The Deli Magazine NYC Interview : DIY Sounds Like Pro
By C. Jones
A lot of independent music carries negative or complicated messages. Is optimism the essence of pop?
I actually wrote the majority of the album whilst I was going through a very dark period of my life and during the breakdown of a long-term relationship so there are hints of darkness in the songs – but as a whole I tried to look on the brighter side of life and what can be learnt from going through the tough times.
How do you translate your music live?
Whenever I have performed live we have created special ‘live’ versions of the tracks. All the lead vocals are performed live. We have actually been working on a more acoustic version of the album for performance and I am looking to bring on live musicians.
How long did the whole process take?
About 18 months, though one or two of the songs were initially started several years back and were re-written for the album.
Would you recommend this experience of doing it all yourself to other musicians?
I think you have to try everything once and see if you are up to it. I’m a bit of a perfectionist so the experience was a little frustrating for me. For the next album I will definitely be surrounding myself with other talented people to support the record making process – I’ll be handing off a lot of the technical side of the project so I can concentrate more on the songwriting and performance.
Before moving to NYC you lived in London but were born just outside it – How would you compare the two capitals of rock?
Both places have very similar elements yet at the same time are so different. Both places are great for live music but there is something different about the style of music that each city produces. Europe as a whole loves dance music and a lot of dance music makes it to the top of the charts, at the same time there is a lot of acoustic pop/rock such as Robbie Williams and James Blunt. Both cities have there different influences and I think that guides the styles and tastes of the people in those cities. I think NYC is a lot more “in-ya-face” which is probably just a factor of so many people in such a small geographic place. London is much more of a sprawling city.
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