Ivan Barias is a music producer, songwriter, composer, and engineer with over 20 years of experience in the music industry. His path into the business began when he was introduced to DJ Jazzy Jeff, who invited him to join his A Touch of Jazz producer collective. There he met songwriter Carvin Haggins, and the two went on to build a longstanding songwriting and production partnership known as Carvin & Ivan.
Ivan's work has earned him three GRAMMY nominations for Best R&B Song, along with nineteen additional GRAMMY nominations for his production, and multiple ASCAP honors for his songwriting and composing. He has produced and written for artists including Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Jazmine Sullivan, Justin Timberlake, Phony Ppl, Megan Thee Stallion, Chrisette Michele, Keyshia Cole, 2Pac, Chris Brown, Mario, Mary J. Blige, Estelle, Raheem DeVaughn, Ledisi, Jaheim, Faith Evans, Freeway, Rick Ross, and many others.
As a composer, Ivan wrote the theme song for the animated series We Bare Bears, performed by Estelle, and scored the film Unfinished Business, which chronicled the history of the WNBA's New York Liberty. He served as president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Recording Academy from 2012 to 2015 and sat on the Academy's national Board of Trustees from 2016 to 2020. He served from 2018 to 2022 as Co-Chair of the GRAMMY Producers & Engineers Wing, and currently serves on the GRAMMY Songwriters and Composers Wing Leadership Council, the Black Music Collective Leadership Council, and the Music Education & Professional Development Committee. He also co-chairs the Artist Rights Alliance, a music advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. In 2011, he was named a Creative Ambassador for the city of Philadelphia through the GPTMC program, and he has also served as an Ambassador for the Philadelphia 76ers' community basketball league, La Liga del Barrio. Alongside his musical work, Ivan helped establish DASH (Destined to Achieve Successful Heights), a nonprofit educational initiative that teaches music production and songwriting to Philadelphia high school students in partnership with the School District of Philadelphia.
Ivan is committed to strengthening the music industry ecosystem by empowering the next generation of creators and executives. He has spoken and served as a panelist at industry events including SXSW, the Future of Music Coalition, the Music Business Association, the Recording Academy, and ASCAP, and has guest lectured at academic institutions including New York University, Rowan University, and the University of Pennsylvania.