The three things you need to write a song, with Zara Larsson, Nina Nesbitt, Brian Higgins, Darin and Jörgen Elofsson

Music Life

Zara Larsson, Nina Nesbitt, Brian Higgins, Darin and Jörgen Elofsson discuss how important avoiding competition is, how getting dropped from a label affects your self-esteem and the creative process, and how difficult being both a fan of music and a musician can be.

Darin is a Kurdish-Swedish vocalist. He started writing songs at 14 and signed his first record deal at 17. He’s co-written with pop icon Robyn, released 8 albums, set up his own record company, and is now the most played artist on Swedish radio.

Swedish star Zara Larsson is one of the world's biggest pop singers, topping charts in multiple countries. Her third album, Poster Girl, was released back in March.

Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt is known for her bubblegum Pop songs and viral TikTok videos. She’s worked with Ed Sheeran, written for Jessie Ware, and calls Taylor Swift a fan.

Brian Higgins has written major hits for artists like Kylie, Pet Shop Boys, Bananarama and Girls Aloud. He co-wrote Cher’s Grammy-winning hit Believe in 1998, which sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, and won him three Ivor Novello Awards.

And Grammy-nominated songwriter Jörgen Elofsson hass written for Celine Dion and Britney Spears, was behind Kelly Clarkson’s pop anthem Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You) and Will Young’s Evergreen, which became the UK’s fastest selling debut single in its first week.