The Dynamics of a Successful Partnership in Music

Well, I think the reason our partnership has worked so well then and still works well together now is that we are actually complementary. I'm good at things that he's weak at, and he's really good at things that I'm weak at, basically.

Different Personalities

We also have completely different personalities. I'm pretty controlling, I would say, and very meticulous about every aspect of the music. He's a bit of a free spirit, football crazy and a very charismatic performer.

• I mean, I tried to be a real performer before I met him, but I was useless at it.
• I used to have terrible stage fright, while for him, being on stage is his natural territory.

Finding the Right Partner

I think if you're going to find a partner to work with, it's important that they are the opposite of you in many ways.

• I don't think you should look for somebody who's exactly the same.
• You should find someone who's really strong at all the things you're weak at so that the two of you can create a powerful force moving forward.

So, it might be the least likely person in the world that you think you should work with who actually becomes the perfect collaborator. We're a very unlikely couple; the two of us together are very, very different.

Embracing Tension in Collaboration

In a partnership, there's always going to be tension. I can think of an example with Rob where we were writing a song called "Rock DJ." We came up with the chorus pretty quickly, but the verse was just instrumental for ages.

He kept saying, "This is really, really cheesy, this music." He kind of hated it.

• I had to keep saying to him, "Yeah, it might be cheesy, but it's really, really catchy and commercial. Can we just stick with it?"
• This went on for weeks of him saying, "No, I just can't sing on that. I just can't think of anything."

I had to sort of be the support there, and I think I was probably quite pushy because I really believed in the track. I knew it could be a huge song, but he kept running away from it.

Challenging Insecurities

Sometimes, I think in relationships you have to challenge someone's insecurity because all artistic people are insecure. You know, I'm insecure; he's insecure. That's just a normal human condition.

• If you really believe a song has worth, it's worth fighting for.
• Keep encouraging your partner to finish it, because in the end, a song is worthless unless you finish it.

We eventually found a solution with "Rock DJ." He got the verse idea from Ian Dury, and the rap is an Ian Dury-style rap.

• "Rock DJ" is basically an embodiment of that, and though I think he still thinks the song is cheesy, it's his cheese, so it's okay.

Owning Your Clich?s

You gotta own your clich?s, create your own clich?s, and be proud of them.

• Every songwriter has their own clich?s, all the good ones.
• You shouldn't be embarrassed about them; they become part of your sound world.

For example, Lana Del Rey has a very distinctive sound world.

• You know it's her immediately.
• She has a distinctive voice, tends to sing quite low in her register, and makes that powerful.
• Her music is pretty moody, creating a whole cinematic world around herself.

Collaboration on Lyrics and Melodies

In terms of lyrics, the way we would work together is that he would come up with most of the lyrics.

For instance, he'd say to me, "Now I'm feeling weak; my pain walks down a one-way street." Then he'd ask, "What do you think of that? Isn't that a bit cheesy or not very good?"

• I would say, "Well, it's... no, it's just..." and give him some encouragement.
• Sometimes, I would suggest a different line, but not that often.

In terms of melodies, it would be a combination. We'd sort of play melody tennis. He would sing a melody, and I would sing another melody back.

For example, going to the chorus, I think I sang that melody to him. I might not have said those words; I can't really remember, but I'm pretty sure I suggested that melody.

• He just went with it from there: "Okay, now you sing it back to me."
• Then we would move to the next section.

We had a good telepathy between the two of us pretty much from the word go. I don't know why that happened, but I think it just did.