan was nominated for 2 Ivor Novello Awards with songs from this LP for ‘best song musically and lyrically’ and ‘best contemporary song’.

Johan’s musical journey boasts collaborations with an impressive array of artists, from pop and rock icons like Mumford & Sons, Miguel, Bruno Mars, and Vampire Weekend, to African music legends Baaba Mall and MOBO nominated The Very Best. His dynamic touch can also be felt on tracks with Santigold, Diplo, Skepta, and Kano.

An ardent proponent of African music, his longstanding friendship with Senegalese star Baaba Maal is particularly significant. They’ve worked together on several albums, including ‘The Traveller’, and Johan consulted on the Oscar-winning film score for ‘Black Panther’ that Baaba Maal sang on.

Looking back, Johan saw early success as part of the producer and DJ duo, Radioclit, which he co-founded with Etienne Tron in 2004. Active during London’s ‘blog house’ era, they worked with artists like M.I.A., Switch, Diplo, Sinden, and Bonde do Rolê. They toured globally as DJs and hosted the renowned club night, Secousse, at the Notting Hill Arts Club in West London. As Radioclit and Johan Hugo, he has remixed tracks for artists including Coldplay, Lana Del Ray, Emeli Sandé, Lady Gaga, Amadou & Miriam, Britney Spears, and more.

The summer of 2024 saw the explosion of the South African trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly’s highly anticipated debut album, ‘Full Moon’ released on Transgressive Records. Again co written and produced by Johan in it’s entirety, the album launched Moonchild’s career in the UK, with four A-list BBC 6 singles including the mighty ‘Big Man’ and wonderfully wicked ‘Big Booty’ and ‘Scrambled Eggs’. With her powerhouse live performances, Moonchild crowned that year by headlining Green Man Festival to rapturous crowds.

In addition to his work in the contemporary music space, John runs a hugely successful film trailer composition business called Acid. With over 20 composers on their books, they are leaders in their field at creating trailer music for some of the largest block buster movies of recent years including ‘Sinners’, ‘Weapons’ and ‘Killers Of The Flower Moon’ and TV shows including ‘The Pit’ and ‘Landman’. Acid have won multiple Clio Awards at both the 2025 and 2026 events.

Johan is currently co writing and producing the forthcoming Harriet Rock album.