Andrew Watt on His Insane 2026: Madonna, McCartney, the Stones, Gaga — SkimNews
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- Andrew Watt produced Paul McCartney's "The Boys of Dungeon Lane" and the Rolling Stones' "Foreign Tongues" (his second album with the band), plus Brandi Carlile's "Returning to Myself" and two songs from Madonna's "Confessions II"
- Watt continued his widely praised Mayhem-era work with Lady Gaga, co-writing multiple new tracks with her including songs slated for "The Devil Wears Prada 2"
- Watt is producing Elton John's next album using a rebuilt songwriting process — Elton now sings melodies over drum tracks first because his declining eyesight means he can no longer read Bernie Taupin's lyrics, and Taupin now writes to the recorded vocal melodies instead
- Watt played matchmaker for Madonna and Charli XCX, putting them on a text thread at a wedding that led to their collaboration on the "Danceteria" remix — a track Watt says grew out of Madonna's stories about the downtown New York club where she got her start
- Watt co-wrote and co-produced Michael Stipe's "I Played the Fool" and is now working with Stipe on his long-awaited solo debut, which Stipe is determined to "get exactly right"
- Watt confirmed unreleased Ozzy Osbourne songs exist; he and Osbourne sat together listening to them the night before Osbourne's final concert, which Watt calls "the last times I got to see him"
- Watt said a planned Black Sabbath reunion album fell apart after drummer Bill Ward was "unable to do the album for personal reasons" — Watt says Tony Iommi's claim that Watt was "too excited" for the project was a joke
Why it matters: Watt has quietly become the connective producer across the legacy rock canon simultaneously — McCartney, the Stones, Elton John, Stipe, and Madonna all released work with him this cycle. The Elton collaboration is the clearest proof point: Watt rebuilt an entire songwriting method around an artist losing his sight rather than walking away, a level of accommodation legacy producers rarely attempt.
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