Nesrine Danan
Long considered one of pop’s secret weapons, Michael Pollack’s cover exploded when Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” dropped in January and went nuclear. A disco-tinged ode to self-love and independence, the emotional track amassed a record of over 100 million Spotify streams in its first week and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. As the co-writer of a song that could go down as the greatest of 2023 for a while, Pollack enjoys a status as a music magickal that is now undeniable.
“The reception to ‘Flowers’ has been absolutely insane,” the Roslyn, New York native said of its runaway success. “It’s not lost on me how unicorn this record is and how many times in your career you’ve been part of something like this.” The songwriter, who previously collaborated with Cyrus on “Plastic Hearts” in 2020, began working on the demo that would become “Flowers” just over a year ago in early 2022.
“It started like a lot of the songs we wrote for this project – just Miley, ALDAE [aka Gregory Hein] and me around the piano,” says Pollack. “We started with the chorus and, if I remember correctly, the lyrics, melody and progression started forming simultaneously.” The songwriter then breaks it down in more detail: “It’s one of those ‘circle of fifths’ songs where the melody informs the progression and vice versa. It practically wrote itself.
The collaborators knew they were onto something special, but the song’s full potential wasn’t clear until “Flowers” went from a stripped-down piano ballad (“the demo is just Miley singing and me playing Rhodes”) in an uptempo anthem. “I knew we wrote a special song that day, but I would be lying if I said I thought it would be as important as it was,” Pollack said. “He definitely exceeded my expectations, I think he exceeded everyone’s expectations.”
When it comes to Cyrus, the hitmaker can’t say enough about her. “She’s an artist in every sense of the word,” says Pollack. “Her taste is impeccable and her creative vision is so clear that all you have to do is trust the process and follow her to the song.” He also praises her professionalism and hands-on approach: “She may be the only artist I’ve ever worked with who personally texts me start times and studio addresses for sessions.”
Their creative synergy will be felt on the pop star’s upcoming “Endless Summer Vacation,” due March 10. “I worked on a handful of records [for it]says Pollack. “Almost all the records I’ve been on started on the piano like ‘Flowers’ and I think you can tell that when you listen to them.” The decision to focus on songcraft came from Cyrus. “Miley was adamant in her desire to perfect the songs first and then tackle the production.”
When asked to name his favorite thing about working with Cyrus, the songwriter was seemingly spoiled for choice. “It’s so hard to pick one thing, but if I had to, I would say his ability to balance his confidence in his own ideas and his confidence in his co-writers,” Pollack says. “She’s such an amazing songwriter, but she really doesn’t care where the best idea comes from – she just wants to create the best art possible.”
As “Flowers” takes the charts by storm, it’s not the only track he co-wrote that’s making noise right now. For starters, Pollack has a cut to Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” courtesy of “Pure/Honey.” This session took place in February 2022 with BloodPop and Darius Dixson. “The BloodPop track was so inspiring, and Dixson had such an incredible vision of what topline could be,” he says. “I felt lucky to be there that day and fill in the gaps.”
Pollack was blown away by the anthem of the towering club it has become. “Beyoncé took what we started and took it to another level – lyrically, melodically, sonically, vocally, everything,” he says. “I feel so honored to have a song with such an iconic artist and to be part of such a special album.” It’s another epic milestone for the songwriter who got his first “big break” in 2013 while still in college at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
“I attended a Q&A with Billy Joel and asked to perform a song with him,” Pollack recalled. “He let me go with him and the video of our performance went viral, eventually leading to a meeting with Pete Ganbarg who signed me to his publishing joint venture with Warner Chappell.” After graduating, Pollack headed straight for Los Angeles and moved in with Ari Leff (better known as alt-pop phenom Lauv) and Michael Matosic.
“I was surrounded by songwriters 24/7,” Pollack recalled warmly. “We would go to our sessions and write all day, then come home and write more.” Like many newcomers to the City of Angels, he took a long time to find his footing. “It was really hard to get into venues with notable artists at first,” he admits, “but the truth is, I wasn’t ready yet, and I’m glad I was able to hone my craft before may greater opportunities arise.”
The first of those biggest opportunities was Maroon 5’s “Memories.” “My manager Jaime Zeluck put me in touch with Adam Levine,” says Pollack. “I really felt like the stakes went up after ‘Memories’ came out and they went up the charts.” Hearing a song he started at an AirBnb “down the street from the house I grew up in” on the radio left an indelible impression on him.
“My friend Stefan Johnson [of the Monsters & Strangerz] once said to me, “There’s one last time you’ll hear every one of your songs on the radio,” Pollack says, “so I try to savor the moment.” He now wants to share that sentiment with the next generation of creators. “I spent the second half of last year working with new artists,” he says. “There are so many special artists bubbling right now and it was so much fun helping to create the narrative rather than continuing it.”
Whether he’s working with a newcomer or an established superstar like Cyrus, Pollack’s approach is the same. “It usually starts with a pseudo therapy session,” he says. “The goal is to get to the heart of the emotion felt by the artist, then to find the most universal way to convey it. Pollack does not want to speak on behalf of Cyrus when discussing the themes that would have been drawn from his personal life for “Flowers”. But, ultimately, Pollack sees songwriting as a form of storytelling: “A good song should feel like a good story, and ‘Flowers’ tells the listener a very personal story.”
