Guy Chambers: “The thread that ties superstars together is that gritty determination”

nme.com:

NME about his opinions on modern-day songwriters – including his love for Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo – and his work with Robbie Williams.Last week (March 6), the world-famous producer and songwriter was interviewed as a part of Confetti Institute of Technologies’ annual Industry Week in Nottingham, bringing together experts in music and technology to share their stories with the next generation of creatives.Chambers is best known for writing songs for some of pop’s most successful superstars including Kylie Minogue, Tina Turner, and Melanie C of the Spice Girls, as well as penning Robbie Williams’ biggest song, the 1997 Top Five hit ‘Angels’.Chambers emphasised how much he loved classical music before he came to make pop music.

Speaking on stage in Nottingham, he explained that his love for music-making came from watching his London Philharmonic Orchestra flautist father He also mentioned at the age of five, his first experience of live music was while watching Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé.However, he began making commercial music as a part of numerous bands in the ‘80s and ‘90s including The Waterboys and World Party.

Chambers revealed that during his time in the short-lived group The Lemon Trees, they were “offered loads of record deals, including Parlophone Records”.

But when he told the band’s then lead singer David Catlin-Birch that they had a potential deal with “The Beatles’ label,” he said, “Sorry, Guy, but I can’t do it.’”Chambers continued: “I was in this horrible position where I’d been offered a record deal but I didn’t have a singer.