M magazine Summer 2025

More in this magazine

• YUNGBLUD ✪ADOLESCENCE SANS SOUCIS GLASTONBURY ANTONY SZMIEREK BBC PROMS
• CONTENTSAdolescence: behind the score The making of Brat
• Page 3EP 11
• Page 4'WE HAD TO CREATE A LANGUAGE THAT SUPPORTED THE NARRATIVE BUT DIDN'T GET IN THE WAY OF WHAT YOU'RE SEEING.' - AARON MAY
• SCORING A MODERN MASTERPIECEComposers Aaron May and David Ridley on Adolescence Words: Jim Ottewill
• Page 6'PRS IS INVALUABLE: I'VE NO IDEA HOW WE COULD COLLECT PERFORMANCE ROYALTIES WITHOUT THEM.' - AARON MAY
• Page 7'ADOLESCENCE HIT HARD EMOTIONALLY: I WAS CRYING EVERY OTHER DAY IN THE STUDIO.' - DAVID RIDLEY Projects that have greater contact time with the director are the ones the duo have relished the most. 'We love it when the director is involved in the process, as they tend to act like a filter on the feedback from the executive producers,' David adds. The more direct that relationship, the more streamlined the process is. We've been lucky to work with some brilliant people and production companies for shows on the BBC and Netflix."
• Behind the BratWith its sharp sonic parameters, unfiltered lyrics and a manifesto- driven creative process, Charli Xcx's Brat went on to become a global pop disruptor in 2024. Songwriter- producers Finn Keane and Jon Shave reveal how they worked with the multi-award winning artist to draw the blueprint for future-facing pop music. Words: Laura Molloy
• Page 9
• Page 10'Once you have a set of principles and an ethos in place, then you just work instinctively." -Finn Keane Finn Keane, formerly known as EasyFun, was another key Brat contributor, co-writing and producing sections across the album. Its success in shaping the zeitgeist through moodier, underground dance sounds was, in his view, part of a larger redemptive arc for PC Music, the former collective helmed by Charli's executive producer A. G. Cook.
• Finn KeaneAdopting these strict aesthetic rules, Jon says, paved the way for the album's cohesion and circularity, which saw it operate as an endless DJ mix. 'We're in a world now where, as a producer, you can access any sound of any type and any variety at any time,' he explains. 'It's amazing when someone gives you limitations, because it suddenly unlocks another layer of creativity. It's then about having fun within those parameters.' 'Pop culture is greatest when kids feel like it's their thing that could only happen now, and that's what Brat has really managed to achieve."
• Page 12THE 1113
• Page 13Holls Performing at Glastonbury can shape an entire career. For Nilüfer Yanya, stepping on the West Holts stage this year will mark more than just a return to Worthy Farm - it's a tangible sign of how far she's come as an artist.
• Jalen Ngonda(Photo: James Edmond/Alamy Live News) 'TO HAVE A PROCESS LIKE
• 'GLASTONBURY FEELS LIKEA UNIQUE EXPERIENCE EVERY TIME." - TOM HADFIELD
• CONGRATULATIONSWESTSIDE COWBOY
• 'WE'RE ALWAYS DELIGHTED TO SEE ARTISTS TAKETHAT NEXT STEP AT GLASTONBURY.' STEVE SYMONS Little Simz at Glastonbury Festival 2024 (Photo: Matt Crossick/Empics/Alamy Live News)
• James Frith MPWords: Julia Rowan The Labour MP for Bury North on performing at Glastonbury, protecting copyright and the need for Al regulation.
• Page 19Seven and The Fratellis. So with that insight, I feel a solidarity towards unsigned musicians and new music in general - particularly new music that challenges you. Music definitely needs celebrating and championing, but it also needs protecting and nourishing." Do you think the importance of copyright needs to be more widely emphasised in terms of the vital role it plays in the life of a music creator?
• RedefiningBBC Proms classical. Inside the 'bold and creative BBC Proms of today
• Page 21BBC Proms
• Sam Jackson (Photo: BBC - Tricia Yourkevich)'Every single Proms concert has to be special.' Such statistics will be music to the ears of Sam Jackson, Controller of BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms. Having previously been part of the Royal Albert Hall's on-site production team, he's now in charge of shaping the Proms experience - not just for those in the queue, but for the millions more watching and listening at home.
• POLICE BOXPOLICE BOX 'It's really important to remember the Proms is a broadcast festival - nearly 3.5m people watched Last Night of the Proms in 2024.'
• WELCOME TO THE PRS MEMBERS'COUNCIL 'I'm not here to pen-push
• Page 25Two new faces join the PRS Members' Council this year, each bringing a distinct perspective shaped by their years of experience in music. Cathy Dennis, the award-winning songwriter, producer and publisher behind some of pop's biggest hits, adds a strong creative voice to the table. From the business side, Megan Hall, SVP of Business and Legal Affairs at Concord Music Publishing, offers a deep understanding of rights management and industry policy. Both are united by a shared goal: to advocate for songwriters and help build a more equitable future for music creators.
• AN ICONIN FOUR DIFFERENT DECADES WHY ROBBIE WILLIAMS IS ONE OF OUR GREATEST SONGWRITERS
• Page 27Sometime in the early-to-mid-noughties, Robbie Williams took a very short shower. He was lathering up at his Hollywood Hills mansion where work was underway on Intensive Care, the multi-million selling monster of pop he created in a makeshift bedroom studio with Duran Duran co- founder and cult songwriter-producer Stephen Duffy. 'We kind of jammed up riffs and he'd be singing all the time,' Stephen tells M. 'We were doing something I can't remember what it was; Ghosts or something - and we'd got the structure. He said, "I'm just gonna..." and he went off and had a shower. But halfway through the shower, he came back - still with shampoo in his hair - and started singing the lyrics. I have a picture of this great moment: this man with bubbles in his hair, grasping his Shure SM58 [microphone] and emoting.'
• The 2 Albu Even BeRobbie Williams on stage at T In The Park 1998 (Photo: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert / Alamy Stock Photo) Robbie reached superstardom thanks to 1997's Angels, his multi-platinum fifth solo single. The song is credited to Robbie and Guy Chambers, the songwriting collaborator with whom the former enjoyed a serious purple patch from the late nineties until a fallout in the early noughties. In a bonus DVD packaged with the CD edition of 2005's Intensive Care, Stephen recalled first meeting Robbie on Top Of The Pops in 1996 when the latter was performing his cover of George Michael's Freedom (a pointed choice of debut solo single given his acrimonious split from Take That). Explaining why it had taken them so long to work together, Stephen noted that Robbie had gone on to be in 'the most successful writing relationship since Lennon- McCartney, so one felt a little reticent...'
• Robbie Williams performing at Murrayfield Stadium in 2003(Photo: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Alamy Stock Photo) 'I think what I love most about that period,' says Rufus, 'is that I felt totally safe, accepted and admired by a heterosexual man, and that is something that should really happen more often between the boys.'
• Following I For YouCristale 3.5
• Page 31k 50
• Page 32'I try to make content that's real and authentic to me,' says Flintz. With 219,000 followers on Tik Tok and nearly 80,000 on Instagram, he tries to strike a balance between showing his personality and previewing new music with his posts. 'I'll do maybe a week's worth of recording [music],' he explains. 'The week after, I focus on what content I can make around the tracks I have out at the moment and those I potentially want to tease.' Flintz is aware of the temptation to feed algorithms that favour snappy content and hook-laden tracks, realising that can be a slippery slope. 'I don't want to fall into the trap of constantly making "Tik Tok music," he adds. 'If you've built a good support base around you, [a song] will do what it needs to do - regardless [of] whether it becomes a Tik Tok hit or not.'
• Flintz'I try to make social media content that's real and authentic to me.' - Flintz soundtrack to the countless silly moments that populate Tik Tok. While Thomas insists he's a 'private person' who conducts most of his work behind closed doors, Funny Song's success has become a new 'calling card' of sorts. 'The key takeaway I found with the viral stuff was that if you get it right, it goes mental,' he explains. 'It's actually very hard to replicate Funny Song. I've tried to do other ones just for fun, but it's very hard to reach those heights again."
• Page 34YUNGBLUD
• Page 35The Doncaster-born musician discusses his new double LP, trusting his gut and his role as a festival booker. Yungblud has never been afraid of taking a big swing. The 27-year-old musician, born and raised in Doncaster, is one of Britian's most charismatic young performers with songs that tackle weighty topics: gun ownership in the US; stories of sexual assault; the battle for trans rights; finding yourself in an ever- darkening world. Two UK number one albums - Weird! (2020) and Yungblud (2022) - and a festival in his own name would suggest that his candour has resonated far and wide.
• 'When you get a royalty cheque, that's when it's real.'Even so, Dominic was in danger of falling into a creative rut. When Weird! hit the top spot in December 2020 he began writing material that would feature on Idols, but he was talked out of the project and instead shepherded down a path of safer songs. That resulted in 2023's self-titled LP. 'While there's some really good songs on it, it wasn't the project that I wanted to make,' he admits. The album again took the number one spot in the UK, and landed within the top 50 of the Billboard 200, but Dominic remained dissatisfied. Dominic's outsized Yungblud persona - gobby, chaotic and earnest - was also being weaponised against him by critics and trolls on social media. 'I didn't realise how much being polarising affected me as a songwriter,' he says. 'When I put myself out there and people turned their nose up or questioned me... it led me to self-deprecate a lot. That forced me to hide and push down emotions and to not go on an adventure musically.'
• Page 37'I want to be ambitious with my ideas and my vision.' Dominic wants to provide an alternative in festival culture, but to also use 'my massive platform and give people some opportunities'. Lola's set in 2024 arrived before her global success with hit song Messy, and Dominic is now tipping Rachel Chinouriri - who featured on the 2025 line-up - for similar success in the future. He says he's 'patriotic as fuck' when it comes to British music and feels it's in everyone's vested interests to support the grassroots.
• Lunatraktors10000000 WE ARE CONNECTED BY ONE BREATH
• Words: Charlie CraggsNOAHFINNCE, Jasmine.4.t and more honour the defiant trans artists, agitators and survivors who are inspiring today's creatives. To be trans today is to be under siege. Across the world, governments are rolling back our rights - including here in the UK. In April, the Supreme Court declared that the legal definition of 'woman' rests on biological sex alone, a move condemned as a dangerous regression by trans communities and allies alike.
• Photo: Amy LaufferPrincess Xixi Photo: Whitney Conti
• Branwen MunnSelf-proclaimed 'goth musician and activist' Aeris Houlihan (AKA Witch of the East) hopes that their work will speak to a range of different audiences at this crucial time. 'For cis audiences, I hope my music shakes them awake - consider it a lovingly aggressive wake-up call,' Aeris explains. 'For my fellow trans people, I want my music to be armour; a rallying cry; a glitter-drenched battle anthem. I want them to feel unstoppable, even when the world tells them to sit down and behave. Every bit of outrage only makes us more determined, more creative, and more visible.' Visibility is certainly key. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Branwen Munn points to the impact that Grammy-winning trans musician Wendy Carlos (who composed the scores for The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and Tron) had on her growing up. 'Being a teenager in the eighties and a lover of synths, to discover that one of the pioneers of electronic music was also a trans woman who had successfully transitioned by hook or by crook at a time when it must have been such a challenge - just blows my mind,' she explains. Branwen now hopes that her own music might help 'someone feel just a little bit closer to their own authentic self, whoever they may be'.
• Casper James (Telgate)Aeris (Witch of the East) Castrol
• Page 43'I'm done feeling scared. I'm the most sure of myself I've ever been." - Jocelyn Si Clair Le Couteur of Lunatraktors, meanwhile, points to 2005 Mercury Prize winner Anohni's transition in the public eye as a pivotal moment for the trans community: 'I really can't express how moved I am by her work, her voice, her bravery and her very public transition.' Lunatraktors, Clair adds, are intent on exploring in their work 'how colonialism and dualism go hand in hand, and how systems of oppression are so rooted in binary distinctions, enforcing hard borders on soft territories'.
• CRISPIN HUNT'TOGETHER, WE CAN SHAPE A STRONGER, MORE UNIFIED VOICE FOR THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES' The PRS Members' Council President makes the case for collective power, protecting creators' rights in the age of Al and why a show of unity is key to the industry's future.
• Page 45Of course we want technology to thrive: I've used Grammarly for years to help with my dyslexia and it's brilliant. But while Al as an assistive creative tool is an exciting prospect, Al as replacement poses serious risks not just to our livelihoods, but to the very nature of creative work. For some in the tech world, copyright has long been viewed as a frustrating speed bump. There's this pervasive belief that once something is online, it belongs to everyone - much like the confusion that music can be reduced to data. But music isn't just maths - if it were, every mathematician would be Mozart. I do believe Al will ultimately benefit musicians with tools that will increase productivity and make aspects of our work faster and easier. But we should never have to sacrifice creativity to improve productivity.
• WOMEN IN JAZZPLAYING FOR VISIBILITY From jam sessions to headline shows, female jazz musicians are demanding more space to create and thrive. M meets the artists and organisers striving for equality and reshaping the future of the genre.
• Page 47'PEOPLE ARE DEFINING JAZZ COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY TO WHAT THEY WERE 15 OR EVEN 10 YEARS AGO.' - LOU PALEY 'There was this idea that if we go to a jam session, we're going to be treated badly,' she says. "But as there were a few of us going to these sessions together, that created a kind of unity among us women.'
• A YEAR IN NUMBERS'PRS members have the right to demand their society think differently and challenge the norms in an industry where tradition is too often an excuse for inaction; to constantly evolve to meet their changing needs and expectations. Indeed, it is because we recognise the need to constantly challenge ourselves that we have been able to double the royalties paid to songwriters, composers and publishers in less than a decade." Andrea Czapary Martin CEO, PRS for Music
• Revenue collected in 2024£1.15 billion ₤1.15bn
• Words: Matt CharltonThe Ivor Novello Award-winning artist traces their journey from a small village in northern Italy to joining the top table of songwriters at The Ivors. It's probably fair to say that it isn't standard practice to open a conversation with an artist by describing their acclaimed album as 'frustrating'. But Circumnavigating Georgia, the debut from Sans Soucis (real name Giulia Grispino), defies easy categorisation. Blending disparate genres and influences with deliberate fluidity, it resists tidy description - and that's exactly what makes it so compelling.
• Photo: MahaneelaCIRCUMNAVIGATING Giulia
• Page 52ok VALIDA
• Photo: MahaneelaSpeaking to them a couple of weeks after the ceremony, Giulia still hasn't come down from cloud nine. 'I was really shocked,' they say about the accolade. 'For me, the song represents what I always say is the synopsis of the whole record. The storyline is that I spent most of my life building a glorious theatre, which was a defence mechanism against a society that is really harsh and tries to marginalise.' Do they think that's why this track was highlighted by the Ivors judges? 'The sentiment probably just caught some ears. Maybe some related to that experience of wanting to liberate themselves from a safety that isn't really safety and try to be vulnerable.'
• RAFFERTIEELECTRONIC MUSICIAN TO HOLLYWOOD COMPOSER
• Words: Dan CaveHaving written the score for the Demi Moore-starring body horror The Substance, the classically trained producer tells M about his foray into the world of film composition. Is that the sound of a ship from the future using a body-shaking horn to announce its arrival as it cuts through the night? A haunting caterwaul - of pleasure? Of pain? - relayed through a synthesiser from afar? Or is it the echo of someone dragging a metal zip up the leg of a body-hugging catsuit?
• Page 56DORS THE amaz
• Page 57Indeed, there are clear sonic bridges between Raffertie the electronic musician and Raffertie the composer. Take his 2024 solo single Can't Stop, released on his own Stop Recording Co imprint, which has the same juddering electronic hallmarks as many elements of The Substance soundtrack. 'I used to think of my film work and personal production as discrete disciplines, but it all comes from the same place: one informs the other,' he tells M. 'I'm now much more comfortable doing the film work and then releasing my own music in my way - not least as my sound often lends itself to film!'
• BACK FOR GOODTHE TRIUMPHANT REVIVAL OF NINETIES AND NOUGHTIES GIRLBANDS AND BOYBANDS Words: Gary Ryan
• Page 59BLUE SUGABABES
• GIRLS ALOUDSimilar themes emerge when you ask the songwriting power behind the throne (or stools, in Westlife's case) about the enduring appeal of these pop acts. One such explanation is the rose-tinted yearning for the optimistic hits of a pre-social media era, when pop felt like more of a collective experience, untethered from the discourse or streaming algorithms. For Wayne, the key to the success of nineties boybands was finding universal themes which appealed to the masses. 'Everybody was doing approximately the same love songs, so it was about creating a sound that separated one band from everyone else. For Damage, that was R&B,' he explains. 'We were also writing songs that connected with joint experiences: for instance, Westlife's Flying Without Wings was about our wives.'
• Page 61The gold discs that adorn the walls of Sheffield songwriter Eliot Kennedy's home are evidence of his status as a 'hired gun' for pop artists in the nineties and noughties. Although some of his evergreen hits, such as Five's sole US top 10 hit When The Lights Go Out and Boyzone's Picture Of You (which won him an Ivor Novello Award), were devised quickly and to a brief ('You have to be OK with removing the emotional aspect - you're not necessarily making an artistic statement,' he says), the biggest songwriting lesson he learned was from co-writing the Spice Girls' 1996 global smash Say You'll Be There. 'WHEN YOU'RE YOUNGER, EVERYTHING HAS MORE
• PRS Members' FundInTune IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BAPAM
• Page 63'A lot of people I work with now could be number one in the charts, but they have to have another job as well,' he explains. 'A lot of songwriters and producers therefore take the approach of throwing as much shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. The world is so fast-paced and everybody's writing on laptops, so it's often done and dusted in one day. Is it a hit? No? Then it's on to the next thing.' While that creative period of incubation isn't a hallmark of today's pop songwriting, there are some outliers. 'I'm delighted that there are now more artists like Lola Young and Charli xcx making albums with one producer or writing team,' Miranda notes. 'With that set-up you're able to experiment, and there's an intimacy and safety in that.'
• Words: Sophie WilliamsANTONY The Manchester spoken-word artist on SXSW, breaking into the US and the power of behind-the-scenes support.
• Page 65C. Back in February, Antony Szmierek released his debut LP Service Station At The End Of The Universe - a gleaming, ambitious concept record about spiralling through the tribulations of love, loss and grief, and ultimately accepting the impermanence of life. Having already become a revered figure on the touring circuit, Antony's album has resonated with listeners seeking solace in these increasingly troubling times; his conclusion seems to be that hope is worth fighting for.
• Page 66'We played to nearly entirely American crowds. They were all amazing. I think before performing in the States, you can get stuck in your head and your own perceptions; I was trying not to mention line dancing whenever it came to crowd participation. We played at this dive bar one night, which was great - it felt like being in a film. I think I was worried about some of the niche references in my music: for instance, I thought that singing about the Stockport Pyramid would be lost on some people. 'I think people have different ideas about what SXSW is going to be. Some artists, for example, will aim to get a US agent or radio plugger while they are out there. But I think, as an artist, the most important thing is to remain in charge of what your shows look like, and make sure that everyone [in the crowd] has a good time each night you play. If you do that, then all of those other things will come naturally.
• Page 67'All of this really opened my eyes to what can be achieved with the right support. At the start of this journey, I didn't apply for any kind of funding. It was weird - I thought, "Maybe that [help] isn't for us"; perhaps there was a level of imposter syndrome surrounding it. But as I moved further along in my career and discussed my feelings with other artists, I came to understand that it is a tool that is there to help you. 'I remember when my first PRS royalties cheque came in. I was really skint - I hadn't yet signed to a label. I spent some of it on a takeaway, which sounds ridiculous, but I was a teacher at the time and working very long hours, so it felt like a small victory. Royalty payments helped me to continue to be able to travel down to London for meetings and gigs, so I used them to fund the early stages of my career.
• LIVE AND LOCALWHY THE PUB IS A PIVOTAL PILLAR OF BRITISH MUSIC CULTURE Words: Jim Ottewill
• Page 69HON 0000000
• Snow Patrol the jericho tavernSnow Patrol 'We wouldn't be here without pub venues.'
• HARE & HO INDS KINGS HE'We know what it takes to get gigs off the ground, so we want to help new bands do that.' - Adam Regan people on the street, and it's become a massive part of our calendar. As a result, we've had more people from the LGBTQIA+ community move here as it feels like a safe area. Our club nights that are aimed at this community, like Horse Meat Disco and Homoelectric, always sell out. We're very proud of this, as it shows how safe and inclusive our venue is and the impact it's had." Gullivers in Manchester's Northern Quarter has been closely affiliated with live music for much of its 160-year history. Much like nearby sister venue the Castle Hotel, this lively bar's musical heritage marks it out amid the city's saturated nightlife.
• Page 72IDLES PRS for MUSA
• Words: Elle AyresRag'n'Bone Man Nova Twins
• Black MidiDream Wife RESENTS
• Page 7525 YEARS
• PRS members NOISYPRS for MUSIC CREATED BY MEMBERS.