QUICKFIRE: Carolina Liar get the Max factor.

OVER THE PAST DECADE max martin has had a hand in some of pop's biggest careers. Having shaped the signature sound that took artists such as Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and `N Sync to the top of the charts, he returned after a short hiatus in 2004 with the Kelly Clarkson hit Since You've Been Gone and has since worked with Pink, James Blunt, Katy Perry and Leona Lewis.

However, it is a largely unknown songwriter from LA that has Martin excited right now. We caught up with him about Carolina Liar frontman and songwriter Chad Wolfe, who became the first artist to sign to Martin's production and publishing compay Maratone.

It is unusual for you to be involved with an artist so early in their career. How did the relationship come about?

I met Chad through a friend of mine. We would hang out in LA and after a while I asked him to play me something. He had an extraordinary voice so I invited him to Sweden. That trip opened his eyes a lot and as soon as he'd got back to the States he began writing, and the songs just kept coming. I just thought, "These are too good, I have to do something." I get approached by a lot of people but this was extraordinary. I just had to do this.

You produced the album - to what extent does your approach to working on something like this differ to working with a Britney Spears or a Katy Perry, where you would be more involved in the songwriting as well?

With Carolina Liar it was all about not fucking it up. Normally, I'm a lot more involved in the songwriting. I co-wrote a couple of the songs on the record but it really was all about making it just ...