LONDON, July 7 — Songwriter-guitarist Johnny Marr attributed his recent bit of success to a simple philosophy. “Do work that makes you happy,” he said. “Following your instincts — artistically — has always been the way I’ve done things,” he added.

That could explain the surprising career choices he has made. In his illustrious 33-year career (and counting) Marr has racked up a string of impressive achievements. As founding member of the highly-influential 1980s indie pop band The Smiths, he was one of the guitarists responsible for popularising the “jangle” sound that so many others who came after have tried emulate. After scoring hit after hit with albums such as Meat Is Murder and The Queen Is Dead, internal friction saw the band split up even before they released their last album, Strangeways, Here We Come, in 1987.

But Marr was never one to rest on his laurels. A year later, he found himself working with music collective The The before attaining commercial success by teaming up with New Order’s Bernard Sumner to form Electronic. He also made significant contributions to the modern rock scene with bands such as Modest Mouse and The Cribs, and is a sought-after session player, not to mention the soundtracks he did with composer Hans Zimmer on films. These include Inception (Marr came up with the recurring theme for Leonardo DiCaprio’s character) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where he was part of the “supergroup” — billed as The Magnificent Six — that created the music for the movie. (The group’s other players were Pharrell Williams, Mike Einziger, DJ Junkie XL and composers Steve Mazzaro and Andrew Kawczynski.)

But since 2013, Marr has established himself as a solo artist in his own right with two well-received albums, The Messenger (2013) and Playland (2014). More crucially, Marr is having fun. And hopefully, that’s what the audience will get to experience too when the musician performs in Singapore at the end of July.

“It’s a load of work but I enjoy it,” Marr admitted. “(It has) taken me by surprise actually. It has really taken off and I’ve gotten to go around and play a lot of shows all over the place. “In the past, I got a lot of questions about why I played with Modest Mouse, and why now I have gone solo.

“It’s better than being predictable,” he clarified.

Marr emphasised the fact that running a band as a solo artist gave him a lot to think about and allowed him to produce music at his own pace, “which is quite quick”, he said.

That was clearly demonstrated in the release of Playland a year after The Messenger, despite advice to the contrary. “Just had the songs man. Had the ideas,” Marr explained. “If you’re writing good songs and can carve out the time to do it ... ”

This impetus to create is the same drive that Marr had when starting out in music. “There’s something more than everyday experience that needs to be chased or described,” he said. “I wanted to be a rock star when I was a kid, to be different from your peers. It’s a good motivation to do good work.”

There’s no doubt that this philosophy has held Marr in excellent shape but anchored by a down-to-earth pragmatism as well. Considering his extensive back catalogue and history, he balances a couple of factors when finalising a setlist. “It’s all about treating the audience well because they paid for a ticket; but it’s also about being intelligent, so I try to put myself in their shoes.”

The end result is a setlist that includes Marr’s current material. “I’ve no interest in being a nostalgia act,” Marr declared, saying that whoever wanted the old stuff could “watch YouTube then”. But he was realistic enough to recognise that he was afforded this luxury because his solo music has been doing well and he is thankful for this rare privilege.

“I don’t feel any weird hang-ups about the past either. Give people what they want as well,” he said. “I’m happy to do the new songs and the songs I’m known for.” — TODAY

* Johnny Marr will play at The University Cultural Centre (UCC) Hall at the National University of Singapore on July 30, 8pm. Tickets available from SISTIC.