Mark Ronson has joked that he is past his sell-by date when it comes to being a pop star.
The producer and DJ will celebrate his 40th birthday next month. But in the last year, he’s had one of the biggest successes of his career thanks to smash hit Uptown Funk.
‘I’m so far past my sell-by date of what pop music is supposed to be,’ he joked to New York Daily News. ‘But, if you look at it, Pharrell and Daft Punk are around that age. So maybe there’s something to be said for experience.’
Mark began DJing in New York clubs while studying at NYU. His big break came when he joined East Village club Den Of Thieves, later known as New Music Cafe. He also worked at clubs like Life and Cheetah and had a host of famous faces come to listen to his sets.
‘I remember Jay Z and Biggie [Smalls] coming down to New Music Cafe,’ he said. ‘It was Biggie’s birthday, so they came in matching pimp fedoras. I didn’t want to act like an idiot but I was definitely overly giddy.’
Having moved into music producing, Mark has worked with some of the industry’s biggest names including the late Amy Winehouse and Bruno Mars. The men have collaborated on a number of occasions, but Uptown Funk has definitely been their biggest success story.
However Mark admits the record was a labour of love for both of them.
‘I’ve never worked so hard on a song,’ he confessed. ‘So many times, the song died a sudden death. We’d be working for two days straight and didn’t like what was coming out. We couldn’t get a verse, weren’t sure what the chorus should be, or if it should have a chorus.’
The rest, as they say, is history, and as well as earning a Brit Award earlier this year, the song is up for five MTV Video Music Awards at Sunday’s ceremony. Some people say that people who cause a stir at the event end up being remembered more than the winners, but Mark doesn’t mind if he’s overshadowed.
‘Maybe because I don’t have a stunt planned, I’d rather win,’ he laughed. ‘I’d sooner have a VMA than end up on TMZ.’
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