Max Martin Says He Doesn't Set Out to Create Hits

You may or may not know his name, but you’ve certainly heard his work. Arguably no single person has had as big of an impact on pop music in the 21st century as Stockholm-born songwriter and producer Max Martin, but as the man himself will tell you, he doesn’t write with the purpose of making a hit.

It sounds pretty counterintuitive, but Martin, who has written or co-written 25 Billboard Hot 100 number-one songs, said in a recent interview with news.com.au that,

“I don’t necessarily write a song to create a hit song, but I’ve been lucky enough that my personal taste is kind of aligned with a lot of people’s taste. Of course, if you have a song that feels pretty catchy, you might not make it 15 minutes long – you make decisions to make it user-friendly, so to speak. But my intentions are pure: I want to just create something that we love in the room. Whatever happens after that, it’s up to the world to decide.”

Some of the most notable tracks in the Max Martin oeuvre include “Shake it Off” and “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift, “Oops… I Did It Again” by Britney Spears, and “I Kissed A Girl” by Katy Perry, among many, many others. It’s impressive to think he played a part in all of those without meaning to make them as big as they ended up becoming!

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Image credit: Näringsdepartementet (Wikimedia Commons)