CLIVE DAVIS - DAVIS ADVISES SINGERS NOT TO WRITE SONGS

DAVIS ADVISES SINGERS NOT TO WRITE SONGS

Music mogul CLIVE DAVIS has criticised pop singers who demand they write their own music, insisting they should focus solely on their performances. Davis, who has acted as a mentor for superstars such as Whitney Houston and British newcomer Leona Lewis, has urged artists to concentrate on finding hit songs - regardless of who they are written by. Davis, the chief executive officer of the BMG Label Group, says, "The odds are always against you. You have got to go over the best material, and that should win out, not withstanding any track record. "I don't care how many number ones you have written in the past, have you written a new number one?" And it was this advice that sparked a public feud last year (07) between Davis and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson, who insisted on co-writing all the songs on her third album, My December. The 75-year-old adds, "She was not signed as a singer/songwriter."