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The bulk of One Directions discography, including their career-making debut What Makes You Beautiful?
was written by Kotecha.
The Weeknds groovy 2015 signature Cant Feel My Face?
Kotecha helped write that one too.
He was part of those too.
I was searching and searching and felt like things werent working.
I wasnt meeting that many artists I was inspired by.
I cant do the hip-hop thing, so if thats where it is now, it isnt for me.
Streaming is also a tricky thing because songwriters dont get paid a lot for those royalties.
Its an insecurity thing.
I thought,Maybe thats it.
Maybe its a young guys game.
I was like, Yeah, you should.
That was around the time when I was not feeling good anyway.
But randomly she texted me and said, Hey, I really wanna go back in.
So she came to the studio with me and Max [Martin] for a little bit.
I used to have ideas popping up all the time, like the idea forProblemcame from an airplane bathroom.
What did you listen to during that meeting?
We talked and she had amazing ideas which were inspiring and we just got going.
I woke up the next morning wanting to create again.
Was that the goal?
Did you have artists in mind that you were inspired by?
She wanted to go back to when the verses and the chorus had different chord changes.
Ari made it clear that she didnt want to dwell on what happened [in Manchester].
It was really important to her that whatever the first thing she did coming back had to be hopeful.
We were like, thats it!
And we went from there.
It all came together and had this flow.
One thing that was super challenging was the pre-chorus, we spent a lot of time on it.
Then Ilya made the groove super tight and knocking in the right way.
Tell me about the lyrical architecture here.
It sound very simple, but thats also deceiving because Im sure this was plotted out painstakingly.
How long does a line like that take to put together?I think its just instinctual flow.
Compared to that, this song is very complicated.
Ariana recentlytold Jimmy FallonthatBreathincame to fruition when she was having an anxiety attack.
Ilya started coming up with an instrumental hook and she went in and started singing melodies.
Even before she started feeling that way I started singing breathing and breathing as a hook.
We were concerned, and she was talking it out.
The melodies make it a pop song, but its the lyrics that make it an artists song.
Its fascinating to watch pops lyrical evolution.
Is this evolution something you think about?Its all cyclical, right?
Were in a cycle now that culturally people want authenticity.
Artists collectively want to be as authentic as possible in their music.
You dont want to lose that authenticity and heart, but help shape it into something that connects.
Maybe it also has to do with social media as well?
Its a healing process for her, but to also help others.
She came out of Manchester determined to make the world better.
Speaking of that, what makes for the perfect pop song?
I always like to think of melody first, along with the right lyric or punchline.
You say, I can write that!
And when you try and its pretty difficult.
She recorded it and it was magic.
She puts her voice on something and it comes alive in a way nobody can expect.
All of it was based on her direction.
How aboutGod Is a Woman?
It was before Ariana came calling, so we didnt know what to do with it.
We played it for another artist or two and it didnt work out.
Then maybe [we were thinking] wed get a rapper on the verses?
Our big dream is always Drake.
Ilya goes, Why dont we play Ariana God Is a Woman?
and she goes, What?
What did you just say?
You play that for me right now.
I was like,of course,theres nobody else who could pull this off.
It was the last thing we did before her label meeting.
