Can't Say No

Album: Contrast (2012)
Charted: 2
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Brighton-born pop singer Conor Maynard started accumulating a fan base after he started posting videos to YouTube of his performing various cover versions. Such was the popularity of his interpretations of hits by such stars as Chris Brown and Katy Perry that on January 31, 2012, Conor was unveiled as the winner of MTV's Brand New: For 2012 competition. The teenage singer beat a shortlist of nine other nominated artists, including Delilah, Michael Kiwanuka and Lana Del Rey receiving approximately 45% of the 150,000 votes. It was revealed the following month that Conor had been signed to label EMI subsidiary, Parlophone, since late 2011. This is his debut single, which was initially released on March 2, 2012 in Belgium and later in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2012.
  • Conor wrote the song with London-based songwriting and production trio, The Invisible Men. The team comprises former members of the American rock band Orson - Jason Pebworth and George Astasio - who are best known for their 2006 UK #1 single, "No Tomorrow." The third member is Jon Shave, who as a one time member of Xenomania, contributed to a series of top 10 singles, including Girls Aloud's #2 hit, "The Show."

    The Invisible Men's credits include collaborating with Jessie J on her debut hit, "Do It Like a Dude" and DJ Fresh's UK #1 single, "Hot Right Now."
  • Conor explained to The Sun why he decided to title the album Contrast. "There are a few reasons," he said. "It plays on my first name, Conor/Contrast. But also I feel like it's not what people were expecting. It's quite urban and has hip hop beats and there is a real contrast between the songs."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And Scandals

Top American Idol Moments: Songs And ScandalsSong Writing

Surprise exits, a catfight and some very memorable performances make our list of the most memorable Idol moments.

Mike Scott of The Waterboys

Mike Scott of The WaterboysSongwriter Interviews

The stories behind "Whole Of The Moon" and "Red Army Blues," and why rock music has "outlived its era of innovation."

Dave Edmunds

Dave EdmundsSongwriter Interviews

A renowned guitarist and rock revivalist, Dave took "I Hear You Knocking" to the top of the UK charts and was the first to record Elvis Costello's "Girls Talk."

Lip-Synch Rebels

Lip-Synch RebelsSong Writing

What happens when Kurt Cobain, Iron Maiden and Johnny Lydon are told to lip-synch? Some hilarious "performances."

Michael Bolton

Michael BoltonSongwriter Interviews

Into the vaults for this talk with Bolton from the '80s when he was a focused on writing songs for other artists.

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde

Johnette Napolitano of Concrete BlondeSongwriter Interviews

The singer/bassist for Concrete Blonde talks about how her songs come from clairvoyance, and takes us through the making of their hit "Joey."