Such A Good Feeling with Steve Anderson

Joanna Woodward has without doubt one of the finest female voices I’ve ever worked with , on top of that she is an established West End leading lady with roles in " The Time Travellers Wife" and "Beautiful" amongst others , a cabaret legend and also a bonafide superhero. Her incredible honesty in opening up about mental health and personal family situations has helped so many people and above it all she continually shines , brighter than ever to the complete wonder and joy of every audience member lucky enough to be watching her.

I hope you enjoy it and if you do please follow/like the podcast to hear all previous episodes and make sure you don't miss out on the amazing ones to come. Thank you for listening.

Martyn Ware is one of the true pioneers of electronic music both as a founding member of The Human League , Heaven 17 and British Electric Foundation. He’s also a highly respected producer with credits including Tina Turner, Terence Trent D'arby and Erasure and most recently a revered podcaster with his brilliant “Electronically Yours” series. I've admired his work tremendously from an early age discovering the League's early work like "Being Boiled", Dave Seaman and I remixed "Temptation" as Brothers In Rhythm in the 90s and we were lucky enough to have Heaven 17 perform at 80s Classical recently so this was such an honour for me to talk to him. Hope you enjoy.

More info at https://martynwareofficial.co.uk

If you enjoy this podcast please like/follow and catch up with previous episodes including Mark Feehily, Claire Richards, Stephen Lipson, Karen Poole and Biff Stannard. Thanks for listening.

Join me, Larry Flick (Vero) and Lee Bennett (Teases And Dares Blog) as we pick our choices of incredible new artists to watch out for in 2024. Hope you find some in here that you love and let us know your recommendations as well!

Please check out all previous episodes of #SuchAGoodFeeling on Apple and Spotify and thanks for listening.

Myself. Lee Bennett (Teases and Dares) and Larry Flick (Vero) pick our favourite songs from 2023 - hope you enjoy!

Todays guest is without doubt one of the most original songwriters of her generation , with a career spanning dancer, artist, iconic songwriter with Xenomania for artists including Girls Aloud, Sugababes and Pet Shop Boys and now musical theatre writer with the incredible Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World opening later this year  , This makes her the most perfect person to talk about the moments that made all that possible. So please welcome , pop royalty , Miranda Cooper.

After being critically acclaimed and universally loved as one of the UK's finest soul voices and following on from a Grammy nominated David Foster production duetting with Celine Dion on 'When I Fall In Love" from "Sleepless In Seattle" Clive Griffin withdrew from being an artist. 30 years later he's back to tell his story and celebrating his three incredible albums finally available on all streaming platforms now. From humble beginnings at stage school , through being discovered by maestro Richard Niles and onto a catalogue of much loved material including the classic "I'll Be Waiting". Clive talks about his love of incredible musicians , supporting Eric Clapton, finding audio treasures in his loft (soon to be released) , his struggles but most of all his joy and love of everything he achieved. As well as producing his third album for Sony, he's my truly wonderful friend and I hope you enjoy listening to him talk as much as we did recording this.

Listen to Clive's albums here https://open.spotify.com/artist/7piYJtFSV6vtj2pK5TyHJI?si=8xYjzdBfT6GGic25whMR-Q

I always love talking to producers and Mike Spencer is one of the very best with an incredible history of superbly made records for a wide variety of artist from Gabrielle Aplin and Tom Walker to Kylie and Zara Larsson. He’s also responsible for so many of my favourite records of all time including "Heaven" by Emile Sande, "Spinning Around" by Kylie, "Salvation" by Gabrielle Aplin and the truly epic "Once" for Diana Vickers. We speak about all of these and more including how he got his first breaks as part of UK Dance act Definition Of Sound through to how he works at his incredible studio "The Larks Tongue" which is now entirely self sufficient as an energy source and home to ducks, geese and most recently otters (which we also talk about in a SAFG first!). It was such a joy chatting to him and I loved every minute of this episode , hope everyone enjoys the stories and truly inspiring journey of one of our true production gems from the UK.

You can find out more about Mike and his incredible studio here https://thelarkstongue.com/mike-spencer

Once again I am joined by pop royalty Larry Flick (Vero/Sirius/Billboard) and Lee Bennett (Teases and Dares Blog) to talk about a period of time that is having quite the renaissance right now, the golden era of 2000-2010 as we uncover some hidden gems and sometimes overlooked classics. It's always so much fun doing this and hopefully it will bring back some lovely memories or inspire you to seek out something you are hearing for the first time. I really hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did making it and please do follow #SuchAGoodFeelingPodcast to hear more gems and wonderful interviews with incredible creative humans who all have had those magic moments when the smallest thing changed everything for them.

I love talking to remixers as its where I started out so it was wonderful to chat to the  brilliant Jon Dixon who has worked as a remixer as part of Almighty and 7th Heaven working with artists including, Cher, Steps, Kylie, Barry Manilow, Ariana Grande,, Whitney Houston, Britney Pet Shop Boys and Donna Summer. He’s also an acclaimed producer and long time collaborator for the fabulous Jane Mcdonald working on albums and TV shows with her. We talk about his process including a step by step approach to creating a remix from scratch and reminisce about the very limited technology we both started out using and how sometimes having less options can be very inspiring. Really hope you enjoy this as much as I did recording it.

For more on Jon https://www.7hproductions.com

Sarah deCourcy is living proof of how taking chances and change can be transformative. Already a successful producer/writer/musician she decided to pursue her dream of being an in demand film , tv and now game composer by packing up her London studio and moving to LA 3 years ago.  A move that has paid dividends with huge success.  She's worked with world class artists including Kylie, Little Mix and Christophe Willem as well as countless film and TV credits alongside being the first woman to score music for the Far Cry Ubisoft Game Franchise. We talk here about her her journey from child piano prodigy through studying at the Royal Academy Of Music and how discovering synths and falling in love with studios paved the way for an incredibly successful career driven by a passion for music and unflinching determination.

More on Sarah here https://www.sarahdecourcy.com

Lucinda Allen represents everything this podcast is about in that in the work she does, helping people attain life changing moments with her guidance as a world class vocal coach both in performance and technique. She’s worked with Grammy award winning recording artists to new artists and singers with a unique approach that is so warm and personal it always achieves incredible results. From breath work , vocal warmups and tips for relieving performance anxiety plus the moment she realised her vocation was in being a vocal 'detective' to help people figure out how to get the most of out of their singing and often take it to levels they could never have dreamed of. I hope you enjoy this and if so please check out the other episodes.

For more please visit https://www.voiceunlocked.com

So happy to welcome simply one of the finest singers in the world to the podcast. As a part of Westlife, Mark Feehily has sold over 55 million records , 11 number one albums and 16 number one singles and played to millions worldwide including the 2022 sold out show at Wembley Stadium. He has also recorded a solo album , a Christmas EP, appeared as Robobunny in The Masked Singer and is one of the most endearing and kindest people I know and have the honour of calling a friend. I spoke to him on the eve of Westlife's trip to Asia where he is rejoining the band after having to miss some of the UK "Wild Dreams" shows due to a short illness. Thankfully he's fighting fit now and talks here about growing up on a farm and discovering Mariah Carey who years later he would end up duetting with and supporting at The O2 Arena. Hope you enjoy our chat!

It was such a delight to catch up with a true visionary , someone whose iconic work is revered, marvelled at and very often imitated. Even though his medium is visual everything he does begins with music whether it be through his work with artists including Kylie , Garbage, Britney Spears and The Killers . Here we talk about his roots in Manchester , how the lure of Vivienne Westwood brought him to the bright lights of Soho and the moments that changed everything for him. Also the friends and mentors that helped along the way including the much missed and loved genius Alan Macdonald. So its so wonderful to welcome creative director, designer , film director and my wonderful friend for over 25 years, William Baker.

Just to note - this episode was recorded during the renovation of his new shop https://www.instagram.com/25londonroad/ so please excuse some sound anomalies, people were sanding and knocking walls down. Also it was recorded before we sadly lost Dame Vivienne Westwood who had such a huge impact on Will's life and creative journey , she is very much missed.

Join myself , Larry Flick (Vero/Billboard) and Lee Bennett (Teases and Dares Blog) as we choose our favourite new artists to watch out for this year. As always its an eclectic diverse mixture from three people who love discovering new music and sharing it with the world! Hopefully you'll find artists you'll love too and please follow/stream them if you do. 

Also please follow/like/comment if you enjoy this podcast and you can find all other episodes streaming now including interviews with incredible creatives about the moments that changed everything for them including Claire Richards, Richard X, Stephen Lipson , Karen Poole and Biff Stannard.

For the final episode of 2022 you are welcome to join myself and Larry Flick (Vero/Billboard) and Lee Bennett (Teases And Dares Blog) for a recap of a year of some truly incredible music with each of us picking our 5 favourites. We have a shared love of discovering new artists and songs , very often taking a lot of searching to find the gems but always worth it! If you like the sound of any of them please do check out the incredible artists featured here and support them.

Find Lee at https://teasesanddares.wordpress.com

Find Larry at https://www.instagram.com/larry_flick/

And find all episodes of this podcast at https://linktr.ee/suchagoodfeelingpodcast

The truly brilliant and impossibly talented Rachel Ferner started off as a performer but soon found her calling in writing songs with and for other artists including Little Mix, Craig David , Steps , Birdy and Natalie Imbruglia. Her attention to detail and emotional connection within her songs is impeccable and her choices are always beautifully made. Here she talks about how her early experiences as an artist have helped her connect with other artists and co writers from the truly epic 'Secret Love Song" through to masterpieces including "Lighthouse" with Birdy , "Nobody Knows" with Jazz Morley and he truly exquisite new solo project The Butterfly Effect. I absolutely adore her writing and it was so wonderful to spend time with her for this .

More on Rachel here https://www.instagram.com/rachel.furner/?hl=en

And playlist of her work here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EFTsl7VsKRhPb?si=e74adfd7f91544f7

Paul Dakeyne is a pioneer of remixing and megamixing and pretty much a huge reason why I have a career.  From his legendary creations for the DMC DJ Only mix albums from the late 80s onwards his masterpieces inspired a generation of producers to experiment in the studio and left them baffled as to how he could achieve the results with what was then limited technology culminating in his 'epics' series . He took me on as his apprentice around 1990 and I watched and learned everything I could as he worked on groundbreaking remixes of everything from Yazoo, Expose, Yello, The Jets , James Brown and Take That and later on his own projects including Tinman.

His roots as a DJ and love of electronic music has formed the basis of an incredible 40 year career and he is still entertaining a captive audience with his streams on Twitch and work with music technology companies. 

The kindness and belief he showed in me at such an early age is something I will treasure forever as much as I do our friendship. He is a true maverick whose influence on music creation is undeniable. 

I absolutely loved this chat with my good friends and incredible singers Adetoun Ayoola and Katie Holmes Smith who collectively have performed background vocals for the biggest stars in the world including Adele, Kylie, Robbie Williams and Ed Sheeran. They started their incredibly successful venture The Vocal Code to try and find new talent to bring forward into the music industry and through a series of auditions have been responsible for putting some amazing talent into key roles with artists and nurturing them through the process.

I’ve been lucky enough to be part of these auditions on the panel and the quality is second to none. They also have their own podcast Vocal Code Unlocked which is an incredible source of information from some of the best experts in the world. And more recently they have opened up a new section of the site exclusively aimed at finding virtual recording solutions for backing vocals delivering world class sessions.

Hearing this two incredible women talk about how they got their breaks and choosing to share their experiences to help others is truly inspirational - enjoy!

More on Vocal Code at  https://www.vocalcode.co.uk

More on Adetoun at https://www.adetounofficial.com

More on Katie at http://www.katieholmes-smith.com

Another special edition of the podcast where I speak to pop aficionado's Larry Flick (Vero/Billboard/Sirius XM) and Lee Bennett (Teases And Dares Blog) about their choices of hidden gems , this time we are back to the 80s complete with espadrilles , white jackets and some truly amazing music! See if you can guess the songs before we reveal them and please hunt them down if you are unfamiliar - every one is a true diamond.

More on Larry https://vero.co/site/newsroom/my-vero-larry-flick

Lee's Blog https://teasesanddares.wordpress.com

Having worked in studios after being in bands growing up, Pete Hammond found himself at the centre of The Hit Factory mixing and remixing hit after hit for Stock/Aitken/Waterman and developing his trademark sound that is still in demand for current artists and records. Here we talk about his journey from making reggae records , building studios and of course classics by Kylie, Rick Astley , Take That, Donna Summer , Mel & Kim and so many more as well as his epic remixes for Tracie Spencer, Velvet and Alphabeat and even the phenomenon that was , Roland Rat! 

More on Pete here http://www.petemixmasterhammond.com

Spotify playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Po4JZSBR7AaXEoKJX2Lww?si=d4b4190be9464ec2

From an apprenticeship in bands and a studio making karaoke tracks (which came in very useful later) , writer and producer Jez Ashurst has been part of some of the finest moments in modern pop music including "Secret Love Song" (Little Mix) , "Favourite Ex" (Maisie Peters) and the Christmas classic "One More Sleep" (Leona Lewis). Alongside this he's worked with artists including Tom Walker (who was originally his student when he taught at music colleges), Tom Grennan, Gabrielle Aplin, Claire Richards and Ella Henderson.

Here he talks about how he found himself at his first writing camp with Carole King and his time working on Biff Stannard's music team for the X Factor plus some incredible insights into the writing process and his continued love of being in rooms with talented people making records.

More on Jez here https://www.karmaartists.co.uk/talent/jez-ashurst/

Without doubt one of the best singers the UK has ever produced, Nicole Simpson (aka Red) is a Scottish force of nature having grown up listening to divas including Whitney and Christina and trying to emulate them she's forged her career through social media platforms gaining an army of fans ready for her own music which she's released over the last couple of years. From two stints on the X Factor both learning processes in their own way, to uploading a YouTube video of her singing "Never Enough" from The Greatest Showman which not only got noticed by its original singer LOREN ALLRED but also provides her with an opportunity to travel the world singing it at some incredible weddings for some very lucky brides!

Her original EP is out shortly and her collaboration with the exceptionally talented producer Rob Eckland "Together's As Good As Alone" from his "Beyond The Lights" EP (out now) gives her the opportunity to showcase everything she's learned on a truly epic Whitney style gospel ballad and arguably the best vocal you will hear this year.

I couldn't be more proud of her and everything she's achieved , this is only the beginning too - hope you enjoy this wonderful chat and please check out her music in the links.

https://www.instagram.com/itsredredred/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0zr3lEdAVIcvw08DqEMsNh?si=rRpro5VsQP6L23lsnF-o8w

https://open.spotify.com/track/3LnXayot03C7PXpyoV7Bwp?si=5759287f22994bc3

There are so many times I hear a song that I instantly fall in love with then find out it was written by Fiona Bevan. I describe her to people as 'magical' , her lyrics are poetry and her melodies are divine plus that truly angelic voice on her solo material is perfection. Here she talks about growing up in a house without pop music but finding inspiration in books and movies to forming a band and that moment  when she called her friend Ed Sheeran to try a co-write which ended up being "Little Things" covered by One Direction a year later and one of their biggest and best records.

From then on it's been a fine balance of writing with and for other artists including Steps, Aurora, Billie Marten , Claire Richards, Natalie Imbruglia and Kylie alongside releasing her own superb EP's and albums culminating in the current project "Faultlines" and "Revelations" which see Fiona producing herself and with breathtaking results.

You can probably tell I absolutely adore her and I know you will too after listening to this episode - please do check out her songs and original material too especially "We Carry On" by Peter Greenwald which encapsulates beauty in a way rarely captured in a piece of music. 

Website https://fionabevan.co.uk

Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EFIk3cz5XarjV?si=58c2b20c8da244ba

After initially meeting during their apprenticeships at PWL with Stock/Aitken/Waterman working on so many classic records including for Kylie, Bananarama and Jason Donovan  , Barry and Jules went on to become one of the most successful producer/remixer/writer partnerships working with the best pop acts in the world including Steps (producing their latest 3 albums including "Scared Of The Dark", "Heartbreak In This City" and "Something In Your Eyes") , Little Mix , Sophie Ellis Bextor, The Saturdays, Rachel Stevens, Demi Lovato and Britney Spears firstly as Jewels & Stone and then The Alias . Here they talk about the inspirations and love of early electronic music plus how the partnership works in the studio and just how that "Pop Idol" theme came about with Cathy Dennis. 

More here http://www.thealiasmusic.com

From his beginnings working as an assistant for Giorgio Moroder to joining forces with him and Donna Summer to write and produce her biggest hits, Pete Bellotte is partly responsible for the soundtrack to so many peoples lives including "I Feel Love" , "Love To Love You Baby" and "Hot Stuff". Here he talks about his beginnings in a group which led him to moving to Germany where his life changed forever. Alongside the many albums with Donna he has written and produced for Elton John, Janet Jackson and the disco classic "Giving Up Giving In' by The Three Degrees.

Such a privilege to spend time with him after us initially meeting up a while ago and just the most wonderful man with a love of music and the process of making it that is still as strong today as it ever was.

More on Pete here http://www.petebellotte.com

More on Donna here https://donnasummer.com

More on Giorgio here https://www.giorgiomoroder.com

Another special episode speaking with the brilliant Larry Flick (Billboard/Sirius XM/Vero) and Lee Bennett (Teases And Dares Blog) about some of our favourite hidden gems whether they be songs, albums or artists that may not have quite got the attention they deserved over the years we shine a light on them in the hope more people might discover the wonder within. 

Episode playlist here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2vYUl01Srvuhocl3NLtROq?si=e3a3b07370ab4b15

More on Larry at https://www.instagram.com/larry_flick

Teases And Dares Blog https://teasesanddares.wordpress.com

Paul Wright is someone who literally knows all about good feelings as he is able to help people access them in his role as Clinical Hypnotherapist for PhobiaGone. But he started out as an engineer at Sarm West Studios working on classic albums including "Faith" by George Michael and "Welcome To The Pleasuredome" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. He talks here about his first ever session when he was training on night reception when he ended up being part of the Band Aid recordings. Our history is very linked though as he was responsible for recording and engineering the majority of Brothers In Rhythm productions and remixes including "Confide In Me" by Kylie along with the album that it was part of, "Nobody Else" album with Take That (including "Never Forget") and our work with icons including Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Sting and David Bowie. 

He talks here about how he got into studios , his constant passion to learn how things work which led him onto studying to see how neuroscience affects human behaviour and eventually a decision to change his career path completely and focus entirely on helping people overcome their fears and anxieties.

He has helped so many people and discusses here how life changing one off therapy can be not only affordable but make the biggest differences to peoples lives, sometimes actually saving them in the instance of someone having a fear of needles and not being able to take serious tests.

I can't recommend him or his practise highly enough and have so much gratitude for everything he brought to our team when we were at Sarm West.

More on Paul here https://www.phobiagone.com

Currently part of the incredible Woman To Woman project with Beverley Craven, Julia Fordham and Rumer , Judie Tzuke is not only one of the finest writers the UK has ever produced but also has one of the most distinctive voices full of warmth and believability. Here she talks about her beginnings writing poems which turned into songs forming the basis of her albums initially signed to Elton John's label with whom she toured with - yes that famous US show where he dressed as Donald Duck. Her seminal classic "Stay With Me Til Dawn" sounds as beautiful today as it ever did with its signature string arrangement by legend Paul Buckmaster. 

I have been lucky enough to write with her on songs I count to be my very best including "If (When You Go)" (recorded both by herself and with Beverley and Julia for the project) which has the loveliest story behind it and "Maybe This Christmas" with the truly breathtaking Harriet as well as writing classics with Lucie Silvas, Tom Baxter, Morcheeba and BT . She also talks about her battle with stage fright and how losing her voice on a show became the remedy for it as well as how surviving cancer and Covid have made her more fearless than ever. I've said it before, she's an angel, like a real life one. She's changed so many peoples lives, is always helping and nurturing new talent and continues to be one of my favourite writers and humans. I absolutely adore her and know you will too after listening to this. 

More on Jude here https://www.tzuke.com 

Woman To Woman Live Album https://open.spotify.com/album/0MN8WGGOEwpBwLQ7VG53We?si=8e14ff067e174556

From his beginnings as mash up king under the moniker Girls On Top , Richard X is now one of the most in demand producers working with artists including The Human League, Sugababes, Kelis, Annie and as a long time collaborator with Will Young. I caught up with him at his home studio to hear some of the magical moments that helped him along the way including tales of buying compilations in jumble sales and a love of 90s rave anthems!

More on Richard here http://blackmelody.com

On the 25th Anniversary of George Michael's classic "Older" album I catch up with the truly brilliant Johnny Douglas about the incredible story behind how he ended up producing tracks from that record and their collaborative partnership beyond it. Also amazing tales of an abandoned solo artist dreams leading to figuring out how to work a studio and producing/writing for so many superb artists including Kylie, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Louise, Eternal , All Saints and Sugababes and as always some wonderful memories of working at Sarm West including how every Thursday night we would all huddle around the TV to watch TOTP usually with the artists that were featuring on it!.

More on Johnny here https://www.instagram.com/johnnydouglasproductions/

And listen to his work here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1jt0UA1BA7ev63xbCA6nnR?si=dd7eb9da15594932

Follow the podcast and more links here https://linktr.ee/steveandersonproducer

The two people that encouraged me to do this podcast in the first place join me to share our Top 5 songs from 2021 and a few extras as well!

With Larry Flick (Sirius XM/Billboard/Vero) https://getvero.app.link/JU3SjoDkpjb?_p=c1143edc990762eeeb1b90f8ee

Lee Bennet (Teases And Dares Blog) https://teasesanddares.wordpress.com

Listen to all the songs here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wcsRV0ZTy4Ul5zVq4ETcq?si=1999531b30494925

So wonderful to catch up with one of my favourite songwriters, the truly gifted Jörgen Elofsson, responsible for so many huge songs including "A Moment Like This" and "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)" for Kelly Clarkson, "Sometimes" and "You Drive Me Crazy" for Britney Spears , "Its The Way You Make Me Feel" for Steps , "My Love" for Westlife and so many more. He's worked with Celine Dion, Leona Lewis (including his beautiful song 'Homeless' which he talks about here) , Demi Lovato and was able to achieve the impossible coaxing Agnetha Fältskog back into the studio for the beautiful "A" album. 

His passion for writing and music shines through in this conversation detailing some of his process and how finding the right connection to a song or lyric can come in so many different ways and often when least expected. It's a wonderful story from starting as a solo artist to finding a home at the legendary Cheiron studios alongside Max Martin and Denniz Pop at the height of the Swedish pop world domination. 

More here http://www.jorgenelofsson.com

Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EFBmP1B16bt60?si=946742ae63eb4159

Jamie Hartman is a master craftsman. Part Sam Cooke , part Paul McCartney, in this episode he talks about his origins in Bens Brother, to taking advice from a close friend to let a treasured song be covered by Will Young ("All Time Love"), the incredible story behind how the groundbreaking Brit Award winning song "Human" got to Rag'n'Bone Man and how he managed to coax the legendary Carole King out of writing retirement for the title song of Jennifer Hudson's movie about Aretha Franklin. 

Along with his work with Celeste, Calvin Harris, Lewis Capaldi and Guy Sebastian this episode is full of the most magical moments to inspire any songwriter or fan of music. Plus, he just the loveliest human too.! Enjoy.

Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1EFBRNV9sHzXQv?si=74ff075d23834864

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bensbrother1