Q&A Interview

I always get asked a lot of questions such as 'How did you start out?' and 'Who inspires you?'. This is a little Q&A that I did with someone who came to one of my gigs last week. 1. You started out posting covers on YouTube. What was your first ever video and what prompted you to create and post it?

The first video I recorded was 'Your Song' by Elton John. I've always been musical and played guitar and keyboard as a kid but I never really believed that I could sing. People told me I could but there was always that self doubt.

One day, I just decided to do the song; it was a spontaneous thing and I did it with no music and just sang acapella. I sat with my laptop, recorded it with my webcam and uploaded it to Youtube.

2. Which artists inspire your sound and style the most, and why?

I'd say Olly Murs & Maroon 5. They have an upbeat catchy style and even if they're singing about a particularly dark topic the song still has that hook to it. That's the kind of style I've been aiming for and those 2 artists have been a big influence for me.

3. You are currently working on your debut album. What has that process been like? Any favourite parts? Challenges?

The process has been tough at times; I'm always trying to please everyone and I'm my own worst critic. It's nerve-wracking putting out a song that you've written. It feels good to have people hearing your work but at the same time you're always wondering how people will react and if they'll like it.

A favourite part for me would have to be listening to a finished song and seeing all the hard work come together as a complete piece.

Challenging bits for me would have to be, again, me being my own worst critic. I'm always trying to please everyone and it's always in the back of my mind 'Will people like this?' and 'How will they react to this bit?' when I'm recording music.

It's also been hard choosing songs that fit together on an album and songs that I'm happy with.

4. What are the main themes that have inspired your album?

This is a tough question to answer because I haven't really gone into this process with any particular theme in mind. I think songwriting brings out deep emotions some times, and it's almost therapeutic to write your feelings out on paper. When I write a song and see the finished piece lyrically it can be quite dark sometimes; even when it's a happy and upbeat sounding song musically.

5. Do you remember the first song that you ever wrote? What was it about?

I don't really remember any particular song that I wrote at the beginning. I started out writing lots of little tunes on the keyboard. None of them had a name and none of them were really complete songs. Just little snippets that I wrote.

I didn't think any of them were any good but it was all just a learning curve. The little snippets of tunes that I'd write started to become fuller and more complete songs over time.

My mum and dad both tell me that I was always tapping out a beat with my hands and singing little lines here and there. I'd be sat at the kitchen table drumming on the top with my hands and singing. I guess I was always coming up with something, even from a young age.

6. What do you love most about song writing?

I said earlier about it being therapeutic and it really is. I like the feeling it gives to sit down and write out what you're thinking at that moment in time. I seem to start out with a little beat and then the lyrics just kind of flow out.

7. You recently went on tour in America. Do you have a standout show from your time there?

I think it would have to be performing at the World of Beer Festival. It's always a massive occasion and it was the first time I'd played on a proper stage, a big one at that, with a full band behind me. It was a great experience and something I learned a lot from.

8. What did you learn from your experiences touring?

It was the first time I'd performed on big stages with a full band. It was also the first time I'd worked with tech guys and sound engineers. It was an amazing experience and the biggest thing I learned was interacting with a large crowd and building that rapport with them.

9. If you could collaborate or tour with any band or artist who would you choose and why?

I've mentioned Olly Murs and Maroon 5 being big influences on me but I'd probably have to add Celine Dion here. It was my cover of her song, 'I'm Alive', that first got me noticed by the guys in America and it was this that resulted in me going over there.

If I could name anyone to tour with it would probably be Celine and it would be even more special to collaborate and perform that song with her.

10. What are you currently working on and do you have any upcoming shows?

I'm currently working on my debut album but I have a number of exciting projects in the pipeline; I have a video interview coming up which I'll be filming soon. I'll be releasing my new single, 'Summer Rain', on 14th June 2019 – I'm really excited about this one. It's already been played on BBC Radio and I've had great feedback about it.

I'm also going to be featuring on a charity single in the next couple of months, which will be released in August. There's a documentary that's being filmed about the single which I'll be a part of, too.

In regards to upcoming shows, I'm constantly gigging; I do 4 or 5 and even 6 shows a week sometimes.