David Guetta knew there was going to be a problem with his song "Sexy Bitch," his 2009 collaboration with singer Akon.
"We were in the studio, and all my songs before this one were always about, like, 'We're all brothers and sisters,' and about love and all that," Guetta told The Huffington Post. "And then we had this song, and I was like, 'Wow, it's big! But aren't you afraid of the reaction it could have?'"
Guetta's reservations, in part, were the reason that the final version of "Sexy Bitch" included the line "I'm tryna find the words to describe this girl without being disrespectful," before launching into a thumping chorus that repeated the line, "Damn, you a sexy bitch."
"[Akon] was like, 'Listen, David, I think you don't understand women! Just watch what's gonna happen.'"
Though we're not quite sure if Akon understood women either, in that instance (as the line ended up launching pretty accurate memes as well as a few complaints), Guetta said the song had a positive reaction -- for his personal life, at least.
"He was so right, because you know what happened? When I released this record and I was performing, girls started sending me bras and stuff, and it was like, 'What? This is crazy!'" the artist said. "I was expecting girls to get mad at me and it completely created the opposite reaction."
Its been seven years since "Sexy Bitch" was released. Guetta says he's still friends with Akon and waiting for his comeback.
"He's an amazing person. His voice is extremely recognizable, but he's also an incredible writer," the 48-year-old DJ said. "He's super, super, super talented. I'm really waiting anxiously for his comeback because, I mean, he's an incredible artist."
Guetta is as popular as ever in 2016. The two-time Grammy winner recently released a song with Fetty Wap and Sia called "Bang My Head" from his sixth studio album, "Listen." And on the day HuffPost spoke with him, he'd just been named Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Artist for 2015.
The DJ was also named the new ambassador for the 2016 Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Championship, which will be held June 10 - July 10, 2016.
Below, he talked to HuffPost about his role as ambassador, what his two kids think of their famous dad and what it was like working on The Black Eyed Peas' hit "I Gotta Feeling."
I wanted to start off by seeing if you could tell me a little bit about your official song for UEFA Euro 2016 and your job as ambassador.
It's a huge honor for me, it's really crazy. I made this song for [the championship]; I think it's really, really big. We created an app with it and everybody is going to be able to record a part of the record. The app can also correct when people don't sing so well. [Laughs] We're going to connect all those vocals and make them into this special part of the record.
You're from Paris. What was it like when you heard about the attacks on Paris?
I was in Asia when I heard it, and I felt like, "Oh, no, it cannot be true." It took me a moment to accept that it was really happening. It was even crazier for me because I used to work three nights a week at Bataclan, the place where it happened, so I knew all the people there. Of course, it's terrible. I have two very big concerts next week in Paris and, of course, I didn't want to cancel it or change anything, because I think life should keep on going and [we should] keep on being happy and live the way we wanna live, you know? But just being careful, of course. I think, unfortunately, that's the way we have to be everywhere in the world right now.
If you weren't a DJ, what would you be?
Um, maybe unemployed? [Laughs] Maybe a club promoter so I could still try to promote music, even if I couldn't do it myself.
Is there anyone you're looking to collaborate with in the future?
Anybody who is talented. They don't necessarily have to be famous. I have to say that I am pretty blown away by Adele. Her first single -- wow. All I could think was "Oh, my God." You know? She's incredible.
I know that you also have two kids. What do they think of your music? Is it weird for them to see you with so many fans?
Well, actually, they don't like it so much. Of course, what they really want is a normal dad. When we're out on the street and people ask me for pictures, they don't like it. My son used to start crying every time someone would take a picture or ask for an autograph. That's why I made a rule that I will always take pictures except when I'm with my kids. Cause when I'm with my kids, I just want to be a normal dad because that's what they need.
A few years ago, you produced "I Gotta Feeling" for The Black Eyed Peas. When you were making it, did you know that that song was going to be such a success?
No, of course not, but I knew it was really, really big. I remember exactly every single step of it. I sent the demo instrumental to will.i.am. One day I was on holiday skiing and he called me. He said, "I got a melody I wanna sing to you! And I went out of the restaurant cause it was noisy and ran into the snow wearing only a T-shirt. He was singing the melody to me and I was like, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God, oh, my God! This is going to be so big!" I was going absolutely crazy.
Do you still get nervous before shows or have any pre-show rituals you follow?
Actually, what I like to do is be in a very, very quiet place, close my eyes and possibly get bored for 10 minutes before getting on stage so then I'm, like, so excited and I just want to go and go crazy.
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