22-year-old Irish artist-songwriter, Bradley Marshall has just released his brand new single ‘Better Left Unsaid’. I caught up with the singer-songwriter to talk about the single, his upcoming headline show in The Workman’s Cellar and working with Danny O’Donoghue (The Script), Ryan Hennessy and Jimmy Rainsford (Picture This), Jimbo Barry and David Lucius King on the song.
“Yeah, it’s quite surreal to be honest, working with people that I’ve looked up to for the last few years and writing with them was a really great experience because you get to understand how they work and you learn a lot from it. So it was really cool.”
“It was kind of me bringing some ideas to them and then they had ideas for me and so we just mixed them together. But, I’m confident in my ideas and what I had. It was daunting at first, but when they said that they liked the ideas and stuff then it was really cool.”
“Luckily enough when I was in London with the guys, we were there for two days and we got three or four songs done which was really cool, which doesn’t really happen a lot but I’m happy that it did work out that way.”
“Sometimes I think when I go into a studio ‘will something come out of today?’ but if something doesn’t come out of studio session, then that’s okay. You just do it again and again and again and something will finally come.”
‘Better Left Unsaid’ is a wonderfully tender tune that discusses coming to terms with the fact that some relationships are just not meant to be. Marshall told me how the idea for the song formed and the personal concept of the song.
“In relationships sometimes things aren’t just meant to be and that’s okay, and sometimes things are just better left unsaid. That’s why it’s called Better Left Unsaid, yeah, that was the reason behind the song.”
“It was on my behalf an experience, but it was also an idea that the lads had as well. So when they actually had the idea I was like, that’s really cool because I’ve actually experienced something like this.”
Emotional cinematic tunes seem to be Marshall’s forte. ‘Better Left Unsaid’ follows the heart-gripping power ballad aesthetic of his first single ‘Make Believe’ – the song exudes lush soundscapes and an elegant soaring piano melody before the anthemic chorus kicks in.
“Personally, I don’t love too much crazy production because I think the piano and vocals are really most important to me. You can add some drums and some strings just to make it really heartfelt and emotional that’s really all that I need in a song. So when I’m writing, I imagine the production and I say to the lads what I would like in it. Jimmy Rainsford produces most of the stuff that I do right now, and he’s just incredible. So, I let him just do what he does and I’m always happy with it.”
Marshall released a stripped-back performance of the song which was captured on video by Jimmy Rainsford during a recent London trip and recorded in Hoxa Studios. Stripped-back versions of Marshall’s songs are so impactful. Marshall told me he feels at his best performing live.
“Yeah, I’ve done a few gigs, the last couple of months and it’s just been my pianists, Jake Richardson and me and I feel that’s where I thrive”
The track is awash with relatable content and eloquent lyrics. Lines such as “few more years of being broken trying to right my wrongs and when I find a brand new person I’ll still write you breakup songs” are honest and impactful. We discussed how daunting it is for artists to pour their heart and feelings into lyrics for other people to hear and interpret.
“Yeah it really is because you’re putting all your personal experiences that you haven’t really talked about to anybody into a song, and everybody listens. So everybody knows what you’ve gone through and stuff like that. So it’s a little bit daunting, but that’s the reason why I do it because I know that through my experiences other people will also have experiences like that, and that’s why I write music. I want people to relate to it”
“It’s absolutely therapeutic for me. Definitely. I’m not the best at talking about things. So writing was always my way of just getting things down. It’s literally like talking to somebody when you’re writing a song because you’re putting it out there even though it’s not out yet. When you’re writing on paper it’s still like you’re putting it out to somebody. So yeah, it’s definitely therapeutic for me.”
The last time we spoke Marshall told me he was building up his tunes and I wondered if we can look forward to an EP soon.
“Yeah definitely. I do have a next single lined up. I will probably do singles until the end of the year, maybe two or three more and then next year, we’ll think about something like that [an EP]. Last time we talked, I didn’t have many, but now I have a lot of songs lined up so they’re all ready to go out and it’s just about patience and time. “
Bradley Marshall is a talented artist who is growing and developing his sound wonderfully. He is an artist to keep an eye on and his velvety voice is sure to charm all who hear it. Luckily for fans, Marshall has some live shows coming up.
“I actually just announced my debut headline show in Workman’s Cellar on December 16th. So really happy about that and then I’m also playing a festival next month Kildare so yeah, just a few things lined up”
Stream ‘Better Left Unsaid’ below
Author: Danu
