"The decision has been made, and now it's time to f**k off," Mitch Rowland told me. To be clear, Rowland wasn't saying this to me; instead, it's Rowland ruthlessly killing his darlings in the editing process. 

Rowland is a solo artist, but he's also the guitarist in Harry Styles's solo band and has co-written many songs with Styles, including "Watermelon Sugar" and "Golden." (Rowland's wife Sarah Jones is the drummer in the band.) His songwriting has appeared on all three of Styles's albums. Rowland's songwriting process involves finding time for the eureka moments. He likes to mow the lawn, for example. Walking is an also big part of Rowland's process, so he never listens to music when he walks. And as he told me, "A tremendous amount of water has landed on my phone in the shower."

Rowland's latest album is Whistling Pie.