“When I was in Miike Snow,it was always like,‘The critics,what are they going to say?’ Because you’re sticking your neck out and you’re being so vulnerable when it’s just you,” Wyatt says. “But when you’re doing it for a character in a film,especially if it’s a comedy,it’s a lot of fun because you can still use all your musical skills but the pressure is off it being your identity or,like,how are people going to judge you as an artist. There’s such a freedom to it.”
At 52,Wyatt’s a musical journeyman. As an 18-year-old,in a jazz program at Manhattan’s New School,he was in a band with super-producer Greg Kurstin (Adele) and Michael Tighe and Parker Kindred,who later played in Jeff Buckley’s band (Wyatt also used to open for Buckley during his coffeehouse years). He’s recently teased a solo return. It would be his first album under his name since 2016’siii (he released its first singleBeyond the Pale in June). But Wyatt’s mostly known as a superstar gun for hire,writing and producing for major pop stars such as Bruno Mars (he co-wrote Mars’ smash,Grenade) and Dua Lipa.
The freedom that comes from writing behind a character like Ken,is that the same thing that appeals to him about working behind the scenes with pop stars as well? “I don’t know about that,” says Wyatt,“because I think when you’re working for other people,especially for big stars,there’s even more pressure because you’ve got this insane fan base that can get very,very mad at us if you’re involved in doing something they don’t want you to do.”
Like other major figures in the hit-making machine,say,Ryan Tedder andBenny Blanco,the demands of Wyatt’s day job can get intense. “With some artists,like Dua Lipa,what you’re really getting into is this thing of shaping the future of what music can sound like,” he says. “That part of the process can be painful,because you don’t really know what the music of tomorrow is yet.”
He’s been feeling the pressure with Dua Lipa lately,contributing to her new album,perhaps 2024’s most anticipated pop release. “But you have to push forward because at this point in her career,anything else is going to be disappointing for people. She has all the momentum in the world,and she’s got the talent and the taste and the ability to know what’s right for her,and that’s one of the greatest things I experienced working with her – you’re not afraid to take risks with her because she trusts herself.
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“The thing is,” he adds,“you can’t write for critics and you can’t write just to please fans exclusively. You have to take it upon yourself to just be the artist and move things forward,even if you do also feel all the time,like,what if it’s misunderstood?”
The unlikely success ofI’m Just Ken is testament to that.
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