Nothing compares, according to an award-winning songwriter who has collaborated with the likes of Gary Barlow, Boyzone, Celine Dion, and Aretha Franklin, to the Spice Girls.
Spice Girls fever was at its peak in the nineties, and there was one person right in the middle of it all. Step forward songwriter Elliot Kennedy.
The writer who is best pals with Gary Barlow and has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Celine Dion, was on hand when the iconic girl group took the world by storm. The co-writer of their hit tune Say You’ll Be There from their debut album, Spice, has admitted there was one thing he sometimes struggled with with the group – containing them.
However, he admitted this wasn’t a bad thing and simply showed the true personality of a band destined for success. Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Elliot said “nothing compares” to the Spice Girls, made up of Melanie B, Victoria Beckham, Melanie C, Emma Bunton and Geri Halliwell.
Elliot remarked, “They literally crashed at my house.” Before they had a manager, the pair were transitioning from the man who had the group together, who was obviously a visionary in his own right, and we assisted in his transition to Simon Fuller.
But they were fantastic and amazing girls. Because they were moving a million miles per hour, keeping the energy within the scale was the most challenging task.
They had so many ideas, which was fantastic for a songwriter. Working with them has left me with nothing but wonderful memories. They crashed at my house, as I’ve already mentioned, and we just became like family. It’s wonderful that they left and made a world change. Being a part of that wave was remarkable, profoundly impactful, and life-affirming in all ways.
I have a lot of respect for all of them because they were and continue to be fantastic people. They put in incredibly long hours and deserved everything. It was wonderful to be a part of, and it was charming, funny, and crazy.
Elliot also revealed how close he and Gary Barlow are, and how they are currently producing theatrical productions. We communicate regularly and collaborate constantly, he said. He is one of my closest friends and collaborators, and we continue to work together, I suppose. We’re still laughing and laughing, and we’re in the best of friends in the first place.
Elliot acknowledged that the two people’s thinking is very similar. He added that Gary is “just a big, regular guy” and that there is more to him than meets the eye. He is a strong husband and a great father. And he boasted that he is a truly excellent friend beyond music.
Elliot also revealed that Gary was supposed to sing the Relight My Fire vocals, but that he was denied that the producer had the wrong key because of it. And he claims that this inspired him to co-write Everything Changes for the boys, which Robbie sang and which reached number one on the writer’s 25th birthday, living up to his own dream.
After reminiscing, Elliot also praised exciting rising band Apollo Junction after they approached him for their latest tune titled Entangled. The Yorkshire-based band who have also had a hit with Beautiful South singer Briana Corrigan wrote the song with the award-winning hitmaker and Elliot praised them for what he called was a “clever move”.
He acknowledged that Apollo Junction is an excellent illustration of how arbitrary my life is. I’m writing musicals while recording with The Overtones, Alfie Boe, or whatever, and then completely out of the blue when Jamie from the band contacts me.
Although they are only from down the road, I rarely do this. But I figured I should try this for whatever reason.
He explained the instantaneous connection he made after meeting them and said, “It was really clever when they told me that they had realized they needed their songs to be better when they had last performed on the Isle of Wight stage.” They remarked, “We need a signature.”
And I just said, “You know what, many bands don’t work that out,” I guess. He explained his diverse roster of stars that he has collaborated with, including Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin, and Boyzone, and how proud he is of helping others get that distinctive sound.
It was a really clever move, a really adept move, for a band who write their own material and suddenly realize they need someone to do this for a living.
Elliot will also release a number of other exciting tunes as well as his stage play, as well as his most recent album, Apollo Junction, on August 22.
