UK#1 Songwriter/Producer/Druid

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: I will push the boat out for you and work extremely hard to make your music sound special and amazing. Not so much because I'm a nice and giving person (that's for others to judge), but because I hate boring—and I have a healthy amount of professional pride!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: Passion, expertise and experience. I have a sort of "X-ray" vision and can usually spot any problems in seconds. I've also worked with some of the most successful writers in pop who have written #1s for Katy Perry, One Direction, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears etc. so I know in a writing session what they would have approved of and when they would have pushed further.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I fight the "biggest fires" first, then look at things in more detail as I go along. At the very start, there's a long "Spotify session" with the client where we go through their favourite artists and songs that encapsulate their musical vision so we all have a reference that we can work towards. Sometimes clients get very involved, sometimes they leave most steps of the process to me and come up with a list of suggestions nearer the end.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working with a client on some retro 2000s anthemic pop tracks with a modern flavour. Very big choruses, just how I like it! Also working on a new showreel for myself after buying some new toys and feeling very inspired!

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been doing this for a very long time. Not long after starting out I got signed to a major label as an artist and then signed with a major publishing company as a songwriter and producer. Now I'm signed to a big US entertainment fund. I've always loved developing new artists and I still do that, as long as people are prepared to share some of the risk!

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I was co-producer and main writer in a female-fronted indie pop/rock project. Think Olivia Rodrigo "Good 4 U". It should have come out slightly earlier or much later. Timing is crucial for any type of success and on that occasion it was off. But musically it was fire/lit/rad/whatever is flavour of the month...

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: More is more! Mixing is easier with fewer sounds so I don't go crazy but nobody would call me a minimalist. Why would you have just one scoop of ice cream?

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Probably harmony. Chords are the foundation of any song. Get them wrong and there's no point in writing or producing any of the rest. Get them right and you can tell a story without any words or melodies.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: As a new provider I would say that, but look beyond the reviews and study the credits as well. Getting a major company to release or publish your music is a hard thing to do! If you're not sure whether to hire someone at all or do it all yourself, well, it's much more fun working with other people and unless you're a total genius like Prince, the result will be much better too! Again, working with someone professional and experienced will take much of the hassle and guesswork out of the process and let you get on with what you love most—the creative part!

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: A bright yellow t-shirt, a smoke machine, a megaphone, a baseball bat and a miniature desalination plant. The orchestra in my head would start playing soon enough so I wouldn't need any instruments!

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: I love analog so spend a lot of time setting up a very analog sound in the digital world!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: The horse can never be tamed! No matter how good or experienced you think you are, every new song has its own particular challenges that will make your head spin for a while but ultimately help you grow as a musician.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: I don't get a lot of questions but then I normally work with people I know and who trust me and my experience and taste. For new customers I'll be happy to answer as many question as they can come up with!

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: Songwriting is a gift—you can either do it or you can't. After working with hundreds of artists and students I can conclusively say that it is both art and craft—and you can seriously study that craft and benefit from collaborating with others.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Are you really serious and passionate about your music? Because if not, working with someone like me would be overkill and for the pure hobbyist there would better—and cheaper—options around. I also ask people to be constructive and friendly. Obvious stuff really, but feel it can't hurt to say it out loud sometimes!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Keep it clean. For a big, modern sounding mix it's important not to go overboard with compression, limiting, widening, saturation etc. There are some "magic" tools, but they work best when you've done your homework and mixed correctly before applying them.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: Sting. He's been my hero since I was 13. I would love to write a pop song with him, either with him singing it or even a female singer, so nobody would know it was him.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I do mainly pop music which I enjoy because you can mix various styles and eras, as long as you sound current and relevant. I've worked with bands and singer/songwriters as well though from rock to punk to folk. But I've had my biggest successes with pop so I guess there's a hint there!

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I used to have a lot of hardware but like many people now work totally "in the box", meaning inside the computer. It's just easier to revisit mixes and work on several songs at the same time. I have a large collection of "mojo" or "voodoo" plug-ins which allows me to get a sound for clients that they would normally have to pay a lot more money for.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: In pop music you can't ignore Max Martin and Serban Ghenea who at times have several tracks in the Billboard top 10! My favourite pop writer though is Julia Michaels—I think her melodies are out of this world.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: I do a full songwriting and production service where I help the client with anything they can't do themselves—or don't fancy doing themselves, which is not the same thing. Collaboration is fun! Not everybody requires the full service though so I'm happy to break things up as indicated on my profile.