Free Radio met up with John Newman and he reveals chats working with Michael Jackson’s team, and Calvin Harris too.
On working with Michael Jackson’s musicians: "Yeah it was a weird one sitting in the studio, because you’re kind of sat there like ‘oh my God’! You’ve gotta be professional, sit there and take it in, and get the job done, and get something incredible. Then freak out afterwards… which I did! It was a very surreal experience, to work with musicians like that."
On touring with Michael Jackson’s musicians: "We didn’t really speak about it [touring with Michael Jackson]. I think there’s this thing, it’s like “we’re working”, you know, you’re working on and you’ve got to be fully involved in the project you’re making and if you start drifting off and talking about all that, then it gets a bit lost but it turned out in the end, it was them guys that opened up about it a little bit - just on and off in random bits and bats and odd stories that were kicking about about the studio, because the studio we were working in was Westlick Studio D, which Michael had built to record Bad in and it was kind of more like they’d just open up a little, which was amazing and give you a little bit every so often. It was when we recorded the song onto the album called The Past and Dan Higgins, Michael’s saxophonist, Tom asked him to stay behind and do a solo over it, to see what it would feel like. Do you know Jungle, the artist? We were going down that kind of route and it was after that, that we all took a minute and went “wow, this is ridiculous” and I went outside for a cigarette and walked back in and noticed every little thing about the studio and everything like that. I think that was when we stopped and took the moment, which was a stunning time."
On Calvin Harris: "There was [idea of getting Calvin Harris to work on album with him]. What happened is - I’ve never actually spoken about this - there’s a track on the album called Something Special and I had it kicking around for ages and ages and ages and ages and I was going to produce it and then I thought what about it we get Calvin on it. So I sent it to him and he said “yeah, yeah I’m up for it”, and the guy’s so ram-packed busy and I think he just had a bit of a freak out in terms of I’ve got so much on and sent a message one day, which was “I’m not going to be able to do this”, so I’ve taken over and produced it but I think, I mean everything happens for a reason, but I thought it was also beneficial as well because I’d rather produce a track myself and have success with it and do that myself. I feel like what if the track was successful because of his name and not because of the quality of the song writing or the production that I’d taken part in. I’m sure it would’ve been incredible if he’d touched it - well, it would have been incredible if he’d touched it and it’d be good but I just got a bit freaked out and I didn’t want to smash loads of collaborations all over the album and it become a bit like that. I mean, his production skills are ridiculous and that’s where it would have been very beneficial."
Out in LA seeing Calvin Harris: "Yeah, very much so [still seeing Calvin Harris]. We’re very good friends now - he’s genuinely a lovely, lovely person and it’s quite nice when you’re out there to have the honesty. He’s very honest and as a friend he’ll sit and tell you how it should be and things like that."
On Calvin keeping him grounded: "In the beginning of the interview we spoke about how to approach LA with a pinch of salt because of the social aspects of it and the good thing about Calvin is that he understands that and you won’t find him hanging around in the clubs with all these people that are talking about it, because he’s working. He’s working really hard. That’s the good thing and that’s what I learnt from him. It was just good to have him there - there were so many times in LA, when you feel down, you feel really down and I was with my best mate, Tom, and I was with him every second of the day and it was quite nice to just break off and go and speak to somebody that has no idea about - that you could tell as a new story - that you could just express yourself to and Calvin was my friend that was there to do that."
On hanging out with Calvin and Taylor: "Oh really? I wouldn’t know [Ed third wheeling Calvin and Taylor Swift’s dates]. I’ve got a gig with Taylor coming up and I’m sure I’ll see Calvin soon. I’m going back out to do a bit of stuff out in LA. I get a bit weird about this thing. I got hounded the other night on the red carpet a bit like “Oh! What do you think about Calvin and Taylor?” and everything like that and I never think it’s fair on me because you’re commenting on one of the most powerful women in the world right now and one of your best mates. The only thing I can say is that it’s nice because he’s my friend and he says that she’s a laugh and he’s happy. I haven’t hung out with them because I came away from LA when they just started getting together and that’s it really. She makes him happy and she’s a good laugh, so that’s good."
On being at the Monaco Grand Prix: "It was an incredible experience in a very sentimental way. When Iw as growing up as a kid I was studying to be a mechanic. There was talk of me going to work for a supplier of Ferrari, a company that helped build the body parts for the F1 cars, so they did all the fibreglass and everything in preparation for the body parts, like the shell for the F1. It was really exciting and everything. And then I just realise that it was going somewhere, but that it was going to take a while and I’d probably end up in the same town if I bought a garage, if I started building my own cars etc. So I needed to do something that was different. Something where I could jump in at the deep end. It was my brother that said, ‘go and do the music you’ve been doing every night in your little studio in your little shed’. So I did! So then I studied all my music theory and got into Leeds College of Music so… So being stood in that garage with Ferrari [at the Grand Prix] was a bit like, it was very sentimental, because I was there performing, at the Grand Prix, and it was the first time I’d realised my cars and my music had come back together and it felt amazing. I felt like a child again!"
