MAX MARTIN

A great pop song should be felt when you hear it.

I first began with the recorder in our community music school. After that, I played horn and participated in the school orchestra.

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 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.

If the chords change a lot over the course of a song, it's better to stay within the same melodic structure.

If nobody recognizes you, if nobody cares, it's easier to avoid getting carried away. That's way harder if you're a famous artist.

There are so many traps, so many ways of getting screwed in this business.

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.

There was a phase when I and people around me listened to Prince a lot. A lot. We took Prince fandom to the extreme.

I thought it was so cool that all you knew about Prince was about his artistry and music.

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.

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.

I've never been cool.

You can hear songs that are technically great, songs that tick all the boxes. But for a song to be felt, you need something else.

If you've got a verse with a lot of rhythm, you want to pair it with something that doesn't.

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.

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.

When I was young, people didn't even really know what a producer was.

As songwriters, we are lucky to have ASCAP on our side, offering support and fighting for our rights.

Pop music follows the evolution of society in general: Everything moves faster.

I remember that I started playing brass - not so much because I had a calling but because I thought it looked cool.

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.

I don't think most people who listen to music are that interested in all the work that goes into making it. It's the artist you like.

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.