Richard Farrell on SoundBetter

Danish music award winning musician hailing from Dublin, Ireland, Richard Farrell (AKA J Fitz) is a vocalist and songwriter. He records and writes at Panalama Studios in Copenhagen & from his home studio. Warm, velvety and rough vocal timbres, a blues and soul vocalist. An ear for great harmonies,warm melodies and crafty lyrics.

Richard navigates many genres and musical fields. But anywhere he puts his energy, it commands a soulful vibration and heart felt depth.

His blues/soul band Trainman Blues was co-founded with producer Laust 'Krudtmejer' Nielsen, winning best Danish Blues Album at the 2018 and 2021 Danish Music Awards.
Listen to their new album below:
https://album.link/dnfj22ntdgdgd

For his own solo music, Richard follows his heroes, Nina Simone, Van Morrison, Stephen Still - Folk and soul music with a jazz atmosphere coupled with deep heart felt lyrics. He released his latest LP, 'Bathing In Cold Water' in spring 2023, receiving a multitude of positive reviews from all around Europe.

Richard's latest project is called Sonic Saliva. He has teamed up with Danish/Hungarian guitarist/composed. Their sound encapsulates soul with a dirty edge.
Listen Here: https://album.link/dk/i/1731293285

Electronic music, house, hiphop, anything that grooves, Richard loves to dance and with that, loves to write music for people who write upbeat groovy tunes. A

How to Begin?
Hit the contact button above and message me with the following: instrumental track/guide tracks, ideas for vocals and references of vocals you envision for the project, and deadline if applicable.

Featuring credit can be negotiated in some cases, PUBLISHING(percentage) IS RETAINED ON ALL SONGWRITING JOBS.

Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.

Credits

Discogs verified credits for Richard Farrell

SRCS (2), DJ Chris In La Casa Feat. Richard Farrell
Buds, Rick Houchman, Richard Farrell
Janus Lauvring Feat. J Fitz
Redhare*
Trainman Blues
Cape Cod
Trainman Blues
Maduk
Janus Lauvring Feat. J Fitz
Teddy Douglas
Odd Chap
Teddy Douglas

Languages

English

Endorse Richard Farrell452 Reviews - 83 Repeat Clients

by Matthew L.
Verified
Love Richard. Great voice, great talent and taste. Super nice and easy to work with. Glad i found him. Great singer.
by Alex Ray
Verified
It was a real pleasure working with Richard! He brought some great ideas to the song, helped refine the lyrics, and created a bridge that fit the track really well both lyrically and melodically. I also really appreciated that he was open to my feedback and came back with new options during the revision process until we found what worked best for the song. Really happy with how everything turned out. Thanks again, Richard! 😊
by Bogdan Ioan - Box Records
Verified
Great musician. It was an absolute pleasure working with him! He was professional, punctual, and incredibly easy to communicate with throughout the entire process. He followed everything we asked for with great attention to detail and delivered exactly what we needed. The vocal recordings were delivered in excellent quality and were very well prepared, which made the whole production process smooth and easy. We’re extremely happy with the result and would definitely recommend him to anyone looki
by Patrick A.
Verified
Richard did a AMAZING JOB!!!
by Richard S.
Verified
I’ve started to lose track, but I believe this is our sixth song with Richard. That kind of says it all. Once again he brought his own unique sound and vocal nuance that made our new song something special. He’s simply a pro on every level and such a pleasure to work with. Another big thank you Richard!
by Light Fusion
Verified
Working with Richard was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. His voice fit the track perfectly and brought exactly the emotion I was hoping for. He delivered three full takes plus clean stems, everything well-organized and easy to work with. Fast communication, great professionalism, and a real understanding of the song. The quality speaks for itself — highly recommended, and I'd love to work with him again!
by Richard S.
Verified
I am a lyricist, but I don’t think I can find any new words to say how amazing Richard is. Perhaps the fact that this is our 6th song with him says it all.
by Antonin H.
Verified
I keep coming back to Richard because I know I will get great raspy vocal and amazing delivery!
by Malik F.
Verified
Richard is a true professional and skilled at his craft. He makes the process simple and streamlined. The track was delivered as I imagined and he had great communication throughout the process. I enjoyed working with Richard and will definitely be contacting him again in the near future!
by Anthony
Verified
Great experience!
by Gabriele - DJ GMA
Verified
Really enjoyed working with Richard.
Very collaborative throughout the entire project, professional, and able to bring great emotion to the track.
This is what makes making music together so enjoyable.
by Matthew L.
Verified
Richard is awesome. Read his reviews. Listen to his tracks. Fantastic!!! A complete pro too. Did an amazing job
by Antonin H.
Verified
I love Richard's vocal - perfect for dance songs with soul!
by Dermot O.
Verified
A pleasure to work with. Fantastic vocals, great communication, and went above and beyond to help get the song exactly where it needed to be. Highly recommended.
by Tim Klöpper
Verified
Fantastic experience working with Richard! He delivered amazing vocals, took direction perfectly, and communicated great throughout the process. Highly recommended, I will definitely work with him again!
by Brett F.
Verified
Richard has an awesome voice and delivered a top notch vocal for our track. I can tell he put a lot of thought and emotion into it. Highly recommend.
by Antonin H.
Verified
If you want the sound of vocal of Gnarls Barkley mixed with Teddy Swims - well, Richard is your go to guy. Great vocalist and great person as well!
by Luke Bergs
Verified
Richard has an amazing voice and great talent! :)
by ASHDOTOK
Verified
Worked on a fairly complicated track and Richard nailed it perfectly. Went above and beyond to get this sounding right - looking forward to the next project with him!
by Antonin H.
Verified
Asked Richard for a very specific soul vocal delivery and he delivered it in spades. Raspy soul vocal right next to CeeLo Green. I had two great takes to choose from and frankly I am a bit lost why Richard is not a big time vocal star yet!

Interview with Richard Farrell

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: Trainman Blues. Singer and Songwriter. I am in love with Blues music and I think it's affect on modern and old music is immense. I would love to see a revival of blues. Soul and jazz music have progressed into new and interesting forms, I think this is possible with blues.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: Trainman Blues. A modern day blues project with hiphop production techniques and understated laid back feel.
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Both. Analog definitely has a warmer and softer sound, it reacts in a natural way to what you put into it. It's definitely not as portable as digital equipment, as easy to set up or quick in finding new and interesting plugins, virtual instruments etc...
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: Soulfulness, warmth, guts and attention to detail.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Being able to work with different musicians, songwriters and producers form all around the world. Being able to express my self in an art form which comes very naturally to me.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: When can you have the track ready? That depends on how much guidance you give me, or lee way to be creative. Influences, bar numbers, vocals guides etc...
Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: The true message behind the voice.....
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What is the overall message of your music? Why are you doing it?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Listen to the intention behind the voice, many voices have a clear and clean exterior but sometimes the singer does not bring the force of the subject matter/message into the music. I really live what I'm singing!
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: A guitar, piano, a Ray Charles and BB King records, a bottle of whiskey and a note pad.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I have been singing since I can remember. I began playing the piano from age 6. I started formally singing in a choir when I was 8 and received 5 years of music education in the choir school in theory, singing and piano which set me for life. I am 32 now, so I have been at it over 26 years now!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Simple, understated, warm and gutsy.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Bill Withers, a master of simplicity and soulfulness!
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: If it feels good, and the ambience is right, keep it!
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Blues, soul, folk, electronic, hiphop and jazz music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Listening to the client, vocal intonation and performance.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Clarity, small details, soul and warmth. I try to bring the best qualities of blues and soul to any song I work with.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: Listen to the track on repeat until I have an understanding of the flow and meter of it. After absorbing it, I allow melodies to flow through me, letting my vocal chords loose and seeing where the sound takes me. I demo the track a few times depending on how happy I am with the melody/lyrics. After this process I am ready to record the track. There are many different routes I can take depending on the wishes of the client and his/her influences to give me guidance.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I have a Mac book pro 15 inch Retina which I use Pro tools and a Focusrite 6i6 as my preamp. A shure SM7 is my go to microphone as it suits my voice best, I have other mics such as a Rode NTK and Behringer AT2020. I have vocal screen and pop shield to create clear recordings.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: Singers like Ray Charles, Toma Waits, Nina Simone, BB King and Nat King Cole are some of my favourites. Modern day producers and musicians such as Quantic, The Dap Kings, Jon Hopkins and Dan Auerbach really inspire me.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I am a vocalist and songwriter, so I really embrace giving all I have when singing and writing songs. I really focus in on the small details, intonation, timbre, melody and lyrics, this where I'm most at home. With years of experience recording in studios and playing in various different outfits I am very adaptable and open minded.