Songwriter, producer and singer KAMILLE is one of the most in-demand collaborators in pop, having crafted four number one hits for the likes of Mabel, Little Mix and The Saturdays, as well as working with everyone from Headie One and AJ Tracey (yes, that's her on the hook to Ain't it Different) to Clean Bandit.

Here, over some bottled cocktails, KAMILLE talks to Straight Up all about how she went from working in the city as a stockbroker to writing some of the UK's catchiest songs, what it was like to submit tracks for queens Beyoncé and Rihanna, her experience of working with Simon Cowell as a vocal coach on the X Factor (including a sneak peak into his insane house) and launching her own successful solo artist career.

She also chats about how hard it was starting out as a black woman in the music business, the difficulties of getting your songs rejected by huge artists, and why there aren't more women in music production.

This episode is sponsored by London bar The Proofing Room, which has just launched a range of beautifully bottled cocktails, which are available for home delivery and ready to drink. On the podcast with Kam we drank the delicious Tequila Habanero: light, refreshing, and creamy with coconut. Fans of Straight Up get a very special 20 per cent discount! Simply enter straightup20 at the checkout. Head to theproofingroom.co.uk

Loved this episode of Straight Up? Have any suggestions for our next episode? Are you a brand wanting to chat to us about sponsorship opportunities? We'd love to hear from you: hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk

Straight Up's music and editing is by Marlon Percy: @marlonpercy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.