Anything is possible

This cannot be easy.

He is an Ivor Novello Award winner who, during his short and glittering career, has written some of the most successful pop songs of recent times.

Among his credits are Anything Is Possible for Will Young, which became the fastest selling debut single in British chart history. He was also co-writer of This Is The Night for American Pop Idol winner Clay Aitkin, which became the fastest selling single since Elton John's Candle In The Wind in 1997.

He has written an album with Mick Hucknall, and has produced and written for, among many others, Kylie Minogue, Gareth Gates, Lisa Stansfield, Beverley Knight, Glen Tilbrook, Thomas Dolby and Dave Stewart.

In 2005, GQ Magazine named him one of the most successful and influential men in the music business under 40.

This is to merely skim the surface and his varying career paths skim all over the place, leaving tempting threads to be picked up at a later date.

As we speak, he is recovering from a gig in London with The Producers. The three other members of this burgeoning band just happen to be Trevor Horn, Lol Crème (10cc/Godley and Crème) and Steve Lipson.

Within this super group circle, Braide is singer, co-producer and songwriter.

As Limited Edition went to press the band were gearing up to perform at this year's Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles.

Braide then flies to Nashville, as one does, for a further song-writing stintthen New York and then back to London, hopefully to complete The Producers' debut album.

His life is strange, and it is getting stranger.

"Last night we played a gig at London's Barfly," he said excitedly.

"It was just an amazing evening. I was on stage, singing with these guys who were always my heroes. Then Jamie Callum joined us onstage.

"At one point we played the Yes song, Owner Of A Lonely Heart. As I was singing it I looked across and saw Yes bassist Chris Squire standing there, watching us. Dave Ball from Soft Cell was also there, which was weird for me. That's where it all began."

It began in Padgate, with a prodigious seven-year-old Chris playing piano along to his favourite record of the time, Soft Cell's The Art Of Falling Apart.

The fact that that album contained a number of adult themes - nervous breakdowns, dark sexual adventures and dysfunctional family life - was possibly not lost on his own family.

"Oh I think my parents were genuinely worried," he said.

"It wasn't the kind of record that seven-year-olds naturally go for."

By the age of 19, having secured a publishing deal with Zomba and, then, a record deal with Dave Stewart's Anxious Records, he decamped for London.

"I had no money, no idea of London and nowhere to live. However, at the suggestion of my publisher, I ended up crashing on a futon at Cathy Dennis' place. Not a bad place to begin."

Dennis, once a chart sensation herself, had already embarked on a hugely successful song- writing career and soon the pair began to co-write. Even then, however, his career had spliced into several strands.

"One of the first things I did was spend six weeks in Italy, writing songs with Mick Hucknall and Gota Yashaki," he explained.

"Mick was taking a break from Simply Red and was looking to work with other artists. He seemed to like my song writing and voice.

"It's a long story but, although those sessions would never be released, the songs would evolve into my own album, produced by Dave Stewart."

By this time, the complexity of his career was beginning to dawn on him.

"I was still effectively a singer-songwriter but I think I always knew that I would be happiest working in the studio," he admitted.

In the latter vein he collaborated with Merseyside singer/songwriter Dean Johnson and their joint project, Malmo, produced the 2005 album, Upside, a meticulously crafted lost classic.

"Malmo was something of a boutique' project," he explained.

"We will probably go back to it at some point. I like to do thatit keeps things refreshing."

Which brings us to The Producers. A super group', no less and one wonders if the sheer weight of collective egos might tend it to implode, as they often do.

"You would think so, but it's not like that at all," he said.

"In fact, it seems to be a project that we can relax into and share responsibilities. I know, for example, that Trevor can be very controlling when he is producing, but with us he likes to let that go and just play bass.

"In a sense we are all the producers of The Producers."

It's a curious and almost unique position to be in. A hugely talent-heavy band who can be seen as an offshoot of Art of Noise, given that Horn and Crème were in that enduring unit at one point, who are, for the moment at least, largely a word-of-mouth affair.

"I think that is why it is such fun," he said.

"I mean, The Barfly is only a tiny venue, but all these musicians seemed to come and see us. Just to play for the sake of performing, is such a release for us all. If it doesn't take off, it doesn't really matter.

"We do want to grow out of this situation, though. When we finish the album, we would certainly want to tour.

"That is the plan, anyway. We play a lot of covers at the moment but our own songs will slowly replace them."

When I told him that he should bring this ensemble to Parr Hall, he immediately agreed.

"That would be just amazing - my family still live in Warrington. Actually, now I think of it, I made my professional live debut in the Parr Hall. I was supporting the band Asia."

Asia were yet another super group, ironically featuring Geoff Downes - Trevor Horn's collaborator within Buggles!

"That's right," said Chris, and one senses it hadn't previously dawned on him.

"Isn't that strange?"

The synergy seems so obvious one senses this is a gig that just has to happen.

"It would be a dream," he added, with the air of a man fortunate enough to live a life built on such dreams.