Multi-platinum recording artist/award-winning actor Shayne Ward has released his first original single in six years, ‘Crazy In Love’. I caught up with the singer to chat about the new single, working with Swedish DJ, Record Producer, and Grammy Nominated Artist StoneBridge as well as what he has planned for the coming months.
“I just wanted to create something that makes people smile and, you know, just that love is love. You should be allowed to love who you want, when you want, and that it’s [love] out there for you and when you get it, just embrace it and go crazy with it. I was really pleased when I collaborated with producer StoneBridge. How he just completely brought it to life and it’s been received so well by my fans. I’m pretty pleased with it.”
“I’m a big fan of StoneBridge, from the early 90s, and I think in this game now, one of the great things or the positives that you can take from social media is that you can reach out to people directly in DM’s and things like that and, as long as you’re not afraid of getting the answer no, which, I’m not afraid of, you know, I’m okay with no’s. But you just reach out to them and, I said I’d love to collaborate and do something and he was all for it. He’s been great ever since and he’s now a mate. So we’ve been working together for quite some time now so we’ve written quite a few songs. We’re just pleased with this one. I’m just happy to have something out for the summertime and something new for myself, like you said it’s been six years since I’ve had an original song out”
It’s difficult to not let the fear of rejection affect you. Especially when you are an artist and you have poured your soul into a song. It’s a very personal thing, and people in general automatically fear rejection. It takes a thick skin to put yourself out there.
“ At the end of the day you’re gonna get a handful of no’s.You will get a few yeses, and you just have to keep persevering and don’t take it too personally. It’s nothing to do with your talent. It just might not be right for that person you’ve approached, they might not want to do something with you or they might be working on a different project, which is absolutely fine. I believe that everything comes full circle and if you really want to work with somebody, you try them again at a later time. But yeah, I mean in my life now, I’m 36. I’ve been working on new material since last year writing and pitching things for films and I feel in a really good place and I felt in the right place now to just start releasing new music again, especially for my fans who have been so loyal to me over the years.”
As Ward drove down by the coast in Cornwall, we discussed how he wrote ‘Crazy in Love’ and the catchy trumpet hook that features in the song
“Yeah, it came quickly. It’s quite wordy but it came quickly once I knew what the concept was, what it was about. I’m pretty good with lyrics in general so it was quite a quick process. I just recorded the vocals in my studio, sent the demo over to StoneBridge and yeah like I said he just completely brought it to life and before we knew it we had the track and then I set about getting the video made.”
“I always wanted to do something with a trumpet, it just reminds me of summer. There’s so many great songs out there with the trumpet. So when I was creating this demo for this song. I was looking at what samples I had on the music programs themselves like Logic, and I found this one or two great little samples, I kind of chopped it up, and made it sound the way that it did and put it on the track and StoneBridge put it in great places and before we knew it, it was like wow this is actually really cool”
The creation and layering of a track is a fun and fascinating part of creating music. I wondered if Ward found it overwhelming when he got to the studio and saw all the different sounds you can bring to the song.
“ I think more than anything, you’ve got to be willing, unless there’s a certain way you want a song to sound. Then you go out all guns blazing and you have a chat with the producer and say look this is how I want it to sound, just bring it to life like this. Or, you basically trust in the process which is, look, I know what you can do, this is what I can do. Show me what you’ve got. I sent StoneBridge the demo. What he sent back is not too far away from the actual original demo in terms of a lot of the sounds and the trumpet. I think at the end of the day, you’ve got to let someone else’s creativity become part of the project and then, that’s when the magic happens, But if you feel like you’ve already created the magic then you know, as long as you get the right producer on board he’ll produce it for you exactly how you want it to sound and I always like to find inspiration from elsewhere as well, that’s what helps my songs grow.”
‘Crazy In Love’ is an exciting new release, especially for fans who have been eagerly waiting for Ward to release music. We discussed whether an EP or album was in the works to follow the single.
“No, not at all I mean for me personally it was just about getting something out, I think realistically in this day and age in terms of the big numbers that a lot of the big stars do now you can’t really compete, you’re not gonna compete with the numbers of The Weeknd or [Lady] Gaga or Ariana Grande or [Justin] Bieber. So for me it was like, it’s been six years. It feels nice now because we’ve all fallen into this situation which is the pandemic. Where we’re all housebound so it felt right for me to start writing again. I just want to keep releasing music, I am working to hopefully complete a brand new album, which is exciting, and maybe early next year, that would be awesome to release it, but for right now I’ve got a good few other sideline projects that I’m involved with. Fans can just keep checking my socials as normal, and yeah, I’ll be updating them.”
Like many artists, the pandemic put a halt in Ward’s days due to lockdowns and such. This downtime sparked his decision to potter about in the studio and see where his creative thoughts took him.
“Yeah so the songwriting had stopped because I was just so focused on the acting in general. I didn’t feel like I had the mind capacity to try and think of anything new lyrical wise for a song because I was so engrossed in the storylines that I was doing. But yeah, naturally because of the pandemic it threw me back into the studio which I’m sure it did to a lot of people because you can’t go out and act anyway. So yeah, it was a perfect opportunity where I was like okay, let me relax, let me see how my creativity feels right now and it did. Once I turned on the computer and set everything up, microphone turned on I was away and I’ve been writing since last year so I’ve got a lot of great songs and I’m just so excited and stoked to get out there.”
2021 marks the 15th anniversary of Ward’s multi-platinum self-titled album. I wondered if he had any plans to celebrate the occasion.
“Well it kind of reminds me that I’m getting older. It’s 15 years. But, I think it’s such an achievement, to say that I’ve had, the amount of albums I have had, I’m just delighted, yes. I think unless I can get out and have a nice Guinness in a pub, I think it would just be a cup of tea and I’ll just say cheers to myself.”
Ward has had a diverse and successful career so far; an award-winning role as Aidan Connor on Coronation Street, winner of the second series of The X Factor, selling over three million records worldwide,15 global platinum albums and number one in nine countries. Ward has also had success on the theatre stage in the production of “Rock of Ages” as Stacee Jaxx in London’s West End as well as the touring productions of “The War of the Worlds” and “Band of Gold” and has also starred in the Tom Paton directed feature film “The Ascent”. I wondered with a diverse and well-rounded career so far, if he has any advice for aspiring musicians and actors.
“More than anything, it’s just trust your gut. I think the hardest thing as well is, a lot of people can’t take criticism and that’s not a fault. It’s not. You’ve just got to be willing to grow and be willing to listen and ask questions, and that covers both the acting and the singing side. If you want to progress in this industry, whether it’s acting or singing, trust your gut, believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid to say no if you don’t feel that something’s right, trust your instincts, but also be willing to learn.That’s one of the most important things, is to be willing to learn and let people see that you’re there to learn as well.”
With everything slowly opening up and live shows potentially coming back. Ward tells me about his hope to go on tour and what he has planned for the coming months.
“Oh yeah, I really want to. I’ve seen so many people’s shows being announced and then being postponed. I think we all want to get back doing shows. I think what’s great now is I have a new song out there and more stuff that’s gonna be coming out hopefully before the end of the year and, yeah, I can get myself a show over in Ireland, and you know that’s down to my fans over there just enjoying the song, download and streaming it and that’s actually what gets me over to Ireland, so fingers crossed.”
‘Crazy in Love’ is an upbeat summer bop laced in intricate soundscapes, biting electronics and glorious melodies. It’s a fantastic return from Shayne Ward and provides a glimpse into the tunes Ward will release next.
Stream ‘Crazy in Love’ below
Author : Danu
