David Guetta

It was always going to be tough for David Guetta to top 2009, but he's doing his damnedest to achieve the impossible. He's already picked up a Grammy for last year's 'When Love Takes Over' and produced the brilliant 'Acapella' for Kelis - and now he's releasing single number five from his One Love LP, 'Gettin' Over You', a track which features no fewer than three guest vocalists. As you can imagine, when we heard he was in town, we jumped at the chance for a catch-up.

How would you describe the new single?
"It's one of my more traditional guitar-sounding club tracks - in the vein of 'Love Is Gone'. It's funny because the Black Eyed Peas really loved this song and wanted it for their album, but I told them that I'd already given them 'I Gotta Feeling' and 'Rock Your Body' and said, 'I've got to keep something for myself, you know?!' I've had to sit on the track for ages actually because we're on the same label and they didn't want it going in competition with the Peas!"

It features a whole host of guest artists. How did you get them all involved?
"Even after I refused to let the Peas have it, Fergie was still saying, 'I love that track!' So I said, 'If you still want to do it, then we'll do it together'. I wanted to keep Chris Willis on there because I've been working with him since the beginning. I'm pleased for him actually, because Fergie's obviously huge and this will bring more attention to him. He's the best singer on the planet."

In the video you say you want to record the track in one take - was that really the case?
"No, but that's the dream! The story of the video is essentially what happened to me when I produced 'Feeling' for the Peas. It was my first time working in a big studio and I was so nervous. I was sat in front of some of the most expensive studio equipment I've ever seen and I just thought, 'Wow, I don't know if I can handle this!' As we worked in the studio people kept joining us - people like Pharrell Williams and 50 Cent's manager - and the whole thing basically turned into one big party! I wanted to tell that story in the video."

Are you surprised by your US success, or is it something you've always aimed for?
"It was something we worked on really slowly, because until recently dance music was near-impossible to break into mainstream American radio. What's happening to me right now is a real revolution. I was on the cover of Billboard magazine recently and the tagline said: 'The man who is changing the face of American music'. It's unbelievable."

Do you now make songs specifically for the artist, or do they still fit round your sound?
"I still make what I want to make and it's up to the artist if they want to use it! My creative process is still the same, although I did once make a song specifically for Akon because he's a good friend. I don't like to limit myself - I just have fun making beats. When it's finished, I might suggest which artist it would be good for, but that's usually because an artist's already asked me. I want to see music as a hobby. When you make music for a specific person, it becomes too much like work."

You've just produced Kelly Rowland's new single, 'Commander'. Have you worked on any other tracks for her new album?
"There's another song that I did for her album, and there's one which we've kept back for a while because I think it has the potential to be huge, so we're going to keep working on it for a bit longer. We're good friends now and I'm so thankful to her because she was the first artist from that world to work with me, and it turned out great for both of us! She seems to have found her own identity, and a lot of people are respecting her for that."

How did it feel to win a Grammy for 'When Love Takes Over'?
"It felt great! When I won, I didn't realise how big a deal it was. I was nominated for five, and it was great that they weren't all in dance music categories. That was important for me because dance music shouldn't be left on the side - it should be recognised alongside pop, hip-hop and rock."

Have you had any time to work on your next album yet?
"I've managed to start it. It will have a similar sound to the last one, because working with will.i.am was such a revolution for me. Everyone's trying to do something new - that's every producer's dream - and I think we managed to created something new, so I'll be sticking with this sound for one more album I think."

Any exciting collborations you can tell us about?
"Many! Akon, will.i.am and Kelly Rowland will all feature on it. I've got a big record with Flo Rida on there too. I've given him a very big record for his album, so he's returned the favour!"

Finally, how long does it now take you to put a song together?
"There's no rule, but as an example, 'Sexy Bitch' was recorded in one night. I was performing on stage with Kelly Rowland in Europe and Akon was waiting for me backstage. He said he really wanted to record a track together, but he was flying back to the US at 6am the next morning. We went straight into the studio that night and made the whole song in six hours. Saying that, the new song I've done with Flo Rida took a whole two months, which was exhausting! There are no rules - usually when it's quicker, it's better."

'Gettin' Over You' is released on Monday.