the few people for whom ‘max martin’ is a recognizable name probably associate him with britney or the backstreet boys, millennial teen pop. and they’re not wrong. but the story keeps going. kelly clarkson. katy perry. taylor’s ‘we are never ever getting back together’, ‘22’, ‘shake it off’. ariana grande. the weeknd. ‘cool for the summer.’ ‘love me like you do.’
when a cash register rings in a pop music shop, someone is handing him money.
this 2015 new yorker article is by the author of a book ‘the song machine’, which i’ve read and recommend to anyone in this community.
This guy is a legend in the pop songwriting community. I can’t think of a single person who’s had as much success for as long as he has.
a success rate like this is unthinkable in any field, really. and the next win is always nearly unimaginable from the last.
i just saw a concert by a french-speaking belgian who used …baby as a mini-meme. he made bank off that too, i’m sure.