Feature: Man at SeaIn Decodes ‘ The Light Of A Dying Star’
How did you come up with the theme?
The songs on the EP are from different points of my life. I wrote some in the last few years and one as long as fifteen years ago. So there's no intentional thematic link on the record. However, when putting together the tracklist it did strike me that the songs all seem to be about the beginnings and ends of worlds; the transitioning from one to the other. It definitely feels like a rounding off of a particular chapter in my life.
Were there any moments in the recording process where you knew you had something special?
I think recording the vocal for “Behind Closed Doors” was a moment. It's important to get your head into the right zone when recording vocals as that absolutely comes across in the record. I find the song moving to sing, not because it's deeply personal (though it is) but because I feel I am singing it to someone who might need to hear it. After a particular take my producer and I looked at each other and could see we were both moved and knew that it was a strong song to be putting out into the world. That and hearing the recordings that the Brookspeare string quartet did for two of the songs for the first time. That was a goosebumps moment! It's incredible what they did and brings so much depth to the record!
Which song(s) from 'In The Light Of A Dying Star' do you think best represents your artistic vision?
In terms of this record, again I'd say “Behind Closed Doors.” I'm pleased that I feel I broke new ground in my songwriting with that one in terms of what I am writing about and the way it is presented. However, I don't think artistic vision is ever completely fulfilled. And I can say that what I am currently working on sounds quite different - a whole different kind of vision!
What is your songwriting process like? How do you usually start crafting a new song?
It varies at times but generally the way it always happens is by improvising at the piano or on the guitar; just messing around with chords or riffs until something special seems to appear. Often that particular set of notes or chords will evoke a certain feeling - often quite ambiguous at first - and then as a melody forms, words or images or phrases start to appear, all very subconscious stuff. If you're lucky pretty soon what the song is about starts to form in your mind and maybe even what the song should be called. From there the 'craftsman' part of your brain takes over and starts editing, shaping and cutting. I've written full formed songs within 10 minutes and others have taken years!
How has your music evolved since you started as a singer-songwriter? What have been some key milestones in your artistic journey?
I started pretty young when I was fourteen or fifteen. At that age, I felt no restrictions or barriers as to what I could or should be writing about. I enjoyed following my imagination and trying to imitate my favourite songwriters like David Bryne from Talking Heads. With my first band that I formed at drama school, I was drawn to writing things with hooks and anthemic qualities. I think I was trying to write songs like Arcade Fire who I've always loved. It was also the time of Kings of Leon's big stadium days so all of that stuff was in the air. Between then and now I carried on writing and evolving but for various reasons didn't choose to release it. It was only at the start of 2023, following a break up of a longterm relationship that I felt I was writing some strong songs that deserved to be heard. I went back to my roots of sitting at the piano and just trying to be truthful. The funny thing now is that recently I have been getting back into the more 'imaginative' style of writing again - so yes, you can expect something quite different on my next release I think!
