Vocalist, Songwriter, Producer

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

A: I'm seriously proud of the records i've done with Twilight Driving. I was the songwriter or co-writer on these tracks and played guitar, sang lead or backing vocals. The particular sound on those records has been a long time in the making and has been made with my best friends, which is a feeling that's pretty hard to beat.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I'm working on a bunch of releases and producing beats whenever i can (literally wrote one on the train to a session this morning!)

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

A: Daniel Grimmett and the Songwriting Team

Q: Analog or digital and why?

A: Digital because of it's fluidity.

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

A: I will do my very best to get that sound in your head into a record.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Meeting and working with so many different people around the World.

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

A: Can you try singing it a little more like this? And my answer 9/10 is yeah!

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

A: That it's easy.

Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

A: Quite a few, but a few important ones are: What's your deadline? Who are your influences? Are you using this song to pitch or release? Are you open to re-writes or are in love with the current arrangement?

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

A: Be as specific about what you want as possible. When someone provides me with reference tracks, chord charts and the story behind a song, it's a perfect situation.

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

A: A laptop, microphone, interface, keyboard and headphones. All very simple bits of gear but you can do pretty much anything with them!

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

A: Coming from a small town in the UK i decided at the age of 17 to move to Brighton to pursue my dream to make music. I decided the best way to find musicians was to take up a course at BIMM in music composition, and shortly after this i began releasing music with my first serious indie pop project - Aniseed Treats. Upon graduation i started up my second serious project JUNG, which had a focus around electronic pop and exploring the idea of blending classic songwriting with modern production. Then in late 2017, my latest project Twilight Driving started and we've already released two singles. Alongside all of this i have been busy toplining and producing for independent artists, building a home studio and growing a catalogue of songs.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Emotive music combined with honest lyricism.

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

A: Charlie Puth. I was listening to an interview with him on 'And the writer is' (which is a songwriting podcast that i highly recommend) and his entire songwriting/production workflow is fascinating. For instance, the guitar in "Attention" was recorded on an iPhone! I think there is a lot to learn from someone who is able to use a phone recording in a Top 40 pop record.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: EQ is one of the most important steps in music production! Always EQ first and do so subtractively, get your sample/stem to sound as close to finished as possible. Doing this at an early stage in your production will help your mix have clarity and speed up that final mix down.

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

A: I tend to work on pop, indie pop and indie rock; but have also completed projects focused around jazz, film, country, house and EDM.

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: My ability to affectively communicate with a client to achieve their vision. Before starting your project we'll chat over email or skype in detail about your influences, reference tracks, instrumentation and even vocal register to pin point the exact sound you're looking for. This doesn't only make your project sound better but they are completed faster, which is vital when working to strict deadlines.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: This is a difficult one, but I bring an honesty and believability to each project I work on. All the stories are true, and all the music is from the heart.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: This always varies client to client, but typically, I start off by asking the client for a selection of reference tracks and lyrical themes. I will get as much information as possible, and then will record some 'Sketches' to show the client to make sure i'm on the right track. Then...

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I work from a number of studios, as sometimes I record live drums and bands, but my main set up is a iMac and pair of KRK VXT 6's. My go to DAW is Logic X, and i'm a big fan of Waves plugins. I use a RODE NT1-A for vocals (basic but amazing clarity), a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for guitars.

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

A: I'm constantly inspired by each years wave of new artists, currently i'm really into: Kendrick Lamar, Raye, Charlie XCX, Lana Del Rey, Catfish and The Bottlemen, The 1975, and Clean Cut Kid. The artists and music professionals who have been serious influences upon me have: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Max Martin, Jake Gosling, Rick Rubin, The Beatles, and David Bowie.

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

A: Most of the time I write lyrics and top-lines for pop, indie pop, electronic styles of music. I also write full songs for clients to release, sometimes this will be an entire production or just the chords, lyrics and melodies. It's always important to me that the client can put their own stamp on the song!