The music producer teamed up with the legendary singer on her 1997 album Ray of Light. The collaboration thrust William into the limelight, and he found it hard to deal with. He became so anxious he found it hard to be around people, and eventually decided to step away from work to give himself time to recover.

"I got extremely stressed after working with Madonna," he explained. "I moved to America, but ended up in such a state that whenever I was in a studio surrounded by people, I couldn`t get any words out. When you are the technical nexus, the guy everyone looks to for information, that?s a disaster. I became so terrified of letting people down, I refused to work with anyone."

William did just a small amount of work for other artists following his breakdown, including two songs for Robbie Williams in recent years.

However, the producer has now decided to return to the industry and has worked with Katie Melua on her new album The House. He decided to collaborate with her after her manager sent him some of her new tracks. He had never heard of the singer before, but fell in love with her music.

"I`m still sent lots of demos and I occasionally dip into a few," he told British newspaper The Times. "Katie`s was different. I ended up playing all five songs, just for enjoyment, then put them on again. I was instantly hooked. I had to know where the songs went and I had to hear her voice again. Katie`s voice is one of the most complex and colourful I`ve ever come across. It has no mannerisms or stylisations. I immediately called my manager and told him I must work with this woman."
sections: Celebrities