WEBVTT - Sigala 0:00:01.240 --> 0:00:04.080 Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Inside the 0:00:04.160 --> 0:00:07.320 Studio on iHeart Radio. My name is Jordan runt Dog, 0:00:07.440 --> 0:00:10.119 but enough about me. My guest today is one of 0:00:10.200 --> 0:00:13.360 the hottest producers in the UK right now. He topped 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:17.000 the chart across the Pond in with Easy Love and 0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:20.279 now he's coming for us. He's released a string of 0:00:20.320 --> 0:00:23.640 infectious dance pop tunes in the last few months, including 0:00:23.680 --> 0:00:26.599 Heaven on My Mind with Becky Hill and Lasting Lover 0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:30.639 with James Arthur, which ingeniously samples the modern classic Time 0:00:30.680 --> 0:00:34.560 to Pretend by MGMT. Most recently, he served up the 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:37.120 Charlie xc X pan do you for Me with the 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:41.839 incredible Rita Aura. I'm so happy to welcome Sigala. Pleasure man. 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:43.640 You have I just say, who are we going further? 0:00:43.880 --> 0:00:48.320 You have an amazing name. I just really thanks. Right, Yeah, 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:51.279 it's um, it's actually a it's actually a family name, 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:54.360 so um, it's nice, has a bit of meaning. It 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:59.280 was my I think great great grandfather's last name. His 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:03.280 name was Am Sigala. Is this Italian dude, and yes 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:06.200 it sounds like a cool guy. So when I had 0:01:06.240 --> 0:01:08.560 to choot it was actually my mom that told me 0:01:08.600 --> 0:01:10.560 to use it. I was like, because I came and 0:01:10.720 --> 0:01:14.360 I became an artist, like very quickly, and like I 0:01:14.400 --> 0:01:16.880 hadn't really thought too much about it, and suddenly I 0:01:16.880 --> 0:01:19.440 was like, I need a name, and my mom was like, oh, 0:01:19.920 --> 0:01:22.720 tell me the story about this guy called Amstegana. She 0:01:22.800 --> 0:01:25.959 was like, call yourself Sigala. So thanks mom for that 0:01:26.120 --> 0:01:28.920 excellent choice. Oh man, so many great songs. I want 0:01:28.959 --> 0:01:30.440 to ask you about it, But first and foremost, you 0:01:30.440 --> 0:01:32.679 have a new single with Rita Aura. You for me 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:34.800 tell me about the background of that song. How had 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:37.160 they come together? Yeah, so that's quite a cool one man. 0:01:37.880 --> 0:01:41.520 Originally it was written by Charlie xc X. We got 0:01:41.560 --> 0:01:44.640 sent this this demo with her with her singing it, 0:01:44.720 --> 0:01:47.520 and like I fell in love with the song, and 0:01:47.720 --> 0:01:50.040 but she she hadn't written it for herself. She'd just 0:01:50.080 --> 0:01:52.360 written it as a song and then so it ended 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.520 up with me working on it, and her and Rita 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.680 are quite good friends, which I didn't know until recently. 0:01:59.200 --> 0:02:02.160 So they got in touch with each other and suddenly 0:02:02.960 --> 0:02:05.640 I was like, I heard Rita wanted to get involved, 0:02:05.720 --> 0:02:09.400 and obviously like that that was amazing that she's somebody 0:02:09.440 --> 0:02:13.519 who's been like on my hit list. For a long time. Um, 0:02:13.639 --> 0:02:17.399 so yeah, it happened Like it was kind of cool 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.160 that it happened that way rather than just going through 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:22.800 managers emails and things like that. It was nice that 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:26.480 there's there was a connection there. Um and yeah, she's 0:02:26.480 --> 0:02:28.680 super pumped to be on it. I'm like so happy 0:02:28.840 --> 0:02:30.919 to have her on the record as well. So yeah, 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:33.120 it's worked out really well. It's such a great dance 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:35.360 track for a year where there really hasn't been a 0:02:35.360 --> 0:02:37.600 lot of dancing, or at least a lot of communal dancing. 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:39.880 How has the last year and a half been for you? 0:02:40.000 --> 0:02:41.959 Is it tough to make songs that it seemed to 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:44.320 be so designed to be enjoyed by, you know, with 0:02:44.400 --> 0:02:46.520 other people. Was it hard to make those in such 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:49.720 a solitary environment. It's kind of a weird one because 0:02:49.880 --> 0:02:53.800 I feel like over the last year or so, since 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:56.240 since the first lockdown, like there's been so much more 0:02:56.320 --> 0:02:58.560 dance music out there. Like when you tell on the 0:02:58.680 --> 0:03:02.959 radio in the UK, it's like dance dance music on 0:03:03.120 --> 0:03:07.200 like all stations, and it's it's an amazing time to 0:03:07.240 --> 0:03:10.760 be in doing that genre. But also, yeah, it's kind 0:03:10.760 --> 0:03:12.760 of strange that so many people making dance music, but 0:03:12.800 --> 0:03:15.720 no one can actually go out and listen to it 0:03:15.760 --> 0:03:18.480 in the club. Um So I guess people still want 0:03:18.520 --> 0:03:20.720 that and they're and they're getting it from from somewhere 0:03:20.720 --> 0:03:24.040 else now. Um So, yeah, it's been a cool it's 0:03:24.040 --> 0:03:26.560 been a really cool year to be making dance music. 0:03:26.680 --> 0:03:28.920 But yeah, I'm looking forward to getting back to touring 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.920 and playing in clubs because I'm sure everyone misses it, 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:35.280 but I really miss it too. Because you were gearing 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:39.240 up for what your first world tour before everything shut down. Yeah, 0:03:39.280 --> 0:03:42.840 it was some kind of bad timing, Like I just 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:45.360 started my my world tour and it's like the biggest 0:03:45.600 --> 0:03:47.880 world tour that we'd I've got my dogs trying to 0:03:47.880 --> 0:03:51.480 get through the door. It's twisting the door handle. Its aggressive. 0:03:51.520 --> 0:03:55.880 I hear that on this It's really creepy. Yeah, hopefully 0:03:55.880 --> 0:04:01.160 he'll go away. It's the fun of working at home, believe. Yeah. 0:04:01.320 --> 0:04:03.880 So yeah, it was kind of really bad timing because 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:06.160 it was the biggest tour that I had. I had 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:09.840 planned so far and we did. We've just done all 0:04:09.840 --> 0:04:11.640 the UK shows and then that was when it was 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.080 just starting to look like the virus had just come 0:04:14.120 --> 0:04:16.080 about and everyone was getting a bit worried, and then 0:04:16.400 --> 0:04:18.159 I think I did like two in Europe and then 0:04:18.240 --> 0:04:21.280 and then all the all the rest got postponed. So yeah, man, 0:04:21.320 --> 0:04:23.599 it was it was. It was really sad, and I 0:04:23.680 --> 0:04:26.599 just felt really bad for you know, everyone who who 0:04:27.040 --> 0:04:29.440 put tickets in and you know, it's freed up time 0:04:29.480 --> 0:04:31.880 to come to the shows. And I was looking forward 0:04:31.920 --> 0:04:36.200 to traveling and like we had stuff in Asia, Australia, America, 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.400 like all over the world. It was going to be incredible. Um, 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.159 but yeah, it just it is what it is. Man. 0:04:41.400 --> 0:04:45.400 In hindsight, It's given me so much time to be 0:04:45.440 --> 0:04:48.360 in the studio and make music. I've actually really enjoyed 0:04:48.400 --> 0:04:51.440 the last year being able to work more on music 0:04:51.480 --> 0:04:54.640 than I ever have in the last sort of seven 0:04:54.720 --> 0:04:56.719 or eight years. So I've tried to look at the 0:04:56.760 --> 0:04:59.480 silver lining, I guess, and you know, try and take 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:01.560 the positive was out of it. I was gonna You've 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:04.040 been involved with so many different types of music throughout 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:06.560 your life. What is it about dancing house music that 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.120 that pulls it you most strongly? I don't know. I 0:05:09.200 --> 0:05:12.600 just feel like it's something that, as far as creating goes, 0:05:12.640 --> 0:05:16.600 it comes really naturally. I feel really at home with 0:05:16.680 --> 0:05:20.839 the four to the floor kick drum anything like it 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:22.720 just all comes so naturally to me, I think because 0:05:22.720 --> 0:05:24.839 I used to listen to that kind of music, like 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:27.640 when I was growing up, and I was really really 0:05:27.640 --> 0:05:30.599 into dance music as a teenager and not just house 0:05:30.680 --> 0:05:33.440 I guess, like all like drum and bass, and and 0:05:33.480 --> 0:05:35.640 when dub step came around, like I was really into 0:05:35.680 --> 0:05:38.160 that and I made some crazy dub step tunes that 0:05:38.200 --> 0:05:40.320 no one will ever hear. But yeah, I've always like 0:05:40.360 --> 0:05:42.120 it's the kind of general I've always come back to it. 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:44.560 I've I've experimented with other things, and I've always come 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:46.720 back to dance music, and I just, yeah, it just 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:49.840 never gets old for me. Your first big smash, easy Love, 0:05:49.920 --> 0:05:53.400 which has that amazing sample of Jackson's five ABC. I'm 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:56.600 always so curious because I collect old soul singles and 0:05:56.880 --> 0:05:59.520 forty fives and stuff from the sixties and seventies, stacks 0:05:59.640 --> 0:06:02.760 volved motown all that, And I think of the producers 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:05.760 like yourself, who listens to those same seven inches and 0:06:05.839 --> 0:06:08.640 could hear a baseline or hear a drum track and 0:06:08.720 --> 0:06:11.599 have the foresight to be able to splice that little 0:06:11.600 --> 0:06:13.919 bit out and make something completely new and fresh and 0:06:14.000 --> 0:06:16.320 exciting with it. When you're working on sampling, is it 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:18.479 a case of knowing exactly what you want or is 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:20.880 it really a lot of trial and error until you 0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:23.960 get something you think sounds good for me. It's it's 0:06:24.080 --> 0:06:26.600 usually a lot of trial and error. With With the 0:06:26.680 --> 0:06:29.840 Jackson five one, I was lucky, lucky enough to have 0:06:30.520 --> 0:06:33.400 somebody give me the multi track stems. I have no 0:06:33.480 --> 0:06:35.480 idea where they got them from, but they gave me 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.520 the multi track stems to a bunch of songs and 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:41.000 there was some Jackson five stuff in there, so I 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.800 just like plucked out the a cappella and like the 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:47.520 babs and everything, and and there were some cool melodies, 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:50.520 like some ad lib melodies that you can barely hear 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:53.320 in the actual song, and like those are the ones 0:06:53.360 --> 0:06:55.360 I was really drawn to because I was like, they're 0:06:55.360 --> 0:06:58.480 really cool and and no one's probably heard them. And 0:06:58.520 --> 0:07:00.160 so I kind of like took some of their m 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:02.919 and some of the main vocal and I tried to 0:07:03.040 --> 0:07:06.320 like try and forget how the original sounded and just 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:09.520 be like I'm creating something new. Let's just see where 0:07:09.560 --> 0:07:12.360 it goes. And that was such a fun process. I 0:07:12.440 --> 0:07:14.720 had so much fun making that record, but you said 0:07:14.760 --> 0:07:16.080 it was absolutely right. I when you hear that song, 0:07:16.120 --> 0:07:18.640 I almost forget that it's a sample. It sounds so 0:07:18.680 --> 0:07:22.600 completely different. Is there a challenge to find sort of 0:07:22.720 --> 0:07:25.520 the sweet spot of the right amount to sample? I mean, 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:27.800 I'm thinking of of your song Lasting Lover, which samples 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:32.080 the mg m T song Time to pretend it's if 0:07:32.120 --> 0:07:34.840 you didn't tell me that that was a song had 0:07:34.880 --> 0:07:37.080 that sample in there. I don't think I even noticed 0:07:37.080 --> 0:07:40.200 because it's so wholly unique. I mean, is there like 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:44.560 like I'm sure, but is there, like, you know, a 0:07:44.560 --> 0:07:47.240 sweet spot for you? Okay, this is this is the 0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:49.800 amount to make it fun any more than that? And 0:07:49.880 --> 0:07:52.560 it just it kind of feels a little too easy. Yeah. 0:07:52.680 --> 0:07:54.880 I kind of feel like if you can't, if you 0:07:54.920 --> 0:07:58.840 can't do something different with it or take it somewhere else, 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:01.760 then it's like, what's the point of doing it, and 0:08:01.920 --> 0:08:05.320 where's the where's the creative part of that? Um? I 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:08.720 don't think I'd ever do like a d cover of 0:08:08.760 --> 0:08:12.880 a song, although there's some great ones that have been done. Um, 0:08:13.200 --> 0:08:16.120 I just feel like it's not quite as creative when 0:08:16.240 --> 0:08:18.880 when you're doing that. So I always try and find 0:08:18.880 --> 0:08:21.559 a way of you know, mixing it up and finding 0:08:21.560 --> 0:08:23.280 a new way to do it. And plus some of 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:25.640 the some of the songs that I'd love to sample. 0:08:26.040 --> 0:08:27.840 Someone sent me one today was like, oh, I should 0:08:27.880 --> 0:08:29.680 do a sample of this. I can't remember which what 0:08:29.720 --> 0:08:31.400 it was, but it's like classic dance tune and I 0:08:31.440 --> 0:08:33.000 was just like, I don't think I can do a 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.319 better job than what this guy has done on it, 0:08:35.840 --> 0:08:38.880 so I'm just gonna leave that as it is and 0:08:39.400 --> 0:08:41.760 move on. Well, that's why Easy Love with the Jackson 0:08:41.800 --> 0:08:43.600 five was so cool. So I feel like most people 0:08:43.720 --> 0:08:46.760 would go for the Funk Brothers based in drum part 0:08:46.840 --> 0:08:48.240 that will be on it, and I mean that's why 0:08:48.240 --> 0:08:50.560 I feel like, what most people do, you know that 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.640 the high vocal melodies and put your own rhythm to it, 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:55.240 and I think that was what was so cool about it. 0:08:55.360 --> 0:08:56.880 I think one of the things as well at the 0:08:56.880 --> 0:08:59.520 time was I was had the ambition to be a 0:08:59.559 --> 0:09:04.320 songwriter to and I was really struggling to find people 0:09:04.320 --> 0:09:07.840 to work with, so I couldn't really I didn't have 0:09:08.000 --> 0:09:12.400 enough vocalists or top lines or vocals to work with 0:09:12.679 --> 0:09:16.000 and to to be creative with. So that was almost 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.079 a way of like I want to play around and 0:09:18.360 --> 0:09:19.960 make a song, but I don't have anyone to do 0:09:20.000 --> 0:09:22.319 it with. I'm going to get this vocal. And I 0:09:22.400 --> 0:09:25.240 used to make remixes of songs all the time, like 0:09:25.360 --> 0:09:28.640 just find the a cappellas online and make a new version. 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:32.000 And that was my way of songwriting without having anyone 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:42.560 to work with. I used to love listening to to 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:46.480 mash up people like Girl Talk and Endanger Mouse. Would 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:49.200 you ever listen to to people like that? Yeah? Man, 0:09:49.280 --> 0:09:52.880 there's some there's some great mashups. That's something as well 0:09:52.880 --> 0:09:55.079 that I love to do it like, and I love 0:09:55.120 --> 0:09:57.560 to see other people doing in live sets as well, 0:09:58.320 --> 0:10:01.560 is doing mashups and like original takes on things that 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.240 some some stuff that I've got in my set, Like 0:10:04.640 --> 0:10:06.880 the only place you can hear it is if you 0:10:06.920 --> 0:10:09.319 come and see me live. And I've seen other people 0:10:09.320 --> 0:10:10.760 do that as well, and I've been like she's having 0:10:10.800 --> 0:10:13.640 I'm like what is this? And I think that's there's 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.480 something really cool about that. That's the ultimate Like you know, 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.000 as you know, when you're when you're you're playing a party, 0:10:19.040 --> 0:10:20.800 if you see people, if you see people holding up 0:10:20.840 --> 0:10:23.160 their phone, like trying to sam what you're playing. That's 0:10:23.160 --> 0:10:24.800 when you know you you hit it out of the park. 0:10:24.840 --> 0:10:27.480 I feel like, yeah, you initially when you first started 0:10:27.480 --> 0:10:29.760 making music, you were playing in different bands. How did 0:10:29.840 --> 0:10:33.320 you switch to uh, production work? It's kind of kind 0:10:33.320 --> 0:10:35.640 of again, by accident. Most of the things that have 0:10:35.640 --> 0:10:39.280 happened in my career of been by accident. So yeah, 0:10:39.280 --> 0:10:42.280 I used to love playing in bands, um, just from 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.680 being like in bands at high school and things like that. 0:10:46.400 --> 0:10:48.599 Just like me and my mates messing around and I 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:52.359 play the keyboards, and it would come to like recording 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:55.360 our music, and none of us could afford to go 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:58.160 to a studio and record, so I was like, oh, 0:10:58.280 --> 0:11:01.920 how hard can it be? Download some software, UM, borrow 0:11:01.960 --> 0:11:04.960 my mates computer and and and like do it in 0:11:04.960 --> 0:11:07.160 the shed down down the bottom of the garden. So 0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:12.200 that's how we That's how like I got into production, 0:11:12.240 --> 0:11:15.400 I guess because I realized that I when I started 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:17.880 recording the bands and stuff, that I actually enjoyed it 0:11:17.960 --> 0:11:20.920 more than I did playing in the band live. And 0:11:21.200 --> 0:11:22.800 I was just like, I just want to do this now. 0:11:22.840 --> 0:11:24.760 I want to be in the studio, I want to record, 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.040 I want to make music. And that was like that 0:11:27.120 --> 0:11:28.959 was the start of it. Really, I should imagine your 0:11:28.960 --> 0:11:32.160 first UK number one, Easy Love, was was made in 0:11:32.600 --> 0:11:35.080 what you've described as like a really stripped down kind 0:11:35.120 --> 0:11:37.280 of way. It was just like basically just a laptop 0:11:37.360 --> 0:11:40.120 at home. I mean, is that still your preferred way 0:11:40.200 --> 0:11:42.760 or as has your your process of all much beyond 0:11:42.800 --> 0:11:47.040 that at this point? Nice, It's pretty similar to be honest, Um, 0:11:47.200 --> 0:11:50.160 I still have the same like monitors that I that 0:11:50.240 --> 0:11:54.240 I had back in my bedroom when I made Easy Love, 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:57.760 and I I have a nice studio in King's Cross 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:01.120 in central London. But it's very it's very simple. It's 0:12:01.160 --> 0:12:04.520 just like nice speaker's laptop and that's pretty much it. 0:12:04.600 --> 0:12:08.240 And a microphone because I do everything in the box anyway, 0:12:08.240 --> 0:12:11.720 and I don't want to overcomplicate the process because I 0:12:11.880 --> 0:12:14.560 am That's just how it's always worked for me, so 0:12:14.640 --> 0:12:16.520 I'm just sticking to it. You've got your start in 0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:19.600 music as a as a pianist for many many years. 0:12:19.920 --> 0:12:23.559 Does that factor into your your your songwriting process, This 0:12:23.720 --> 0:12:26.480 sort of like classical background that you have for sure. Man, 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:31.560 It's it's so so helpful being able to play keys 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:35.800 because if you have a laptop and you can play keys. 0:12:35.880 --> 0:12:37.960 You can play any instrument really, or you can pretend 0:12:38.000 --> 0:12:42.760 to play any instrument. So, like, I think that's been 0:12:42.760 --> 0:12:45.920 a really important part of me becoming an artist and 0:12:46.559 --> 0:12:50.400 making music because yeah, like I heavily rely on being 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:52.720 able to play the piano. Like, whenever I write a song, 0:12:53.040 --> 0:12:55.400 it maybe it ends up being like a dance record, 0:12:55.520 --> 0:12:57.800 but in the beginning it was written on a piano, 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:01.480 you know, in a room with a singer, and you know, 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:03.840 you can usually strip it back to that as well, 0:13:03.880 --> 0:13:06.199 and it's still you know, it still makes sense as 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:08.679 a song. I think there's something really cool about that. 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:11.199 You know, the people don't know that not a lot 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:13.520 about theory. Will always talk about how the piano such 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:15.880 a great thing to learn on because it's it's so logical. 0:13:15.960 --> 0:13:17.679 It's laid out there in front of you and you 0:13:17.720 --> 0:13:19.720 can kind of get a visual for where all the 0:13:19.760 --> 0:13:22.840 notes are and how it all fits together as a whole. Yeah, 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:25.960 And I love like the sound of a piano is 0:13:26.000 --> 0:13:27.920 just never going to go out of fashion, Like it's 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:30.880 it's been around for a long time and it's not 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:34.040 going anywhere. So like, I still love to use piano 0:13:34.400 --> 0:13:37.480 in my music and like it feels such a big 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:41.200 space sonically as well, Like I just love the power, 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:44.520 the like powerful sound you get from a piano. So 0:13:44.920 --> 0:13:48.080 that's something that's that's like, it's great that I that 0:13:48.160 --> 0:13:50.520 I can play piano because it's kind of been the 0:13:50.559 --> 0:13:53.200 basis of my sound since day one. Really, was there 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:55.280 a moment for you when you knew that that music 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.040 was what you wanted to do with your life? Well, 0:13:58.040 --> 0:14:01.040 I don't know, actually, I've was like when I was younger, 0:14:01.160 --> 0:14:05.400 I was dream I used to dream of being in 0:14:05.480 --> 0:14:07.439 a band or something like that. Like I used to 0:14:07.480 --> 0:14:11.440 listen to like a C D C and UM, like 0:14:11.520 --> 0:14:13.520 guns and Roses and all that stuff, and I was like, 0:14:13.559 --> 0:14:16.359 I want to be on the stage with my keyboard 0:14:17.280 --> 0:14:19.320 rocking out, and that was like that was the dream. 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:21.080 And I even in my bedroom, I had like I 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:25.360 managed to get this poster online from somewhere and it 0:14:25.480 --> 0:14:27.200 like filled the whole side of my room and it 0:14:27.280 --> 0:14:29.560 was just like a picture of a crowd like from 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.320 the stage. So I used to stand in front of 0:14:31.360 --> 0:14:35.480 this this massive poster like solo out on my keyboard 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:40.400 and that was like the childhood dream. And then um, 0:14:40.480 --> 0:14:43.920 and then I started to realize that it was probably 0:14:43.960 --> 0:14:46.440 never gonna happen. So I was like, maybe I can 0:14:46.480 --> 0:14:50.360 be you know, an engineer or a producer or a 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:52.560 songwriter or something like that and make a living from it. 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:55.040 So that's like the route I went down and went 0:14:55.080 --> 0:14:59.040 to university studied commercial music, and I was like, Okay, 0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:02.080 I can hopefully make career out of this. And then 0:15:02.200 --> 0:15:05.680 suddenly the dream came back to life after the Jackson 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:09.040 five thing, and yeah, suddenly I was like, okay, I'm 0:15:09.080 --> 0:15:11.600 going to be the kid with the poster in his 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:14.720 bedroom again. Um. So yeah, it's weird how it kind 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:17.600 of went full circle. And yeah, but I can't really 0:15:17.680 --> 0:15:21.120 pinpoint when that moment was. I guess I've always I've 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:25.000 always just known that if I work hard enough then 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:27.120 like that. The goal has always been just to be 0:15:27.200 --> 0:15:30.880 able to make music, make money from music, and that's 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:33.320 always been it. I mean, yeah, dreams come true. I mean, 0:15:33.360 --> 0:15:35.280 has there been a moment for you, like on stage 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.360 it's really been like a peak moment for you where 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:40.280 youthought oh my god, this is this is everything I 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:42.080 wanted when I was back in my bedroom. And is 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.680 there anything that stands out for you? Oh? Yeah? Man, 0:15:45.160 --> 0:15:49.240 so many like so many festivals and things like that. Way, 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:54.560 it's just like it's just crazy when you think like 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:56.880 all these people are coming here to to see me, 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:00.200 or like all these people were singing along like as 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:03.040 and people singing a song I made in my bedroom. 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.640 It's still crazy, man, And it's still like gives me 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:11.400 chills when when that happens, and it still happens with 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:13.800 you know, with with the new songs as well. That's 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:15.520 my favorite part when I go back on the road, 0:16:16.200 --> 0:16:17.720 is like I can't wait to play the new one, 0:16:17.760 --> 0:16:19.880 Like I wonder if anyone's going to sing along, and 0:16:20.000 --> 0:16:22.440 when they do, it's, um, yeah, it never gets old, man, 0:16:22.560 --> 0:16:25.600 that feeling. I mean, You've worked with so many incredible people. 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:28.800 I mean my guy, Kylie Mineoa French, Montana, Paloma, Faith, 0:16:28.840 --> 0:16:31.000 Craig David. Who's still on your wish list? I know 0:16:31.080 --> 0:16:34.600 you mentioned Chris Martin at one point. Any any progress 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:38.520 on that, Yeah, he'd be very cool. Zero progress at 0:16:38.520 --> 0:16:42.920 the moment. I'm not giving up yet. Like I said, 0:16:43.000 --> 0:16:46.320 Rita Aurora was was somebody I mentioned working with for 0:16:46.360 --> 0:16:49.800 a long time, so I'm really happy that's happened. Ellie 0:16:49.800 --> 0:16:53.720 Golding is someone I've been trying to work with Ava 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:56.760 Max has been on my list for a while of 0:16:56.960 --> 0:17:00.120 people that I love to do something with, and a 0:17:00.120 --> 0:17:02.200 few days ago actually her team asked me to do 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:04.199 a remix for her, which I'm working on today. So 0:17:04.280 --> 0:17:06.439 that's going to be really cool. And that's that's something 0:17:06.560 --> 0:17:08.520 hopefully I can be really proud of and I can 0:17:08.560 --> 0:17:12.720 take her off the list, the never ending list. But yeah, 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:16.159 there's so many man, Like, Um, I'm working on my 0:17:16.200 --> 0:17:19.320 album as well at the moment, and I can't mention 0:17:19.400 --> 0:17:22.600 any any names unfortunately because because it's like quite early days. 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:25.920 But there's so many cool people and it's I feel 0:17:25.960 --> 0:17:28.960 so blessed to be able to work with so many 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.680 talented artists, Like it's it's it's so cool man. And 0:17:32.840 --> 0:17:34.280 I mean you might not be able to say anything, 0:17:34.280 --> 0:17:37.040 but I heard rumors about Little Mix, So what's the 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.520 latest on on working with them. Yeah, we've been We've 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:43.840 been working together for a long time, like trying to 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.760 find the right song that works for everyone. We've been 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:50.200 in the studio a few times. Um, it's really hard, man, 0:17:50.280 --> 0:17:53.879 with all of us have such busy timelines and release 0:17:53.920 --> 0:17:56.600 schedules and stuff, so like you kind of have to 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.600 wait for all the stars to align for for for 0:17:59.640 --> 0:18:02.600 these things to happen. So I'm still got my fingers 0:18:02.600 --> 0:18:05.320 crossed that will will make something happen, and everyone's still 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:08.280 really keen to to make a tune together. So yeah, 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:19.600 hopefully hopefully soon. What is your process for almost like 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:21.720 casting a song. Is it almost like you would have 0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:23.920 movie You have something and you think, oh my god, 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:26.919 I can totally hear read Aura on this or Charlie 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:29.120 x t X or Ellie Golden or something like that, 0:18:29.240 --> 0:18:32.119 or what is your process for that? How do you 0:18:32.119 --> 0:18:34.359 how do you decide what song goes with what artists? 0:18:34.960 --> 0:18:37.960 Usually we have some sort of demo of the song 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:41.320 with a with the singer. A songwriter will often sing 0:18:41.359 --> 0:18:43.440 it and then you know, we can try and work 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:46.840 out who who it's going to sue and approach those 0:18:46.880 --> 0:18:50.480 people and hopefully, you know, they can cut the vocal 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:53.000 and we can see if it works. But sometimes you 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:54.719 can think, oh my god, this is gonna be amazing 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:57.320 for for this person, and they sing it and you're like, 0:18:57.560 --> 0:19:00.800 thank you so much for singing this, Like it's not 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:03.679 it's not working because I don't know. Sometimes you just 0:19:03.720 --> 0:19:06.080 can't tell how it's going to sound. There's so many 0:19:06.080 --> 0:19:10.479 different things that come into it. But yeah, sometimes it's 0:19:10.520 --> 0:19:13.600 tough as well, man, because the songwriter who writes the 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:16.359 song might have this incredible voice and then you're like, 0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:18.720 oh my god, how are we gonna how are we gonna? 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:20.639 Are we gonna beat that? Like how are we going 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:22.480 to get as good as that? It was the same 0:19:22.520 --> 0:19:26.600 with them with James Arthur because Lewis Capaldi wrote the 0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:29.760 Lasting Lover song I did with James and like where 0:19:29.840 --> 0:19:31.920 I worked on the version with with Lewis's voice on 0:19:32.000 --> 0:19:35.600 for a long time and I was like, there's literally 0:19:35.640 --> 0:19:38.960 probably only one or two people who could sing it 0:19:39.200 --> 0:19:41.840 this good, and one of them is James Arthur and 0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:43.480 he was he was top of the list. I was like, 0:19:43.520 --> 0:19:46.480 if James Arthur doesn't do this tune with me, like 0:19:46.560 --> 0:19:48.840 I don't know what I'm gonna do, Like, no one's 0:19:48.840 --> 0:19:52.359