Pro Pop Vocalist / Songwriter

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I wrote the topline and recorded vocals for a track 'Cigars' for a producer called 'edbl' at the start of the pandemic. It was my first ever remote recording session as the industry pivoted heavily and made me realise how big the music world is if you can tap into the recordings. It recently passed 3-million streams and was a really proud moment for me.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a Self-Produced EP for my artist project to be released in 2024, playing all instruments myself on the track. It's Alt-Pop and has proven a really fun project to create in the vacuum of my studio!

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: I'd recommend Dave Bryce as a mixing engineer - he's local to me, a great friend and a really great engineer if you produce soulful music.

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital. You wouldn't be reading this if it weren't for it!

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: That the vocals will be as close to perfect as I can deliver them!

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: I love the versatility in what I do, whether performing a high-intensity track at a really fast tempo or a slow, singer-songwriter track with an acoustic guitar. I love the feeling that so many genres give me and love to get involved in that as much as possible.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Can you record whatever backing vocals feel natural to you? Yes!

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: That I know exactly what to do the minute I hear a track. That being said, it's absolutely my job to find that out from my client even if it's just a 'do what comes naturally' so there's no second guessing in terms of the recording and the feeling of the music is what's focused on instead of technicalities.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: How would you like the vocals to be delivered in terms of performance, do you have any references for the track or genres that you think I can point my vocal delivery for? Most importantly... do you want me to edit the breaths out of the backing vocals?

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Really think about what you want from your vocalist, a lot of vocalists have no issue with pitching so think about the characteristics of the voice that you'd like to hire and what's best for the intention of your track/project.

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: My Shure SM7B, laptop, a MIDI keyboard, set of headphones and my acoustic guitar!

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I've been a musician since I was 9-years-old, picking up the guitar and singing since I was 16. Now 24, I went full- time with music after finishing university in 2020 and have been working as an artist, vocalist and performer ever-since. Now with a growing artist career (4 million Spotify streams to date), I still love to work as a freelance vocalist and be involved in as many projects as I can whatever the genre.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: My vocal style is versatile, airy but clear and exciting. I have a strong sense of rhythm and can deliver quiet, sultry vocals or energetic vocals depending on style and genre. I love to tell stories with my voice and place a lot of intention into delivering that on each track.

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I'd love to work with Damon Albarn (Gorillaz) - I grew up listening to Demon Days on repeat in my car and would love to understand his creative process from a production/song writing perspective. I think learning about production and arrangement across genres can just as effectively improve your skills as a vocalist as learning about vocals!

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: For Remote Vocalists: Make sure all your 'S' and plosives are naturally, though effectively aligned either whilst recording or in post-production before sending to your client. Simple, but saves your client time and therefore makes them like you!

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: I work on many different styles of music under the Pop umbrella, from Pop, Singer-Songwriter and R&B to fast-paced Dance music ranging from EDM and House to genres as fast as Drum and Bass.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My strongest skill is a strong sense of timing both whilst performing and in post-production before sending to clients. I've been told it's a skill that many vocalists lack though it comes naturally!

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: I bring a unique, airy vocal tone, clear delivery and timing whilst also (more importantly in my opinion) conveying the desired emotion and story of a song as effectively as possible. I highlight key lyrics and melodies to tell the song's story, whether through a single performance or the vocal arrangement.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: I'll try to get as much information in regard to delivery and the feeling of the song from my clients in order to lay the foundation for a great performance, before listening to the instrumental/song demo many times to get a feel for the track both with a click and without to gain a strong sense of timing. I'll ask what the deliverables are for the project and get to work, making sure that each vocal stem is presented in the preferred way for my client, whether Wet, Dry, Grouped, Breaths Removed etc. before sending the stems for approval. If any amendments need to be made I make sure to provide a 100% guarantee on tracks.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work from my humble-but-effective studio setup in Brighton, UK. Recording in my acoustically-treated vocal booth using an Aston Spirit or Shure SM7B through a Focusrite 18i20 into Cubase 12 and referencing on HS7s, my Avantone Mixcube and Headphones when vocal editing.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I'm inspired by musicians across many different genres and disciplines, though specifically vocally I don't think there's anyone still recording vocals with the level of expertise and delivery of Bruno Mars! Other musicians I love include Jack Johnson, Anderson .Paak, Hall & Oates and The Doobie Brothers.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: Session vocals and writing / toplining for artist projects, sync and commercial tracks ranging from single Lead Vocals to full vocal arrangements including Doubles, Harmonies, Gang Vocals etc. All fully comped and presented how the client would prefer.