Where Do The Days Go?
Since Christmas last year a lot has happened for me musically. I’ve played some shows in New York. London, Japan, Singapore and a few others, some small, some big, some insane, but on the whole - the year of 2010 has really been a year of creativity for me.
I’m not sure if it worries me that Christmas is already around the bend, or if I should get excited about the fact that I must have been having so much fun I don’t know where this year has gone, but what’s evident from the increasingly growing ‘My Songs’ folder on my computer is that I haven’t been sitting around waiting for it. Sometimes I’ll write 3 songs a week start to finish, other times I’ll just sit and wrestle with the blank page and throw whatever’s left in to the ‘Ideas’ folder – which is basically the musical equivalent of having a kitchen draw full of screws, pens and Allen keys from Ikea, hoping that one day you’ll find they come in handy. They usually never come in handy.
All the way through our journeys on this mad little circle we call Earth we always have unexpected moments of clarity. They aren’t common, but they’re personal, little moments which make you take a step back and think, ‘wow, so I’ve just come in to this stage of my life have I...?’.
My best friend turned 22 this year, and whilst celebrating I had one of those moments in the knowledge that we aren’t getting any younger. When we’re 15 we can’t wait for the 16th birthday, the next day we can’t wait to be 18. Then suddenly you’re 21 and instead of thinking about the next birthday you’re thinking about the last, the idea of adulthood dawns upon you like splash of cold water on your face. I’m not saying I’m getting old, I just find it crazy how quickly I got here.
But being in my 20’s rocks. I get the best of all parts of life; old enough to make my own decisions, young enough to get away with the wrong ones. But what’s so special about music is that I don’t believe in wrong decisions, if it always comes from the heart then it’s always the right one. A friend told me once whilst playing jazz – ‘they aren’t any wrong notes, just bad choices’. Which is probably just a nice way of saying I was making a lot of mistakes.
I’m very proud of my first album When the Sun Comes Up, when I wrote it I was young, some songs were written when I was 15 or 16. I was at the age where I was truly discovering the outside world of unrestricted partying, confusing love and lust, exploring, travelling and living out the beautiful stereotype of a kid in his late teens. Now into my 20’s I feel no physical difference but inevitably I have different views on the world, stronger opinions and a burning desire to make my stamp on not only who I am as a musician, but as a person as well
I’ve just moved house in to what I can only describe as a habitat heaven. Instead of the studio inside my bedroom, this new soundproof den is now next door to my bedroom. Every musicians dream:
Because I’m producing all the music at home, a few things happen that wouldn’t normally when working with producers/writers. Firstly, the music I listen to is always changing and this will always influence the music I write, so not working with anyone means there’s no one to stop me and say ‘hang on, that’s a little bit different, where’s this going?’ You could call it a flaw, but something makes me believe it’s just honest music. I’m never going to step too far outside of the style I’ve always written in, but influences of other genres will always delicately tinker with my direction.
The other difference in not working with producers/writers is that it takes a hell of a lot longer to get things done. As much as I love writing music it’s impossible for anyone to recluse themselves in a room for 15 hours a day, everyday, moulding together those major and minor chords to make fit for public ears. So I go out and see my friends at university, lie-in till late afternoon, play sports and keep in touch with family (including the new addition to the family – Bumble the kitten, literally the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, picture at the end).
So for anyone wondering whether I’m still alive and kicking – the answer is yes, more than ever.
The new album is going to be from the heart. Can’t wait to show you, but I have to make it right.
Love always
x
