Desi Making Waves

By Elaine G. Flores

Idol Hands: Songwriter Savan Kotecha has His Finger on the Pulse of Pop Music

Not even 30 yet, Savan Kotecha is already a player behind the scenes in the music world. Kotecha, a songwriter with EMI publishing, wrote "Ring My Bell" on the brand new Enrique Iglesias album, "Insomniac." He also co-wrote "Inside Your Heaven," a Billboard No. 1 hit by American Idol, Carrie Underwood. Celine Dion, Lindsay Lohan and Il Divo are just a few of the acts with whom he's collaborated. We caught up with Kotecha, who spent a super busy week working in the recording studio in Stockholm, Sweden, where he is currently based.

How does a song come to you? Is it something you concentrate on? Or do you hear the music first and then the lyrics?
Since I have to do it every day as a job, I can't always rely on things just coming to me. Sometimes it does but, I always collect both lyric and melody ideas in my computer and phone, so I come to the studio prepared to write for whomever I'm writing for—or with. I usually write with producers who will have some chords or a beat ready, and most of the time I'll start with a song title that I like or just a lyric concept and then build a melody around that.

What is the inspiration for your songs? Events in your life? Or are you making up stories in your songs?
I've gotta write every day, and my life isn't that dramatic—thank God! So, I had to learn to just make things up....I get inspired by movies or books. If I'm writing for a female artist, I read a lot of Cosmo and Marie Claire magazines. If I'm writing with the artist, or if I already know the artist, I will ask what they want to write about. A lot of my job is to help the artists express what they feel.

What's it like hearing one of your songs on the radio?
It's the best feeling on the planet. I've always loved that movie That Thing You Do!. There's a scene in the film where the band hears their song on the radio for the first time, and they go nuts and run around the streets screaming, "That's my song!" I always thought that's how it was gonna be the first time, but the first time I heard a song of mine on the radio I was just like, "Hmm... What song is that? It sounds familiar...Oh, wait...Oh, my God, that's my song!" But no one else was in the room to celebrate with me. Now, I've gotten a bit used to it, but it always feels good. Watching some of the bigger artists I've worked with sing my songs on tour is always an amazing feeling as well. I just saw Il Divo perform my song "Mama" to a sold-out crowd of over 15,000 people a few weeks ago on their world tour and that was amazing to watch. People in the audience were crying and really connecting to the song. That was the best feeling.

Do you ever write songs for a particular singer? If so, did the song and singer come together and did it sound like you expected it to, or were you disappointed?
Now that I've had a couple hits and have relationships with artists and record labels, I'll usually write for—or with—a particular artist. Most of the time it turns out how you'd expect, like Celine Dion was amazing, and Enrique sounded just like I would have thought Enrique would sound like! But a few times you get disappointed, I'm not going to name names though.

You grew up in Austin, Texas, which has a very diverse music scene. How did that influence your work? Can you contrast it a bit with what it's like to be a working musician in Stockholm?
I was never really around the music scene in Austin to be honest. I was just kinda doing my thing, writing my pop songs at home. Most of the music scene there is band-driven, so it's never been my "thing." And when I'm in Stockholm, it's kind of the same thing. I usually only write for or with U.S. and U.K. artists, so when I'm in Stockholm, I'm never involved in the local live music scene.

Was your family into music? What musical and cultural influences did you grow up with?
My family wasn't really musical, but they love music. I was exposed to Michael Jackson when I was young and that kind of changed my life. And my sister always listened to pop music and went through the whole New Kids On The Block phase, which is probably why I always think it's fun to work with Westlife, one of Simon Cowell's groups, which is still a huge "boy band" in the U.K. and Europe. It's fun to see people go crazy at their concerts. It reminds me of my sister's New Kids On The Block days.

Who are your favorite songwriters?
Hmm. Babyface, Sean Garret, and Max Martin; I've been lucky enough to work and learn a lot from Max, which has been great.

What's it like being a Desi in the music business? Have you ever felt like it was a help or hindrance?
I'm very proud of the fact that I'm Desi and I've "made it" in the English mainstream music business. When I had a number one single in the U.S. with Carrie Underwood, it felt really good to see a Desi name on the top of the Billboard chart. I haven't found that it's either a help or hindrance to be Desi, I just hope whatever success I have will encourage other Desis to pursue their dreams.

You once were a singer; would you ever like to be a performer again?
No, I'll stick to writing!

Which singer have you always wanted to write a song for?
Well, the big one for me had always been Celine Dion, and I have a song about to be recorded by her in a few days for her next album. Hearing her voice on something I wrote is just wild. I think she's got one of the most amazing voices on the planet.

Okay, so you're young, successful and an attractive guy. Gotta ask if you're available.
I'm engaged actually.

Sorry, Ladies.

Elaine G. Flores is a feature writer for Soap Opera Digest, columnist for the St. Louis American and freelance writer. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and lives in New York.

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