Yeti Beats

David Alexander Sprecher (born July 2, 1981), known professionally as Yeti Beats, is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. He has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and is best known for his extensive collaborations with Doja Cat. Sprecher began his professional career as a producer and DJ, working with hip hop artists including Kool Keith, Bushwick Bill, and Fatlip, and reggae artists like Sizzla, Konshens, and Rebelution. Yeti has served as executive producer across the first four of Doja Cat’s studio albums: Amala (2018), Hot Pink (2019), Planet Her (2021), and Scarlet (2023) and her debut EP Purrr (2014). Outside of his work with Doja Cat, Sprecher has produced and written music for a range of artists, including Shakira, Burna Boy, Beyoncé, David Guetta, Ozuna, Rawayana, Tokischa, Skillibeng, Sexyy Red, Tiago PZK, BJ The Chicago Kid, Jennifer Lopez, Chlöe, and more.

Early life Sprecher was born in Los Angeles, California, and moved to Santa Barbara at the age of 5. His early interest in music was supported by his parents. One of his first ventures into the music industry came in the form of a punk rock band which he joined while attending Santa Barbara High School. At age 17, the band was signed and toured the United States as part of the Vans Warped Tour. Marko DeSantis of the Santa Barbara Independent described Sprecher as “a soulful man negotiating his way out of his boyish frame”.

In 2000, Sprecher moved back to Los Angeles, where he studied Religious Studies and Studio Art at Occidental College. During this period, he broadened his musical interests beyond alternative rock, exploring hip-hop, reggae, electronic music, DJing, sampling, and beat-making.

The moniker “Yeti Beats” originated during this time, after a friend nicknamed him “Yeti” because of his long hair and mysterious demeanor. Sprecher added “Beats” to reflect his growing passion for production and rhythm-based music.

In 2003, Sprecher began producing music in his home studio, focusing initially on hip-hop and reggae. He collaborated with artists including Rebelution, Kool Keith, Sizzla, Junior Reid and Fatlip of The Pharcyde.

Professional career In 2010, Sprecher expanded his operations beyond the bedroom studio by opening a recording complex called The Himalayas in Echo Park. In this time, he worked with Doja Cat, Ho99o9, Rebelution and many more. In this era, Yeti also helped make original music for Dickhouse Productions show Loiter Squad and Steve-O documentary.

Sprecher relocated to a facility in Hollywood in 2015, before eventually transitioning to a home studio setup in 2020 as a result of constant touring and the Covid-19 pandemic, where he is known to prefer working “at his kitchen table with a simple setup”.

In May 2020, Sprecher signed an exclusive administration agreement with Warner Chappell Music. Ryan Press, President of A&R, described Yeti as “one of a kind with standout beat-making skills that speak for themselves”, adding that he had “no doubt that he’s well on his way to becoming one of the top producers in the industry”.

Collaboration with Doja Cat While working at The Himalayas, Sprecher discovered Doja Cat after Gerald (Jerry) Powell, publicly known as Tizhimself, then a studio assistant, came across one of her early uploads on SoundCloud. At the time, Doja Cat was 16 years old and was self-writing and recording from her bedroom.

Sprecher played a central role in the production and development of Doja Cat’s debut album Amala. He co-produced the breakout single “Candy”, which at its streaming peak was gaining more than a million streams a day on Spotify. The song peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified Platinum in the United States.

He also executive produced Hot Pink, which featured the hit single “Say So”. The track became Doja Cat’s first top-10 hit, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix featuring Nicki Minaj later reached number one on May 11th 2020, marking the first female rap collaboration to top the chart.

Sprecher continued his work on Doja Cat’s third studio album Planet Her, including producing the Grammy Award-winning single “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA. The song spent 19 consecutive weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, setting a record for the longest-running top-10 entry by a female collaboration. It won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Another track from the album, “Woman”, also produced by Sprecher, became a sleeper hit and went triple Platinum. It earned Grammy nominations in 2023 for Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Music Video.

In 2022, Yeti co-produced a Doja Cat cover of Hole's “Celebrity Skin” for the 2022 Taco Bell Super Bowl commercial alongside Nick Long and Travis Barker. Sprecher wrote and produced Doja Cat’s single “Vegas”, the lead track from the Elvis movie soundtrack. The song became her seventh top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance.

Awards & nominations

| "Say So" (Doja Cat) | Best Pop Solo Performance

| "Kiss Me More" (Doja Cat featuring SZA) | Song of the Year

| "Kiss Me More" (Doja Cat featuring SZA) | Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

| "Need to Know" (Doja Cat) | Best Melodic Rap Performance

| Planet Her (Deluxe) (Doja Cat) | Album of the Year

| Planet Her (Deluxe) (Doja Cat) | Best Pop Vocal Album

! scope="row" rowspan="4" | 2023 | "Woman" (Doja Cat) | Record of the Year

| "Woman" (Doja Cat) | Best Pop Solo Performance

| "Woman" (Doja Cat) | Best Music Video

| "Vegas" (Doja Cat) | Best Rap Performance

Production discography

Yeti Beats

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