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Adele Is so Good at Writing Pop Songs She Just Recently Found Out Who Max Martin Was

When you're the world's number one pop star, who needs the world's number one songwriter?

Adele cover photo via i-D

Adele is by some standards—i.e. the sales of her last album—the most successful pop singer in the world. On November 20, she will release 25, the long-awaited follow-up to her smash hit 2011 album 21. She gave us a first look at it last week with "Hello." And today, she gave her first interview in three years to our pals at i-D. It's a great article, detailing the process of writing 25, and talking to her about handling the pressures of fame and her new motherhood.

Annoncering

It also discusses a trip to New York to work with songwriter Ryan Tedder, the OneRepublic guy. Most pop stars of Adele's caliber get passed hits written by guys like Tedder or a few other global songwriting elites, and right now there's no one more in demand than Max Martin, an architect of hits by the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and practically every song on the radio this decade, including The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" and the bulk of Katy Perry and Taylor Swift's most recent albums. Basically, Max Martin is the guy most labels would force on Adele in an instant to guarantee more hits. Until recently, though, Adele had never heard of him. Via i-D:

One day she and Tedder were having lunch and Taylor Swift's Trouble came on the radio. "I was like, 'I love this song, who did this?' and he's like 'Max,' and I'm like, 'Oo's Max?' and he's like 'Max Martin!' and I'm like, 'Oo's Max Martin?'" The world's number one songwriter, she discovered after Tedder sent her a YouTube clip of his work. The song provides another 'moment' for 25. Send My Love To Your New Lover is a bit like Martin's Can't Feel My Face for the Weeknd - totally unexpected. It has a bit of a calypso vibe ("It's a bit of fun, innit? You ain't got to be dark all the time") and an amazing opening line: This was all you/ none of it me. "I love it, it's fucking sick," she says. "Straight away, a million people in my life will be like, 'Oh shit, what have I done…'"

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The Max Martin track on 25 was, according to Adele, fleshed out from a song that she wrote at 13. The bottom line is Adele is so sick at writing songs that she was doing the things most artists have to call in help for as a teen. Also, she is British and says "who" like "oo." Her new album is going to rule. Incidentally, she mentioned her upcoming goals include touring and seeing frequent Max Martin collaborator Britney Spears perform in Vegas.

Check out the full interview with i-D here.

Follow Kyle Kramer on Twiter.