Australian artist Kevin Parker, better known as Tame Impala, has become one of the pop world's most sought-after collaborators in recent years, contributing his psych-tinged production chops to music from The Weeknd, Rihanna and Travis Scott.
This year, Parker jumped in the studio with Dua Lipa to shape the sound of her latest album, Radical Optimism, co-producing and co-writing the 11-song project alongside the likes of Danny L. Harle and Tobias Jesso Jr.
In an interview with The Guardian, Parker has opened up about the experience of working with the Grammy-winning pop phenomenon, telling the publication that the pair clicked at their very first studio session and praising the Lipa's down-to-earth attitude.
"The energy Dua creates in her creative space is one of no ego," he says. "We all noticed there were no huge personalities in the room trying to dominate the process. When you speak to other writers, they’ve all got nightmare experiences of people who were too big for the room."
Parker went on to discuss his experiences working with pop artists more broadly, recalling that when he first had the ambition to write music for other artists, he mistakenly believed that "it doesn't matter what you write, because you're not the one saying it."
"I quickly learned that’s not the case," he says. "You still do care about it deeply, but it’s nice to share the burden of making stuff.”
Lipa recently brought Parker out on stage during her headline set at Glastonbury Festival, where he performed his 2015 hit The Less I Know The Better. Parker says he was initially surprised at the invitation: "I remember just being like, ‘Really? Are you sure you want to play my little song during your set of absolute bangers?'"
"The nicest thing about it was that it was Dua headlining Glastonbury, which is something she has wanted to do since she was a kid," he continues. "I felt like I had a seat in someone’s dream that they were living – I was just happy to be a part of it."
Sadly, Parker didn't share any details concerning Telepathic Instruments, the recently-founded music tech company that the artist seems to be involved with in some capacity. While the brand has yet to announce a debut product, they have shared some cryptic teasers on Instagram.
