He talks at length about Madonna, with whom he made three albums – her unique musicality, her toughness, how she is a better arranger than him – and about whom illuminating anecdotes tumble out of nowhere. “We were at the Hit Factory [studio in New York] once and I walked in on her on the lav – she hadn’t locked it,” says Orbit. “She’s doing a No 2 and I’m like: ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry.’ She said: ‘William, look, I was brought up in a family of six kids with one loo, so don’t sweat it.’”
The first time they worked together, on Ray of Light, “killed me”, says Orbit. “I was in a crisis with my family, which I put on hold. I remember getting very ill that winter; at the age of 43, I was done in physically.” It took months to complete. Madonna, who was a new mum at the time, cracked the whip. As hard as it was, it was an atmosphere in which he thrived. “I flourish under that,” he says. “She’s a fabulous producer. When it says ‘produced by Madonna and William Orbit’, people don’t always give her the credit for that. But she’s as responsible as me.”
Read the full interview at The Guardian
