Scouting for Girls lead singer Roy Stride wishes the band had collaborated with more artists at the height of their success.
The 46-year-old singer has recalled how the This Ain’t A Love Song band could have “worked with anyone” when they had hits during the 2000s and regrets letting his ego stop them from doing so.
Roy told the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: “Honestly I had the opportunity then to have worked with anyone in the world, like, really I could’ve worked with Max Martin or like any songwriter in the world.
“I was just like because I’d written all the first album myself I was like, ‘No, I just write it all by myself.’
“And now I spend such a great portion of my time writing songs for other people, which I love. I do wish I’d used that opportunity there to have worked with amazing artists.”
Roy admits that collaboration could have helped Scouting for Girls crack America, something they were “naive” about at the pinnacle of their fame.
He said: “With America, it’s not like we just thought that it would happen, but you do, when you’re in that bubble of being one of the biggest bands in the country, you just assume, you do.”
Scouting for Girls are playing numerous festivals this summer and Roy thinks they are always asked back for gigs every year because they prioritise the fans.
The She’s So Lovely hitmaker said: “We’re not trying to fob anyone off, so if you like new music and you’re a big fan, there’s good stuff coming out, but we always do a show where we’re playing the hits as well.
“I try to be the band, I do everything in this band that I wish the bands that I loved would do, I play the hits, but do really good new music, and really interesting on socials too.”
The group were branded ‘Scouting for Idiots’ by Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher in a 2008 interview but Roy admitted recently that he doesn’t hold a grudge following the typically acerbic comments.
He told Contact Music: “I would never retaliate.
“He was like a God. Did it hurt? Not really. I never heard it. My wife heard it live on radio because I think he said it on Radio 1, but she was like, Oh, he basically sounded like he’d been out all night and he came in, and was just reviewing every single band, and he was just saying that about every band. I’ve never met him since.
“You can see on my vinyl here. And I’ve got, yeah, I’ve got everything. I’ve got Oasis and Blur.”