Melody is the single most important thing to any song, period. I don't care what anybody says, it trumps everything. Not because that's my opinion but because I think it's actually indisputable fact. The human brain retains melody easier than it retains words. It's that simple.

I think the true test of a pop song, for me, and I've talked to a lot of other writers about this, is you take your demo, you pop it in your car and you drive down Sunset Blvd. to Santa Monica, and that's the Hollywood car test.

When you're around enormously successful people you realise their success isn't an accident - it's about work.

Just because a suit fits, doesn't mean it looks good. You need a tailor. You want to get bespoke.

I'm a sucker for pop melodies, things you can't get out of your head.

I'm terribly forgetful. I've lost laptops, cell-phones.

I live in Los Angeles, which is the second most polluted city in the world, and I wake up in the morning to dirt all over my window.