Kylie collaboration was 'always destined', says Gary Lightbody

Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody has said the band's latest single with Kylie Minogue was "always destined" to become a collaboration after he originally wrote it with the Australian singer in mind.

Lightbody said he had written several songs in the hope of getting one to Minogue after hearing she was looking for new material.

"I'm a long-term fan, who isn't, of Kylie?" he said.

"When I heard that Kylie was looking for a song, I wrote her a bunch, but then I couldn't get them to her."

The band instead decided to record one of the songs themselves, although Lightbody said it remained known internally as "Kylie" throughout the recording process.

"I wrote the songs and they were all just called Kylie 1, Kylie 2, Kylie 3," he said.

However, after completing the track, he felt something was missing, "and that was obviously Kylie".

The band eventually succeeded in sending the song to Minogue, who agreed to record vocals for it.

Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme, Lightbody said: "It turns out she loved it and then she sang on it."

"The song felt finished for the first time because her vocal is absolutely extraordinary.

"I guess it was always destined to be a song, maybe not for Kylie, but with Kylie."

Minogue recorded her vocals with her own producer before sending them to Snow Patrol.

"They do work really well together," Lightbody said of their voices.

"Everybody involved put a lot of love into it, and I think that comes across."

Asked whether the collaboration could lead to further work together, he said: "We're certainly talking about it. We'll see what happens."

Lightbody also reflected on Snow Patrol's recent run of live performances, describing the band's summer shows as "brilliant".

He singled out a performance in Liverpool city centre, which attracted tens of thousands of people, and said he was looking forward to returning to Edinburgh Castle.

The band are currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album Eyes Open, which was released in 2006 and became their most successful record.

The album, which features hits including Chasing Cars, You're All I Have and Open Your Eyes, topped the UK Albums Chart and has gone on to sell millions of copies worldwide.

The band have been marking the milestone during their recent live shows, with many of the album's best-known tracks remaining central to the band's setlist.

The songwriter also spoke about the collaborative writing process, saying many songs written with other artists never reach the public.

"There have been quite a few ones where I really thought it would have made the album, but it didn't," he said.

"Unfortunately, the secrets of those will have to go with me to the grave."

Looking ahead, Lightbody said singer-songwriter Raye would be his ideal future collaborator.

"I think she has the most extraordinary voice on planet Earth right now," he said.

"She's something else."

He also praised Minogue's longevity and willingness to evolve musically throughout her career.

"I think she doesn't just stay in one lane or make the same music over and over again," he said.

"She follows her heart, and I have a lot of respect for that type of artistry."