It's music. It's supposed to be fun and inspirational. You have to be inspired. If I did it because it was my 'job,' and I only did it to make money, I don't think I'd still be doing it.
As songwriters, we are lucky to have ASCAP on our side, offering support and fighting for our rights.
If you've got a verse with a lot of rhythm, you want to pair it with something that doesn't.
You need a balance at all times. If the verse is a bit messy, you need it to be less messy right after. It needs to vary. 'Shake It Off' is a good example, where the math behind the drama is pretty clear.
My tastes have always been pretty cheesy. I like Def Leppard. At the same time, my tastes might be pretty universal. I don't know.
It's incredibly important to me that you remember a song right after the first or second time you hear it. That something sticks to you, something that makes you feel, 'I need to hear that song again.' That's fundamental. Something you want again. And again.
I first began with the recorder in our community music school. After that, I played horn and participated in the school orchestra.
I believe you have to start with yourself, think about your bad habits and prejudices, not only in your profession but generally in life. Why do I assume that a doctor is a man? Something is indoctrinated from very early on.
It's never like, 'Now I'm going to sit down and write this or that kind of song.' The melodies may show up in the car, in the shower.
Nothing wrong about EDM. Great songs came out of it, but there was a period when everything had to have a pace of 128 bpm and be DJ-related.
I believe in the cause, and I believe in the people, and by supporting Music Rights Awareness, I very much hope - and believe - we can make a difference.
I want to be part of every note, every single moment going on in the studio. I want nothing forgotten; I want nothing missed.
Sometimes you have to think about letting people move on.
If you listen to the first, second, and third chorus of a song, they don't sound the same. It's the same melody and all that, but what really happens is that the energy changes. It's all about getting the listener to keep his or her concentration.
The producer should decide what kind of music is being made, what it's going to sound like - all of it: the why, when, and how.
The sound itself, the production, is of such great importance that it has become an integrated part of the composition.
I try to make the songs as good as I can - the way I like it, you know? And I guess my taste sometimes happens to be what other people, particularly radio programmers, like too.
I just believe in collaboration. I mean, I've written songs on my own, you know, but I think if the artist has something to bring to the table - someone like Pink, for instance - where they have something to say, it makes your job easier and more special.
It's one thing to speak about it and another to actually do something about it.
When I was young, people didn't even really know what a producer was.
