English songwriter Amy Wadge’s thoughtful pop music foregrounds emotions as she wraps her lyrics in gorgeous melodies that run the gamut from sweet to sweeping. Born in 1975 in the small English village of Backwell, Wadge cut her teeth on her parents’ record collection, gravitating toward all-time great songwriters like Joni Mitchell and Elton John. But her own writing was deeply shaped by Tracy Chapman’s 1988 self-titled debut, and the influence is clear on albums like 2004’s WOJ and 2008’s Bump, which kept the instrumentation sparse and rhythmic, and shone a spotlight on Wadge’s writing. She caught the attention of Ed Sheeran and the two began a long collaborative relationship, leading to a 2010 EP (Songs I Wrote With Amy) and Sheeran’s romantic 2014 pop hit “Thinking Out Loud.” Since then, Wadge has become an in-demand cowriter, bringing her thoughtful approach to songs for artists such as Kylie Minogue, Camila Cabello, and John Legend.