Collaboration || Dan Smith

One.

𝙃𝙮𝙥𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙚
    - 𝗭𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮 𝗗𝗮𝘆

~ July 16th 2018~

   "What about appetite?" Maisie asks while she tilts her head to the side in intense concentration. I annoyingly shrug while pacing back and fourth. This isn't exactly an ideal collaboration, but I guess my fans are right...Bastille desperately needs a collaboration with a female voice. "Appetite for love?" Maisie looks up for a second with a wide white smile. "Of course..." She shyly whispers whilst tapping her pink pen against the white page of her lyric book. She's old school vintage. No laptops or phones.

   I nod my head, even though I know for a fact that my fans want me to sing about Greek mythology again. I'm going to be responsible for so many teenage girls demises. They have a thing for me...especially when I sing about love. I guess one optimistic song won't hurt anybody...well I hope not anyway.

   I'm secretly hoping that this might be the lead single we're making...

   I stop pacing back and fourth and take time to admire her. I've recently been struggling with what to sing about, I'm like a deer caught in headlights. My mind is completely frozen. As cliché as it probably sounds, all I have to do is think about Maisie...and it's like I know exactly what to write.

   "Is that the title?" my voice trails off as Maisie pulls back her short dark brown hair behind her ears. I love her so fucking much but that title is making me very nauseous. "God no. It's a line" with that I laugh in relief nodding my head. Maisie clearly knows her shit.

   "Imagine me singing a song with that title...fucking hell." Maisie literally rolls her eyes. It's safe to say that my girlfriend is used to my realism. As the room falls quiet I then embarrassingly start to throw random words out. "I've got an appetite for love...some kind of..." nah. That don't sound right.

   I need something which flows nicely.

   I'm not saying that I'm a shit musician...because I'm not. I actually care about what I put out to our fans, everything needs to be perfect. However, after working on so many new songs continuously I need a song which is easy and has rememberable-but-catchy lyrics. I can't have another repeat of Shame or Skulls...that would be embarrassing on my behalf.

   "I've got an appetite for love...this sick fairytale trust..." Maisie specialises in pop. Alternative-pop. She sings about everyday dramas and throws in 'pretty' words like magic or glitter. It makes sense because her target audience are young teenage girls. "We have this...maybe?" I'm trying to make it flow better...

With that Maisie then begins to softly sing. "I've got an appetite for love, we have this sick fairytale trust" it sounds so pretty when she sings it. Maybe this should be her song? I feel like Bastille are a burden...on our own track.

"Dancing till we turn to dust?" She says the line like a question. I on the other hand shrug, I think I'll stick to writing the chorus. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with Maisie's writing progress — because I'm not. I love her old school methods...just two writers and a lyric book alone in a studio. It's that...I'm not entirely comfortable singing about 'pretty' shit.

   "It's not a nursery rhyme." I laugh while I drop to the floor besides Maisie. Her mouth widen's in a 'O' shape looking surprised...I mean...it's true.

After a few seconds pass I then start to feel guilty. Before I can nervously apologise Maisie thankfully bursts into laughter. That's when I decide to be an annoying shit and tease her, "hush little baby don't you cry..." I don't actually know the words so I end up humming the melody of the nursery rhyme.

"Shut up!" Maisie shouts over the top of me. With that I end up laughing. She doesn't deserve me, sometimes I think that she knows she doesn't. My girlfriend doesn't walk away...not like the other ones.

   "Sorry." I settle down while she gives me a scolding look, but she still manages to crack a shy smile. "You have a point. I'm just not in the writing mood today." With that she then rests her head on my shoulder after sighing heavily.

"Why don't we do something...different." I whisper kissing her cheek. "I'm not in the mood for whatever you're thinking about either." Maisie snaps. Which is unlike her - she never snaps. However I can't blame her, she does look tired. We've been in this studio since Saturday...it's now...I do my know what day it is to be honest. However I do know it's afternoon. Maisie then pats me on my thigh, "come on. This single isn't gonna write itself." The amount of effort we as artists put into our music is fucking insane.

Maisie then parts away from me as she goes back to analysing her lyric book. "I've got an appetite for love, we have this sick fairytale trust...trust...love...trust...shit" Maisie then swears to herself in frustration after tapping the book with her pen maniacally.

I know what will cheer her up...even if all of my manliness fades away. "Filled with desire and lust?" With that Maisie stops what she is doing and smiles the widest smile possible.

I think I've impressed her.