Mark Ronson on creativity and collaboration

One of pop’s biggest hit-makers, Mark Ronson is the brains behind everything from Amy Winehouse’s classic cover of Valerie to monster hit Uptown Funk. Here, he discusses the joy of working with other creatives, and why he got a tattoo of his latest album artwork

You only have to look at the lengthy list of artists Mark Ronson has worked with to see that collaboration is at the heart of everything he does. The multi-talented musician, DJ, singer, songwriter, and record producer is the architect of some of the biggest hits of the last two decades, having produced the late Amy Winehouse’s iconic 2006 album Back to Black and one of the best-selling singles of all time, Uptown Funk, in 2014, as well as co-writing Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s Grammy-winning duet, Shallow, for A Star is Born last year.

Born in London and raised in New York, Ronson’s early interest in music was largely down to his stepfather Mick Jones, who was the guitarist in 70s rockband Foreigner. By the 90s, he had started making a name for himself DJing in hip hop clubs in New York, and in 2003 he released his debut album, Here Comes The Fuzz, which featured names such as Ghostface Killah and Sean Paul.