‘MARK WAS A GREAT MUSICIAN AND JUST A WONDERFUL SOUL, IT’S VERY SAD’

Hitmaking songwriter Toby Gad has worked with everyone from Beyoncé to Madonna and says the late Script guitarist Sheehan was a ‘wonderful, peaceful soul’.

SUPERSTAR music producer and songwriter Toby Gad has spoken of his sadness upon learning of the death of Mark Sheehan of The Script. Grammy award winner Gad, who has worked with everyone from Madonna to Beyoncé he wrote and produced her smash hit, If I Were A Boy - had collaborated with The Script to co-write and produce a batch of their songs.

“I had many records with The Script, including Dare You To Doubt Me, which I wrote with Danny and Mark. It was very sad that Mark passed. What a great musician and just a wonderful, peaceful soul,” Toby tells the Sunday World as we chat by Zoom from his home in Los Angeles.

“The Script are great songwriters and musicians. We wrote 12 to 14 songs working together several times in London and at my studio here in Los Angeles. Danny and I also went surfing in Malibu, which is a very nice memory. Living in California I do a lot of stand up paddle boarding and surfing and kite surfing. I really enjoy the ocean a lot.”

Pop artist Gad, who has just released a new single, Oh Lord, with Pixie Lott, has also been to Dublin to work with Gavin James. “Gavin is underrated, he’s such a great singer and has got such a great voice… I could listen to that voice all day,” Toby says.

“We haven’t released anything yet, but I worked with him for two days in his studio. He showed me around some of the pubs and we drank some Guinness, which tastes incredible. I grew up in Bavaria in Germany, beer country. I never liked beer, but the Guinness has something.”

In the third quarter of 2014, Gad, who co-wrote John Legend’s global smash All Of Me, was ranked the number three

songwriter in America by Billboard, behind Ryan Tedder and Pharrell Williams. “I still have that plaque from Billboard magazine… that was an honour,” he says.

“But at the time I just wanted more and more. I was going full steam ahead at an unsustainable pace. Now, looking back at it, I feel like I should have enjoyed it a little bit more. I was pushing so hard… maybe that’s why I accomplished all that.

“It was music, music, music non-stop and I neglected my wife and my family. I have two daughters and I almost never came home for dinner. I was not a very good dad. I vowed to change that around 2015 and spend more time with the family.”

Looking back on his time recording with Madonna, who has a reputation for being difficult to work with, Toby admits: “I had five weeks with Madonna and the first week was very challenging and difficult. There were rumours going around that if you did the wrong thing then she would leave for the bathroom and someone would come in and say, ‘Here is your ticket and you’ve got five minutes, she

doesn’t want to see you anymore.’

“We challenged each other the first week. I felt Madonna could sing a little better and try harder. I pushed her so hard and we were shouting at each other and at some point I did not get booted out. I think she accepted me because I really just wanted to get great music and finish things and we got there.

“Later, when she was in the studio working with Diplo, Madonna called and said, ‘Come back because you finish things and we can’t get stuff finished.’ If I am in the studio with someone, the only thing that matters is that we come out with a song that makes a difference. Everything else disappears… the fact that it’s someone is famous all that goes away. All that matters is that a song comes out that means something and that we can be proud of.”

Gad, who has also had hits with Nicole Scherzinger, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, the Black Eyed Peas, The Veronicas, Jessie J and many more, also recalls how Beyoncé ended up recording his song, If I Were A Boy.

“I was booked to work with her for five days in Jay-Z’s studio in New York,” Toby remembers. “The first two days she didn’t show up and then the third day she came in briefly gave me a few songs and left again. She played me Single Ladies and it’s always great if you hear an unreleased hit the first time. That song blew me away.

“The next day she came and said, ‘OK Toby, now I’m ready to write.’ I started playing her some songs that I had already. The first song I played was, If I Were A Boy, and she said, ‘Play that again!’ I played it again and she stood up and said, ‘Toby, you won’t believe this, but I want to record the song right now. “Luckily I had all the files with me, we recorded it, and two hours later I had finished the recording for her vocal. Later on she performed it at the Grammys and did a six minute rendition of the song with 50 soldiers, it was a big event.

“How she performed it really showed how much that meant to her. I was very proud of that.”

■ TOBY Gad’s new single, Oh Lord (featuring Pixie Lott) is now available on all digital platforms.

Gavin James showed me around some of the pubs and we drank Guinness. I never liked beer but Guinness has something!