Meet Toby Farrugia — a seasoned music producer and sound designer from Malta whose journey in music began at the age of six. With a career built on passion, persistence, and a deep connection to sound, Toby has collaborated with artists across Europe and signed songs to EMI/Sony. From film scores to electronic beats, his creative process is rooted in authenticity and lifelong dedication to the craft. Whether working solo or with international talent, Toby’s mission is simple: create for the love of music.
1. Hi Toby, can you introduce yourself and tell us what you do?
“Hi I am Toby Farrugia and I am a music producer and sound designer and I make music.”
2. How did your journey in this field begin?
“I started playing piano when I was six years old, so I was always into music. Main inspiration was probably my dad playing music when I was a kid.”
3. What inspired you to choose this profession or path?
“Always knew I had to do something in music, my life always evolved around music and was always intrigued by sounds and creating ways to make music.”
4. How would you describe your creative process?
“When it comes to writing a new song or production, it usually starts with me sitting behind the piano or guitar and coming up with a melody relating to the genre of song or piece of musicthat’s being created.”
5. What does a typical day look like for you?
“8 am alarm, feed the cat, stretching, ab workout, healthy breakfast, studio, light lunch, studio, gym, swim, friends or chill at home, sleep.”
6. Who or what has influenced your work the most?
“I get influenced by all things, be it nature, people, quotes, books, riding my motorcycle, traveling.. anything motivational or positive can give me inspiration even subconsciously. As for music styles I was brought up listening to various artists so my creation for genres is pretty vast.”
7. What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced so far?
“Making it in the music industry is extremely challenging especially when you live on a tiny island as Malta but when you love what you do and you do it for the love of it you keep going no matter what.”
8. How do you stay motivated during difficult times?
“By being positive and trying my best to always take the positive from the negative.”
9. What has been your proudest moment so far?
“Signing 12 songs to EMI/Sony.”
10. How do you define success in your field?
“For me success is when other people appreciate what you do and come back to you with feedback both positive or constructive and when someone tells you that a song has helped them in someway in their life”
11. How do you balance creativity and business?
“My life evolves around music and creativity so it kind of goes hand in hand. Thankfully people approach me for projects and collaborations so the work is continuous, which I am very grateful for.”
12. Is collaboration important in your work? If yes, how?
“Yes definitely. It’s great to work and share ideas with other artists of all types of genres. I tend to like working with singers, especially since I can’t really sing well.”
13. What tools or platforms do you rely on the most?
“My work is all created in Logic Pro but I use other platforms for live performances such as Ableton and a large number of vst’s, soft synths, together with live instruments.”
14. How do you handle criticism or negative feedback?
“I tend to always take the positive from the negative and I am always continuously learning so constructive criticism helps improve.”
15. What role does your identity or background play in your work?
“Thankfully I get to be my own boss and I can rely on my 20+ years of knowledge in the business to keep me afloat.”
16. What are you currently working on?
Right now I am working with a number of artists and singers from Spain, Switzerland, France & Malta and also some new material from myself as an artist. I am also working on 5 new game soundtracks which will be out shortly.
17. Do you have a dream project or goal for the future?
“Probably to conduct a live orchestra.”
18. How do you keep up with trends or changes in your industry?
“In this field you have to be constantly on the ball as music evolves so rapidly these days, so as a producer I am always updated with the latest sounds, trends and anything music related to keep things always fresh.”
19. What do you wish more people understood about your work?
“How long the process of a song can take. Yes there are some songs that can be done quicker than others but the process is still a long one to the final product, let alone on an orchestral soundtrack of 80 instruments.”
20. What’s something surprising or little-known about your profession?
“Nowadays with superior technology and live sounds, one person can crate a fully blown orchestra and you wouldn’t know the difference if it was live or software based.”
21. Any last words or message you’d like to share with our readers?
“Always do something for the love of it not for success, that’s just an extra. Be positive, stay humble.”
22. Is there anyone you would like to thank?
“My parents for raising me with morals and values.”
Follow Toby Farrugia:
https://tobymusicprod.com
https://instagram.com/tobymusic
https://facebook.com/tobymusicgroup
https://youtube.com/tobymusicproductions
https://soundcloud.com/tobyfarrugia
https://twitter.com/tobyfarrugia
https://mixcloud.com/tobyfarrugia
React with emojis!
EN 
TR