How Taylor Swift and Imogen Heap wrote “clean” before dinner

Taylor Swift and Imogen Heap created Clean, one of the most valued traces of 1989, on a single whirlwind day. Imoogen spoke to people and revealed that Taylor was over on her cell phone with a rough idea.

They clicked immediately, went to the studio at Imogen's Place and wrote, recorded and produced the song before dinner. In between, they chatted, took tea by the fire and enjoyed a full lunch and dinner like old friends, which made the creative process felt natural and casual.

Imogen was pregnant at that time, although she didn't know it yet. In fact, she later realized that Scout, her daughter, born in November 2014, was already on the way of life that day. “Scout was on her one -day trip as a fertilized egg,” she said, adding that Taylor was the first person to interact with her as a pregnant woman without any of them noticing the meaning. A decade later, the two met again at Taylor's concert in Lisbon, where the 10-year-old Scout met the woman who unknowingly shared a big moment in their life story.

Imogen also worked on Clean (Taylor's version) in 2023 and proves how much the integrity of past cooperation quickly appreciates. When Inogen was asked about Taylor's working style, she described her as “extremely efficient” and “someone who knows exactly what she wants”.

Taylor's instincts took the lead in the studio. At some point IMogen tried a different chord development for the middle section, but Taylor called it: “Do you know what? I think we'll lose them here, so just let us do it.” Inogenic agreed, impressed by Swift's understanding of what is connected to the audience.

Although they only met twice in 2014 and in 2023, their time together has produced a timeless track that is bound to personal milestones that none of them forgot.

Mia Brooks immerses deep into the beats and rhythms of the music industry and covers everything from chart-toping albums to underground artists. With the passion of discovering new talent and exploring the stories behind the songs, Mia keeps readers up to date with all music.

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