Naughty Boy Discusses William Orbit, Madonna And (Not Working With) Britney Spears: Watch

Robbie Daw | November 8, 2013 8:24 am

Super songwriter/producer Naughty Boy (Emeli Sande‘s Our Version Of Events) came this close to having a hand in Britney Spears‘ upcoming LP, Britney Jean, but a funny thing happened, which prevented him from taking part: His own single “La La La” became a global smash, topping the charts in various parts of Europe — including Naughty Boy’s home of the UK — and placing in the Top 10 in others.

“I was working on some stuff with William Orbit, who was working on the Britney stuff,” Naughty Boy, whose real name is Shahid Khan, explained during a stop by Idolator’s studio this week. “I haven’t done anything for [Britney Jean]. It was more a thing where I wasn’t able to come to L.A. at the time…because I was promoting ‘La La La’ around the world.”

“La La La,” which features vocalist Sam Smith, is slated for a full US release in early December.

Naughty Boy went on to express his admiration for Grammy winner Orbit by noting, “I think I was more excited about the William Orbit bit than the Britney, to be honest, because the Ray Of Light album, Madonna, is my favorite Madonna album, and he did that.”

Incidentally, we tend to think Ray Of Light is a pretty great album, too!

Watch part of our interview with Naughty Boy above, and stay tuned to Idolator to see more from our chat with the talented producer.

Get an eyeful of even more pop music coverage, from artist interviews to exclusive performances, on Idolator’s YouTube channel.