Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also known as Self Esteem, won the Ivor Novello visionary award this year for her third album, A Complicated Woman. From March she stars in David Hare’s Teeth ’n’ Smiles at the Duke of York’s Theatre, London, for which she has written music and lyrics

Go large — and relatable

A pop song should be inclusive and have a lyric that connects with the listener, and musically it should be big, beautiful and feel passionate. Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) does that: it felt complex and challenging enough for my taste and so fresh, while also having a relatable lyric. Add that level of performance and artistic ability and you get supreme pop.

You can start with words or melody

Some artists start writing a new song by playing chords and singing nonsense — “Scooby dooby doo, turn it, cucumber” — to find a melody. But you can also let the words take the lead: I do.

It’s important to be honest and real in your lyrics. I can get a buzz out of writing a depressing, weird song that still feels “pop” and like it would connect with the listener. I want my songs to be anyone’s story. On Cheers to Me I thought, let’s write a sugary Taylor Swift-style pop song but with horrid lyrics: “The worst idea I had was you” or “When you’re a sucker for a skinny motherf***er”. I’m trying to write music that makes you feel pumped as you go up an escalator, or that you can scream along to, or that’s as close as I can get to being on a football terrace. It doesn’t get better than singing something you really mean to a big, yearny melody.

Traditional structures work

I always say there are no boundaries — do whatever you want — but then I’m pretty trad about things such as song structure. The natural structure of a pop song goes: verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse two (half the length of verse one), pre-chorus, chorus, middle eight (the contrasting bit), chorus.

Don’t neglect the verse

A lot of people say the chorus is the most important element, and I love a big anthemic chorus but verses are my thing. I love to write them and often connect with them more in other people’s songs. So although there’s a pressure on the chorus, verses deserve as much attention.

Save ideas as they come

My iPhone notes is a constant Rolodex of thoughts. I wrote the line “focus is power” years ago — it’s now the title of a song on my latest album. In a studio I’ll start with a beat or chord progression then I’ll go through the Rolodex until I find something that fits. On a good day I can start with one line and have a full song written in an hour.

Musical training is not essential

Too much virtuosic musical talent doesn’t make a good pop song. Just because you can play some obscure chords or a complicated line, it doesn’t mean the song needs it. Having said that, it’s a travesty that I can’t play the piano because it would make things much quicker for me. But I know exactly how a song should go in my head.

When I’ve got to try to explain to other musicians how I want a song to go, it’s horrible at first. My teeth clench — it feels like my trousers are too tight. I explain my musical ideas in colours, or times of the day. Anything, really: the intensity of trying to find something in your bag; how it feels taking your bra off. The thing that keeps me doing music is hearing what’s in my mind become a reality — it’s just the best feeling.

Technology can be your friend

If you can be bothered to figure out how to use it, recording software such as Apple’s GarageBand is really good. I’ve got buddies who make songs on it for fun and it would be fun for me if tech didn’t stress me out. AI can probably write a helluva lot better “global crossover pop hits” than I can, but it won’t write great pop songs. I don’t think it can feel the horror of being a human and we will always need to put that into existence.

Persevere — and experiment

I can’t let go of a song until it’s finished — it’s a compulsion; you fight for that song to exist. Recently I’ve been working with Eg White, who co-wrote Adele’s Chasing Pavements, and he has validated these feelings. If it doesn’t come immediately he’s, like, “We’ve not lost it yet! We’re going to get her!” It’s beautiful to watch him work.

He’s also taught me a bit. I love a classic chord progression but because he’s been so prolific for so long, he will go, “No, no, no, that’s boring. Let’s try this.” I’m someone who thinks they’re right all the time — I often don’t want input on lyrics or melody — so it has been nice to be shown there’s wiggle room for other ways.
As told to James Stewart