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Exclusive Interview: Chris Singleton

Posted by emb789 from Cardiff - Published on 05/10/2010 at 14:56
3 comments » - Tagged as Music

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Chris Singleton is an upcoming singer/songwriter from Ireland who has recently released his second album, Lady Gasoline. He is rather brilliantly talented, and you can download his first album, Twisted City, an album about a tube journey through London, here completely free! He seems like a lovely fellow already!

You've just released your second album, Lady Gasoline, are you pleased with it so far?
Yes, you never know how these things are going to pan out, I was generally pleased with the reviews it got, and I kind of like it, but I'm probably not the most impartial reviewer of my music. It's quite a different record to the first one, and I like the way that it involves a lot of different musicians and styles, and so on, but it was very enjoyable to record.

It was quite lucky that you got to make it, because you had a hearing problem, hyperacusis.
Yeah, you're right about that. Towards the end of Twisted City, I developed the ear problem. It's hyper-sensitivity to sound, so everyday noises became quite painful, which sort of had a negative effect on the music. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make any more records, so it was a relief to get over that and do Lady Gasoline.

Your music has quite a unique sound to it, so who would you consider to be your main influences?
I would say that, if I'm honest, it's quite old fashioned stuff, like the Beatles and David Bowie and Mark Bolan. Classic Sixties and Seventies rock would be my favourite sort of music, bands like Pink Floyd. I'll admit to being more into that than the contemporary stuff, but I think that tends to come out in the music, but I think when you're recording these days, you use so many technical bells and whistles that you can't help but make it sound, at least, a little bit contemporary. There's quite a lot of percussion and effects that we've used, in the contemporary kind of studio, so it's a mix of the old and the new.

Do you have any words of advice for aspiring musicians?
Don't do it! Well, it's a very tough business to get into, and I think you have to really show an interest if you want to do it. I think when you start out in a music career you start out with a lot of enthusiasm and you think it's going to be easy, but I think it's possibly the most difficult dreams for you to embark on. I think my advice would be to just try not to stop enjoying the music, but also to be realistic about what you can achieve. If you're a musician you really have to try and revel in the music you're making and try to always remember that that's a massive, massive part of making an album, that's one side and the other is the promotion end of things, which is actually quite difficult to get right.

You have the Street Team for promoting your music, don't you?
Yeah, these days you have to think of pretty much any way you can promote yourself, to do anything you can. The Street Team idea is about rewarding people who help you out, and to try and engage your fanbase, and get them to spread the word and so on. The internet's great for that, there's a lot you can do with that, and the Street Team's a part of that really.

Could you tell us a bit about Twisted City?
The idea behind Twisted City was it was a tube journey through London and every track was a stop along the line, and it's about a particular place or personal experience in the city. It wasn't exactly a concept album, but a bit of a concept underground. We did a few gigs on the London Underground, which ITV covered, and gigs in buses and cabs. What I've decided is to give that out as a free download and if people like it, they can go out and buy Lady Gasoline.

Did you do anything much before Twisted City?
In Dublin I was in various bands, but I wanted control, so I've been on my own. This record, I did with a group of musicians called The Distractions to try and get a more upbeat feel, and it managed to get the sound that I wanted.

Where do you think you'll go from here?
I've got some more gigs in London and Dublin, and I plan to work on a new album in the new year. I plan to keep going, to write some new pieces and take it from there!

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