DEWAR On the Making Of ‘Rudiment’
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in this 'Rudiment?'
Oh wow, great question. I discovered that Lewis Hamilton was listening to "Influence" at a Formula One event a few months ago - he heard my manager's sister playing it and he asked her what it was and downloaded it there and then - how cool is that!
‘Rudiment’ is also my first full album which was so much fun to write and is currently being played in the US, the UK, Australia and all over Europe! This is very exciting.
Every song had a completely different writing process from the last and the title track "Influence" took only 15 minutes to write. Once I started, the words and melodies just fell out.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for this 'Rudiment?'
For sure the biggest breakthrough moment was when I wrote "Influence". The minute the verse and pre-chorus were written, I could feel my excitement building as I knew this song would be big.
The energy and vibe of the album were coming together nicely especially when I heard the producers' demos back for the first time - that was insane!
The challenges were definitely being so far from my manager and my producer during the writing and recording process.
My manager was in London, my producer was in Cornwall and I was in Europe at the time so we had to juggle time/timezones and work schedules to get the best possible result.
I flew back and forth from Europe to the UK 3 or 4 times to record and re-record certain things but it was incredibly exciting and so worth it.
What is your personal favorite song from 'Rudiment' and why?
My personal favourite is the final track "This Chapter." I love to sing it and blast it out especially in the car. It has so much emotion and so many dynamics that it creates an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I also love the production from Gareth Young (the producer of the album). He added a lot of extra effects that I hadn't initially written that I love so much! He did an amazing job!
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
Mine is very simple- I sang from a very young age and haven't stopped since. I was in the school music shows, choirs & productions and continued to study music in school and University.
After Uni I went to work and live in Europe and have been jumping between the UK and Europe ever since.
My Time in Europe has been eventful, to say the least - I supported Scottish singer Sandi Thom in 2018 and met and performed for Colin Farrell in 2017 which was a bit crazy. After that, I was writing and performing continuously and was approached by my manager over 4 years ago and we have been writing and working together ever since. In 2022, I stumbled across Gareth Young- the producer of ‘Rudiment’ and now my manager and I are working with an amazing PR company and pushing towards a 2024 tour and festivals.
How do you balance crafting relatable stories with maintaining your unique voice as a songwriter?
I personally find other people's lives more interesting to write about than my own and use those for inspiration. I very seldom write about my own life/experiences but I think as quite an empathetic person, I definitely feel others' emotions - perhaps more so than my own and try to capture their emotions in my vocals.
I trained as a vocalist at Uni so have been using and training my voice since I was very young. I love to manipulate the voice with certain techniques & breath control to create certain sounds and love to use a richer lower register.