Producing Songs I’ve Never Heard: Sugar Water Cyanide by Rebecca Black [EPISODE 03]

Limited to one Splice pack - how close did I get to Rebecca’s original? tbh it got kinda weird

This week, I’m producing a track for Sugar Water Cyanide by Rebecca Black, one of the singles off her recent album Salvation. I haven’t listened to the full album yet, but I keep seeing it pop up everywhere and have been excited to check it out.

Rebecca’s been leaning into a more hyperpop/alt-pop sound in recent years, but I wasn’t sure exactly where she was headed this time. To add a twist to the challenge, I decided to limit my entire track to just one sample pack: Alt House by Four4 on Splice

Here’s the acapella if you want to play along and hear what I heard first:

Rebecca Black | Sugar Water Cyanide | Vocals Only

---

The original version was actually a lot more low-key than I expected. I thought I was heading into something super electro, maybe even K-pop-inspired, but it turned out to sit somewhere between Ariana and Charli XCX. Ethereal harmonies, glitchy synths, and a driving 4-on-the-floor beat made it more subtle but steady, especially early on.

I guess I wasn’t too far off by starting with the drums - the kick really drives the original, and the drum pattern I chose landed in a similar space. But where I expected grit and edge in the hook, I was met with something lighter, more nostalgic—almost reminiscent of the Wii soundtrack, with hints of hyperpop as it evolved.

---

One of the trickiest parts of producing my version was the switch-up between the verses and the hook. The vocal delivery felt so different between the two that I wanted to reflect that contrast with a more dramatic production shift. I ended up going for a full key change (minor to major) and a complete vibe flip.

Listening to the original, though, Rebecca’s team handled the transition in a more restrained way—keeping the instrumental pretty consistent and letting the vocal lead the energy shift. I think my version works in its own way, but I’d love to know what you think.

Did the choices land? Did I go too far? Let me know below!

---

If you also haven’t heard the original, you can check it out here:

Rebecca Black - Sugar Water Cyanide (Official Lyric Video)

And if you have suggestions for what track I should try this with next, drop them in the comments!

---

🚨 New Music Alert 🚨

I just released a new single on March 28th called chatterbox. If you’re into dark, alt, or dance pop, this one’s for you.

It’s out now on all streaming platforms - if you enjoy it, please consider saving it to your playlists, hitting that like button, and following me for more <3