After a short break from releasing music, Dublin soul-infused pop-funk sextet Toshín have released their new single ‘She’.This release marks a new and exciting change in direction for the band, both sonically and in aesthetic.
Encased in velvety soul, ‘She’ is an alluring and emotive single from Toshín. Portraying a message of self-awareness and self-love despite obstacles and insecurities, this silken track flows upon a bed of elastic bass, steady cushioned drums, and elegant keys. Toshín coos delicately over an enticing melody while zinging guitar lines and warm horns inject funky elements and retro R&B hues into the musically rich soundscape.
Toshín have shown strong musical growth over the last year. ‘She’ displays this perfectly – a mature, refined sound laced in delicate melodic builds and sensual first-rate musicianship. Looking forward to hearing more from Toshín.
I caught up with Kildare-raised singer-songwriter Shiv to talk about her recently released debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’. Shiv who is now back in Ireland for Christmas tells me how she crafts her songs, what sparked her to venture into a career in music and her new found joy for the family chaos Christmas brings.
“I think everyone’s really looking forward to the craziness because it’s been such a dead year, and coming up to Christmas you have time to relax, but it can also be fairly stressful and busy but I think it’s a welcome busyness this time around for a lot of people.”
Shiv has released her debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’. She wrote, produced and recorded her six-track debut EP during a year of self-discovery. However for Shiv the crafting and sculpting of this EP was more nerve-racking than the process of releasing it into the world.
“I think I had all my nerves when I was making it, if that makes sense. While I was doing it I was really apprehensive and really anxious and overthinking every lyric, every chord. But once I made the decision to release it and once I had the first single out of the way, I was happy. I’m happy with the EP and, obviously, I want people to like it but I was comfortable in the fact that I was happy with it myself. So I think that really helped, taking the time to sit with it way before the release.”
The EP is a great collection of tracks saturated in R&B and Soul with tropical elements peppered on top. Shiv explained being exposed to various genres has helped craft her sound.
“My dad used to play such a variety of stuff when we were growing up so I think that’s where the influence comes from musically. In terms of songwriting process. I like to come up with lyrics first.I try to write poetry as much as I can and then sometimes those poems turn into songs, but usually if I have an idea I want to get down or if I hear a word that I think will be really cool or phrase that I think would be really nice in a song I try flesh it out. Then I get down to the piano, play a few chords, see what sits right, see what melodies come out. From there then, it kind of flows. I’m lucky enough that I do have an idea of production and it’s easy enough to translate the ideas that I have in my head into a real song so yeah that’s usually the way it goes.”
Shiv shows her deft lyrical capabilities within this EP. She presents intimate and honest, accounts on a variety of themes from anxiety and longing to loneliness. I wondered if this feels exposing, releasing these personal thoughts into the public and are these feelings and emotions just as raw performing the songs now.
“Yeah, absolutely. I think that was part of the struggle as well being so vulnerable and so honest is quite a scary thing. You’re letting people into your mind and letting people see your flaws and your insecurities. I suppose it’s just part of being human as well. I feel that’s the best way to connect with people, if you are your most authentic self that translates and that’s what makes people connect to whatever you’re doing, people can sense the authenticity. But yeah, it’s definitely a nerve-racking experience especially during the writing process. More than post writing. It can get easy being caught up in your head and be like, oh, should I really be saying this should I really be exposing this part of myself. But all in all it’s such a rewarding thing and such a freeing experience because you know you are being true to yourself and expressing yourself in the most honest way that you can.”
“I guess it’s a processing thing I suppose. If you write a song about something and sing about something it is kind of, a relief. It’s like you’ve freed yourself from that in a sense, and obviously it’s never going to be perfect and the emotions are still going to come up but I guess it’s a way of processing the emotions so they’re not as raw. You know when you’re kind of anxious about something or overthinking something and it’s always in the back of your mind and it’s never really resolved, I feel writing and releasing songs, for me anyway gives things like that a sense of resolve. Then performing them afterwards, I think it’s easy to go back into that frame of mind. I can put myself back to how I was feeling but it’s not something that is overwhelming it’s not bringing me down or bringing me back to that point. I can still feel free.”
The instrumentation Shiv uses is light, bright and almost bouncy which creates a wonderful contrast to the emotive lyrical content. Shiv’s songs unfold and blossom almost naturally.
“I find it hard to picture in my head, what exactly I want something to sound like. I follow a feeling, when I’m producing stuff so even from lyrics, that shapes what chords I’m gonna play. The chords shape the melody and then the melody shapes everything else, so it fits in together, not necessarily all at once. Each song encompasses the whole feeling of my emotion, if that makes sense. Each song is a representation of whatever feeling I was trying to convey, just in my own way.”
Shiv has a degree in psychology which has helped her understand her feelings and emotions. This has aided her to express a true and organic version of herself within her songs.
“Yeah I did. I was going into educational psychology and then when I didn’t use my degree I thought it was a waste, but psychology is one of those things… it’s people you know what I mean and that’s a lot of what life is about. It’s aided me in that sense for sure. I’m definitely, for being able to process emotions, being self aware and being able to be real with myself and talk through things with myself…which is what songwriting is for me, it’s the talking through things. That background in psychology has helped me understand feelings more and be able to translate them from just a vague abstract feeling in my brain to a physical manifestation of it via lyrics and music.”
I wondered if the change in career from psychology to music was a difficult decision. There is so much uncertainty within a career in music and to take that jump is a brave decision.
“It was a process. Music has always been a part of my life. Like I said, my dad used to play so much music for us growing up and my mom used to sing with my sister and I a lot. I sang all the way up through school, I was in choirs and I sang with a couple of my friends. It was always something that I had and something that I always came back to, but I never really thought of it seriously as a career, just because it seemed unattainable. It was one of those things that you know, only one in a million really makes it but I guess the model changed for the music industry and it became more of an achievable goal. I’m so lucky and grateful that I have a family that really does support,they are so supportive. It just made it easy then to see that goal as something that I could possibly slide into.”
“How I really got started was my sister was getting married, and I was her maid of honour. I was meant to make a speech for the wedding. Public speaking is just not really my thing. I was not very good at it so I said instead of that,I can write a song maybe and see how it goes. So I wrote her song, which I posted on YouTube and I ended up getting scouted by this management agency in Dublin. That gave me the drive to start seeing it as more of a concrete possibility. I started off timidly and I approached it as though it’s still a hobby and slowly it began becoming more real and more solid as I progressed and transitioned into being a full time musician, which is something I never really thought I would be doing. So it was just a process, it was something that’s always been with me and then just ended becoming more and more of a theme in my life .”
Shiv explains it wasn’t an automatic or spontaneous decision to change career and because of this, the change in career was easier to process.
“Exactly, yeah, it made it easier to digest and be serious about it and get used to the idea in my head that, I’m a singer now, you know. If I just made the switch I don’t think I would have been able to have as much time to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I possibly would have ended up giving up before I could even get ahead because I wouldn’t have been secure in what I was doing.”
Choosing to sing at a wedding rather than deliver a speech is not the decision most people would make but Shiv was always comfortable with her own voice.
“It was something I always did. I was…I don’t know eight or nine, and there was this scene in my town it was called Shepherds Watch and it was basically a Christmas Carols sort of thing. I was singing, as part of a choir and then one of the organisers came up to me at the end of practice and was like ‘oh you should do the solo’. I was like what !, obviously I always enjoyed singing, my mom used to sing with us, as I said, and it was just something that I always had but I didn’t really think I was talented at. After I did that solo and I loved it so much, I loved the performance aspect of it. It developed into something more serious for me.I could recognise that it was something that I was good at and something that I really enjoyed doing.”
I was interested to know of Shiv’s experience with DJing and how this aided her production skills. She explains how DJing gave her the foundation she needed to produce her own songs.
“Yeah, absolutely. I did DJing for a while as it was a great way to make money. It was also a lovely way to be able to express myself in a musical form that’s not necessarily singing because I didn’t think that was a real option. So it was a really nice way to get a sideways door into the music world and made me feel I could teach myself or learn how to produce because that falls on the more technical end of music, I just played instruments, but I didn’t really know that much about production. DJing was definitely a nice stepping stone”
Shiv has also travelled quite a lot while she was creating this EP, travelling from Paris to Mozambique and this travel gave her the space and time she required to tap into her creativity.
“Yeah I think so, when I went to Mozambique…my parents live over there and it was just around the time when I was starting to consider taking music seriously. I had written one or two songs but there was nothing that I felt confident enough to release. I was in Dublin and I was working as a waitress and doing the mid 20s thing of you know; working, going out and kind of the same thing over and over. So, my parents said take a break from work come stay with us and see what happens, give yourself six weeks, completely immerse yourself in music and just see what comes out. So I had the six week period of just writing…it wasn’t even necessarily a case of wanting to experience Mozambique or particularly to do with the country or where I was, but it was just the opportunity to get familiar with how I wanted to represent myself I guess musically. So yeah, that was that and then Paris. Yeah, Paris has definitely been an influence. I moved there last year and just having different environments and seeing different things and being around different people. It makes your brain, see things in a different way and think about things in a different way as well. I think it’s really important to take yourself out of your usual environment because it allows you to let different things come out. So yeah, I feel travelling definitely was an influence and driving factor”
The ‘Me 2 Me’ EP discusses anxiety, especially ‘Letting You Go’. It’s a personal note to Shiv to release the overwhelming grip of deep-rooted anxiety. I wondered if she had that anxiety travelling, and how she overcame it.
“Yeah I did. I guess I’ve always been an anxious person. I do feel as a general rule our fast paced way of living doesn’t allow for you not to be anxious. After I’d released my first couple of songs, I hadn’t really been expecting anything to come from them and I was just excited and was like I just need someone else to hear them. They surprisingly got a really good reception, and that was amazing. But in another sense it was also crippling because before I was just writing for myself and I didn’t have any expectations. Whatever I put out was what I put out and it didn’t really matter because if no one heard it I’d be in the exact same position that I was before. But after I put out my first couple of tracks I felt a bit more pressure and I felt I had something to prove and that’s where it came out, when I tried to create….because I didn’t feel as free as I did before. I felt a bit more in my head about things and oh you know if I make this then it’s not really like this song that people seem to like, maybe I need to make more of that. So yeah, that’s where that came from. Writing the songs helped me work through that because I guess that’s what a lot of them are like, the EP is essentially a diary entry from me to me.”
I asked when we can finally get back to doing shows again, what can people expect from Shiv’s live performances.
“I’m still working on what I want to do. I do want to incorporate some live looping and stuff like that into my shows but at the moment, my setup is with the live band, which is great. It’s so lovely to have other people to bounce energy off as well.”
Shiv’s path to music is an intruiging one which has allowed her to indulge in her creativity and experience different countries and cultures. I wondered what advice she would give to anyone who wants to pursue a career in music.
“Take the time to familiarise yourself with the different technologies that exist. It’s so much more accessible now than it used to be a couple of years ago. Get familiar with GarageBand and that kind of production stuff, so that you can support yourself and move yourself through music without having to rely or depend on anyone else. Invest in a microphone so you can get your own demos going and mess around with stuff and just feel free to create. Also just be patient with yourself, that’s a big thing that I’ve taken away from this last year. Just be prepared that possibly not everything is going to be perfect, not everything is going to be amazing and that’s just part of the process. Be comfortable with failure and expect the failure and not to judge too much… try not to judge it and allow what’s going to come out, come out.”
Shiv has some exciting thing coming up next year so stay tuned to her socials
“Next year I have my first headline show, that’s going to be in April. I’m really looking forward to that and then I’m hoping for an album, that’s my aim. I’d love to have an album before the end of 2021. Hopefully when things get back to normal I’d love to be performing and possibly a tour but, who knows it’s difficult to say for sure what’s gonna happen in the next few months.”
Shiv creates deeply emotive and passionate tracks surrounded in lush tender soundscapes. Her ability to touch the soul with her silken voice and heartfelt lyrics is mesmerising and marks her as an artist to keep an eye on. Along with her charming persona and magnificent production skills there is something very special about Shiv.
Bronagh Gallagher has released her brand new single ‘Truth or Dare’ today. Gallagher is considered one of Ireland’s leading actors and voices of soul music and is deeply respected for both the quality of her song writing and her stellar live performances. From the beginning of her acting career at age 17 as Bernie, one of the backing singers in Alan Parker’s The Commitments, Bronagh has appeared in countless films including Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes, and award-winning TV dramas such as Jimmy Mc Govern’s The Street, and The Accused. She has also appeared in London’s West End, and Broadway Theatre Productions including Complicité’s Street of Crocodiles,the National Theatre’s Warhorse,and most recently Bob Dylan & Conor Mc Pherson’s award-winning musical Girl from The North Country. Alongside her acting career, Bronagh writes and produces her own music and runs her own independent label, Salty Dog Records. She has released three albums to date and past collaborators include Brian Eno, Maria Mc Kee, and Gary Lightbody.
Bronagh Gallagher presents her timeless retro sound with oodles of passion and gusto in new single ‘Truth or Dare’. Gallagher’s soulful vocals have a velvety texture as she uses the power in her voice to surge emotion and depth into her track. With warm brass elements, steamy guitars and elastic bass grooves the track oozes swag without losing sight of its smooth, funky, soul- filled core. The steady beat and meaty rhythms seduce and entice as the dreamy, supple melody melts into the listeners ears with tantalizing ease. Oozing emotion, rich instrumentation and catchy hooks teamed with a powerful crescendo, vaporous guitar pines and sass ‘Truth or Dare’ is another smooth as silk number from Bronagh Gallagher.
Danny G & the Major 7ths have released their new single ‘D.A.R.L.I.N.G.’ feat. Tolü Makay & Jamel Franklin with all proceeds on Bandcamp (Pay what you like) going to MASI. This song was written and recorded in isolation.
D.A.R.L.I.N.G. is a smooth slice of R&B soul. Rooted in a deep funky groove this sultry track drifts over a hip tantalizing beat while the elastic bass wriggles in the backdrop with a warm bounce. Tolü Makay’s vocals melt on top the velvety melody with soulful tones while Danny Groenland’s coos float through the slinky chorus. It’s a clean polished and steamy number filled with rich instrumentation. Lyrically the song evokes the complex feelings of love and longing that are both strained and strengthened by distance. Jazz-infused piano sprinkles a classy chilled tone over the sticky R&B pop elements while Jamel Franklin’s fluid raps roll into the tracks crescendo with an effortless ease. The entire track is a mellow night time schmooze presented with chic class and relaxed swagger.
About the track Danny said : “The genesis of this collaboration came from my group playing gigs with both Jamel and Tolü, I was already a huge fan of both artists. I had the song’s chorus and beat – it gave me an early 2000’s Neosoul vibe. Tolü and Jamel wrote their verses, the Major 7ths added their parts and the song came together really organically.”
The music video was recorded by friends of the artists and represents their different reactions on a video call to a loved one in isolation. See if you can spot some familiar faces* among the 50 people (and 1 cat). Stream it below
AER Music, Fluttertone and dootdoot Records have come together to create a series of intimate evenings of exclusive live performances from the best emerging and established artists.Last night they had the music sensation that is Sam Wickens.
Sam Wickens enchanted the viewers of Virtual last night.There is nothing more special than a performance from Wickens. We saw him in his home studio all geared up and tech savvy. He ventures through tunes with acoustic guitar, synths and reverb as well as some haunting effects. He has become known as the “tech wizard of Oz”, for he has been helping other artists that have performed on Virtual making sure their sound is crisp and clear. However tonight it’s all about the beauty in his songs and majesty of his voice.
Wickens is a passionate performer and exceptional instrumentalist ( he made his synth himself) however it’s the moments of heightened emotion and depth within his songs that takes your breath away – tracks such as ‘I Was’ breaks your heart in a swift, raw and striking instant.His performance is wholly consuming as he ventures between country, soul and folk with ease while subtly adding delicate textures in the background. While having a cheeky little vape during the set as well, Wickens explains he is “mathematically challenged when it comes to song length times “ and planning his time for shows.
Wickens shows the tenderness and emotion in his voice through the immaculate ‘Winter’ while ‘Oh Mother’ displays the rich and soulful marvel of his vocal range. He uses synths and effects to create a haunting atmosphere and reverb. The synths fill out the sound while at the same time emphasising the purest form of his music. Wickens treats us to some new tracks from an EP he will be releasing later this year.Yet to be released ‘Murky Waters’ in particular is perfection.The lush falsetto, foot tapping tempo and soothing melody creates a heavenly melodic ambience while ‘Cliff Side’ is a folk-hued number that has Wickens “trying to be a didgeridoo”. The set continues with fans asking him to do four more… five more songs, Wickens jokingly replies “I’ll do none, I’ll feck off now” before delving into the latter half of his set.
There is real serenity to the performance, a great relaxation that’s beautiful to witness as Wickens plays guitar and keys with ease. Not only can Wickens present moving and lyrically poetic songs he can drift through some pretty slick covers as well. A time stopping cover of Tom Petty’s ‘Crawling Back To You’ graces the setlist however it is the much sought after ‘Jericho’ which leads to revered appreciation and adoration from the viewers.
Sam Wickens is an artist to treasure. His songs form their own universe, primed for the listener to dive in and find their own little corner to indulge and delight in. His technical virtuosity and moving vocals are incomparable and this Virtual medium gives a real frisson of excitement and thrill to Wickens performance creating the space, silence and mood to truly appreciate his beautiful songs.
A Q&A follows the performance which satisfies the insatiable need of the viewers to ask and connect with Wickens. Questions from what’s your favourite fruit, favourite burger joint to how does he get into the head space for his songs, inspirations as well as more personal topics such as him being a “sober little pickle”.He has fans in Canada and America watching. Unfortunately “Sammy” is “too cool to say it back” to fans declaring their love for him however this does not halt the flood of compliments and love for Wickens from pouring in.This Q&A in particular is lively and Wickens banters and chats honestly to his fans providing them with a more personal one to one conversation approach which is a special feature of this Virtual medium. Another mind blowing performance on our weekly fix of Virtual.
Multi/instrumentalist, singer, producer, journeyman Euan Lindsay has released his debut E.P ‘You, Boy’. Hailing from Cork, Lindsay’s music pulls heavily from a wide reach of genres. Elements of disco, house, soul and hip-hop can all be heard throughout the artist’s first work.The E.P was recorded over a 6 month period by the artist through a turbulent time.
‘You, Boy’ combines Euan Lindsay’s earnest lyrics with modern pop production to create a distinctive body of work. From darker evening tunes like ‘Lost my head’ to the Spanish toned ‘Easy’ and R&B hued ‘Sing about me when the craic is done’ each track has a lightness and mellow soundscape. Lindsay embellishes his tracks with tight instrumentation and lush textures transforming songs like ‘Ur Smile’ into a vibrant funk pop song laced in tropical tones and rich rhythms.
The tracks are clean and refined as Lindsay shows off his production prowess. He knows when not to overdo things and keeps the intricacies on guitar and synths within delicate and subtle levels maintaining the easy going atmosphere throughout. Distinctive vocals meander between coos and soulful tones with a Cork twang shining brightly throughout as Lindsay provides a fresh listening experience with a proudly Irish undertone.
Each track grooves and pivots around the meticulously placed guitar melodies. These golden melodies lace the songs in sun-kissed tropical and funk/soul elements creating a balmy hue to indulge in. Although the songs float with a dreamy laid back upbeat vibe, Lindsay discusses themes of loss, illness and self-uncertainty throughout the EP, albeit with a sense of Irish irony and self-mockery
With dazzling electronics and flashing beats on the lofi ‘All I Know’ and the mellow lounge soul elements on closing track ‘I don’t belong’ Lindsay proves his deft ability to create stunning pieces of music while bending genres harmoniously. ‘You, Boy’ is an impressive debut from Euan Lindsay.
Miles Graham is set to release his new EP ‘All The Right Things’ via Peer Music on the 10th July. Graham’s latest track ‘Don’t Change’ resulted in him performing the single live on BBC Radio 5 and a stunning version of Dido’s Thank You, and picking up further airplay from BBC Introducing. It accelerated a fresh stage in the Irish singer-songwriter’s career, having previously scored international dance hits alongside Don Diablo and L’Tric, as well as being playlisted on BBC Radio 2 for his breakthrough moment ‘I Can’t Love You Again’.The ‘All The Right Things’ EP was recorded in London with producer Paul Herman(Emeli Sandé, Dido, Corinne Bailey Rae), with string arrangements from renowned Sally Herbert (Plan B, Usher, Duffy,Ellie Goulding, Florence + The Machine).
‘All The Right Things’ is a pop and retro-soul filled EP boasting Graham’s refined and passionate musicianship. Miles Graham uses deep grooves, intricate soundscapes and mellow guitar lines to create a unique collection of tracks. From title track ‘All The Right Things’ to the vibrant ‘Don’t Change’ through to the lush coos of the velvety ‘Sunbeam’,Graham adorns each track with warm hooks and peppy twinkles on keys while sprinkling R&B elements on top.
The arrangements throughout are simply outstanding; he delicately blends bubbling rhythms with subtle explosions of melodic counterpoints to create a cohesive and charming body of work. The musical components slowly build upon this and meld into an intricately textured soundscape as Graham utilizes vaporous guitar and laid back tones to add richness to his tracks. This is most evident in the heart-melting tribute to his young daughter, ‘Sunbeam’. Graham soulfully croons in spectacular fashion – while slipping into his sweet falsetto, his velvety tones drift over the sweet melodies with passion and tenderness.
Lyrically ‘All The Right Things’ EP is powerful, profound and deeply personal as Graham ruminates on past experience of the turmoils of a breakup. However Graham is breaking free from the turmoil that comes with hostility on the piano ballad, ‘Give It Up’. Through conversational lyrics which gives a fly on the wall insight to break-up he provides a motivational tune with oodles of passion and gusto.
The softer moments within the EP is where Graham excels, his delicate and emotive vocals, lush harmonies and raw tender moments build in to the tracks groove infested underbelly making each song an engaging and spell-binding listening experience. This is a rare talent and not easy to achieve consistently yet this technique flows effortlessly through Graham’s work marking him as quite the master songwriter. Miles Graham and his intriguing take of music is getting better and better with each release, keep an eye on this artist.
Miles Graham has announced the title of the new single ‘Give It Up Now’ which is set for release on 10th July, along with his EP ‘All the Right Things’. Graham’s latest track ‘Don’t Change’ resulted in him performing the single live on BBC Radio 5 and a stunning version of Dido’s Thank You, and picking up further airplay from BBC Introducing. It accelerated a fresh stage in the Irish singer-songwriter’s career, having previously scored international dance hits alongside Don Diablo and L’Tric, as well as being playlisted on BBC Radio 2 for his breakthrough moment ‘I Can’t Love You Again’.
‘Give it up now’ showcases Miles Graham’s rich soulful sound as he uses passionate emotive songwriting, intricate arrangements and crisp production to create a hair raising listening experience. It’s an earnest piano led ballad as Graham’s velvety soulful vocals melt upon an elegant backdrop of R&B beats and timeless retro tones. It’s a bittersweet number complete with lush harmonies and graceful laments on strings while the strength, emotion and drive is provided by the wonderfully sweet and soothing tones of Graham’s vocals.
Graham builds the song superbly offering his retro soul pop with oodles of power and gusto however he is by no means overpowering. Graham weaves subtle layers within this track to create intrigue. Each verse provides movement and a sultry fluidity that takes this ballad to more dynamic and powerful heights. A great listen.
About the track Graham explains, “’Give it up now’ is about being free of the turmoil that comes with antagonism. It has conversational lyrics that give a fly on the wall incite to break-up, the EP is an emotional narrative within my very dynamic journey . The freedom of letting go ‘It could be better for all you know..’ is perhaps a teasing lyric in the song to some kind of better life ahead, but is ironically ambiguous in it’s positive/negative balance. “
‘Give It Up Now’ is set for release on 10th July, along with his EP ‘All the Right Things’. For more you can follow Miles Graham on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/MilesGrahammusic/
Our Worth A Listen Track This Week Comes From Fiona Harte
With over a million streams on debut single ‘White Picket Fence’, Northern Irish award winning singer songwriter Fiona Harte returns with soulful new single ‘Sugar Coating’ ahead of her four track debut EP titled ‘Home Recordings’.
With its soft twinkling charm ‘Sugar Coating’ is a sweet and soulful gem from Fiona Harte. Her warm subtle smoky toned vocals caress the dreamy melody with whispered lulls and honeyed coos.There is a magical atmosphere throughout the track as Harte uses her refined and majestic song writing to create a swoony romantic delight without too much embellishment. Her striped back approach floods the track with an effortless ethereal quality creating a lush velvety listening experience with soulful glows and R&B hues as Harte uses her sublime voice to portray emotion, depth, power and richness.
About the track Harte says “Inspired by these trying times I decided to start a project during the isolation period writing and recording songs from my bedroom, no studio, no band, just me. It’s tracks I have written and recorded at home during this period where we can’t get out to studios. The project is DIY and has a live feel.”
I spoke to singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Sion Hill aka Nathan Johnston on the phone. I became extremely envious on hearing he was sitting outside as it was a glorious day in Hungary ( it was 20 degrees ! ) where he was playing a show that night. Johnston has been steadily building up an international fanbase since he began his career playing in Dublin’s bars and venues. Now based in London, he has also spent time living in Berlin, where he adopted his moniker as a homage to his Irish roots. As well as making appearances at music festivals across Ireland and Germany, he has supported the likes of A-ha, Jim James, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alice Merton, Lilly Among Clouds and Pete Doherty.
We took a nostalgic look back at Johnston’s move to Germany from Mullingar once he signed to Warner Music Germany.He chuckles at the prospect of that move being quite daunting
“Not really. To be honest I moved to Dublin initially after Mullingar. I went to Trinity for 2 years and then I got offered this contract and I moved from there but I had been away quite a lot when I was younger and I went to New York twice for J-1s so I had been to a big city before. So it wasn’t like I left Mullingar and went into the unknown.But yeah I moved from Dublin to Berlin.I lived there for a year. It was a pretty manic place to be honest, I think it’s changed a little bit now it’s become more popular in the last few years. When I went it was snowing. I had my guitar in one hand and a massive suitcase with my whole life packed into it in the other hand. I was meant to meet a friend to stay with him but I couldn’t find his house for like, 3 hours so I was just trudging around in the snow with all of my possessions, everything to my name in my hand so that was pretty terrifying to be honest.But after a few days you get settled in.Its like moving anywhere it’s a bit scary at the beginning but you just gotta go into it full on and give it your best shot.”
When asked about his knowledge of German and whether or not he was familiar with the language Johnston laughs
“No unfortunately when I was in school I chose French over German at the time I prefered the French language to be honest it’s just much more beautiful it’s not as harsh and throaty.It took me a bit of time. I can speak a bit now but to be honest in Berlin everybody speaks English. The first day I went into a cafe and I ordered a coffee in German and it was an Irish fella serving so you don’t really need German there but I think they do really appreciate it when you do make an effort, because even though they love to speak English they like to practice their English and they are all so good at English so it doesn’t really matter but they like to see you try to speak German.There is a beauty to the language though.They have words that we don’t have in English to describe specific things. Like in English if you have somebody with a sweet tooth, we don’t have an actual word for that we just have a sentence whereas in German they have just one word which is Naschkatze and it’s quite a funny word for them. I use it pretty much every live show I have over there. I say “Ich bin eine Naschkatze” I don’t have very much German but I have these few expressions.I think it’s pretty interesting that they have some words that describe a whole sentence.There is beauty to the language that is way more broad than English. English comes from the Germanic language anyway so a lot of it stems from German.At the beginning it doesn’t really sound very nice but after you get into it it is pretty cool how you can describe things in a way we just can’t do in English. It’s like Irish, it’s another layer worse than that like there aren’t many words in Irish. We just have to use these idioms to express them whereas German has one word that can describe all of that. However some of them are like a sentence smushed together like they stick 7 words together …. Oh sorry I’m going into way too much detail into German but it’s pretty interesting.Like the word for airplane in German it’s not very creative it’s just “Flugzeug” which literally translates to fly- thing . The word for drums is “Schlagzeug” which is literally hit – thing. A lighter is “Feuerzeug” fire – thing.They kind of stick things together but that makes it easier to learn after a while its just the grammar that can be difficult.
After some chuckling about the relevance of the German language and its parallel to Johnston’s career we move on to the actual music and how he creates his tracks.
“I just listened to a lot of blues music when I was growing up about 14 or 15 years old. I got really into Jimi Hendricks, Otis Redding- a lot of that 60’s soul stuff I was a big Beatles fan since I was a kid but I actually started off listening to pop punk like Green Day, Blink-182 and Sum 41 that sort of stuff. I was like 12 or 13 listening to that sort of stuff and I learned the guitar because of those songs and because they were so easy to learn. Once you learn a power chord you can pretty much play every single Green Day Song. So I did that and because I knew how to do that then I went into learning seventh and Major seventh and things like that and I got into the blues. I was in school with this guy, his name is Joey Weidner and he has actually got quite a bit of followers on Instagram now for playing blues guitar. We formed a band at about 14 or 15 and I think he got me into the blues a lot more.So I just started playing that and listening to it a lot more and it just rubbed off on me. But I have always been much more interested in the American side of guitar based music rather than the UK sort of post punk thing that my dad would have been into like The Cure or The Smiths or bands like that like Led Zeppelin. Although I like that too but I think the soul side really attracted me.Especially because there is so much beauty behind the words. There is so much pain behind a lot of it as well. It’s not that I resonated with that or anything but I think they were able to convey their pain through this style of singing this style of music and I loved it and tried to bring it into my own thing.Although I took a modern approach to it as well. It’s got a lot of modern embellishments to it and different keyboard sounds and things like that.”
Johnston has a very smooth velvety voice with a warm rasp that is quite luring yet versatile allowing him to bring a modern twist to his soulful or indie pop tracks. Finding and becoming comfortable with his tone wasn’t really a problem for him, just something to get used to.
“Yeah everyone does, it’s like listening to a voice message.When you record a voice message and send it out to someone and listen to it back, everybody hates that.I hate listening back to my own voice as well but after awhile you become accustomed to it. You just have to do it. The more you practice and the more you sing and work with it and develop it yourself the more accustomed to it you become and after awhile you forget about whether you sound like an idiot or not. I went through a lot of phases as well when I started off. I really had this strong American accent which had come from all the artists I was listening to like Green Day and Blink -182 songs and all that which was the most nazely horrible American accent. So after awhile I just tried to develop it and make it into something. I tried to have a little bit of my own Irish accent in there but my accent has fairly watered down from all the travelling as well. When I went to Germany at the beginning people found it hard to understand me sometimes. So I had to tone down some of the more intense sides to the accent.Get rid of the “Shmoke” and actually pronounce my words properly.My dad is also quite well spoken and he always tried to encourage me to speak properly.You’d get the ol’ wooden spoon on the back of the hand you know. But I think with the voice the more you practice the better you get.“
Johnston released his debut album ‘Elephant’ in 2017 featuring some wonderful melodies, sun sprinkled vibes and oodles of soul. Each track flows smoothly into the ears; it’s a compact and impressive debut.
“All the tracks are sort of experiences I had growing up. Some of them I wrote when I was 16 or 17 years old. You know early first love, moving to the city was a big inspiration. I think a lot of that album has first time living in a big city as the backdrop to it. ‘Circus’ is about New York on J-1 and that overwhelming feeling of being in this gigantic place, feeling like, am I just another face in the crowd.Dublin is very small compared to other cities but it is much bigger than living in Mullingar so a lot of it came from that. People always ask do you write the lyrics first or the music first but that really just depends on the song.I don’t think anyone every single time writes the music first or writes the lyrics first. It depends on how you are feeling. It might start off with a riff and that riff brings about an emotion or reminds you of a certain time or place.Or I might have some lyrics written. I’ve had lyrics written and I’ve put it to music by chance.Generally it’s by chance you can’t really force it. With regards the flow it just came like that. At the time I was listening to a lot of The Beatles early stuff and I was listening to a lot of singer songwriters like Bahamas, John Mayer in particular I was quite obsessed with him when I was 16. A lot of his stuff is very smooth sort of soul pop tunes but he has something to say in the lyrics. It’s not just oh I miss my girlfriend which a lot of singer songwriters do and I liked that he had something to say whether its what it’s like growing up in school, or what it’s like having your first love or what it’s like just to live in a big city but putting it to something that is easy listening. I wasn’t really listening to anything really hard core or intense at the time so I suppose what I was listening to sort of influenced how the sound was going to be. It was always going to be a bit more smooth and easy listening because of that.’Beaches’ is a bit more upbeat than the others but it’s still smooth and you could listen to it before you go to bed. It’s not going to wake you up or anything.”
Earlier this year Johnston released his new single ‘Last Minute’ It’s a smooth, groove-drenched number as Johnston dips slinky 60’s -esque swagger into a fizzy pop sprinkled melody to create something truly infectious and timeless. The track is about when Johnston missed his train from London to Liverpool for a writing session with his producer, Rich Turvey (Blossoms, The Choral). Johnston and Turvey decided to build this experience into a portrayal of a budding relationship that is overshadowed or propelled by his latecomer streak.
“I’m currently working on the rest of the album with him (Rich Turvey). I met him through another producer in London called Dan Dare who mainly produces grime music.Hes a good songwriter and he has a side project called SLANG. I asked him if he could mix some songs that I had recorded myself and he recommended I work with Rich and he put me in touch.Rich said to come up and meet him and have a chat and we could do some writing and see if we work well together.So I booked a train for the next week and that morning I overslept. I missed the train and I was 3 or 4 hours late and this had kind of been a recurring theme in my life over the last 3 or 4 years I had just been really bad at time.When I got there and we sat down to chat I was like look I’m really sorry and he was fine he said let’s just write a song about that.If that’s the theme of your life at the moment that’s you in a song.So I came up with this lyric “ You know I didn’t mean it , I just always leave it to the last Minute” which was sort of an apology not to one particular person just to everyone. I’m not doing this on purpose you know like I know its a flaw and I’m trying to improve and I’m not going to blame it on my Irishness anymore. But yeah Rich is a legend. I went up to record with him like 3 weeks later and the exact same thing happened and he was like man I just knew you were going to miss the train.He’s a super chill guy to work with and he’s able to laugh it off.He’s got a lot of experience he’s just got two number one records with Blossoms in the UK over the last few years. He’s got a lot of success but he doesn’t really get a lot of recognition for it. Because the music industry in the UK is very much about the producers in London that are doing big pop acts. Even though the ones like Rich who is up in Liverpool has two number one albums and still somehow he doesn’t get the recognition but it doesn’t phase him.He is very relaxed he was like… 4 hours late.. ok.. I’ll just do something else and I’d be the same. Sure someone being late is annoying but if you just let those things bother you too much you will just get caught up.I think that’s why we work well. He’s a bit like myself but he’s better at time keeping. However I don’t like keeping people waiting for a show. They have waited already through a support act and the time in between and that’s annoying.”
Johnston has an upcoming album in the works so with the slight change in tone in ‘Last Minute’, it leaves a curious intrigue as to whether this next album with follow the more pop side of Last Minute’
“There are a couple of tracks on the new album that are a little bit more pop and upbeat.But I think the main reason it’s like that is we were trying to capture what it is to be always late and leave anything to the last minute. So we had that driving beat the whole way through.The drumbeat, it just doesn’t stop, it’s just kick and snare the whole way through. We don’t have any cymbals on the track it’s just a vibraslap instead of cymbals.We did that because cymbals can slow things down a bit.We wanted to have this driving thing like I’m always running to catch the train.Its a little bit more pop-y and I think that’s something to do with label people they can kind of push you in a certain direction.But I try to keep it as organic as possible.while still being a little bit more radio friendly. Also the last two tracks are singles and with singles you want to get radio play and you want to push them so people can listen to them so you don’t want a song like ‘Before You Go’ on the radio because its slow and a bit long. ‘Last Minute’ is only about 3 minutes long so it’s kind of quick to the point and says it all.I think a lot of the tracks on the next album are similar to the last record.and some are a little like ‘Last Minute’ so it just depends on the day. If I want it to be a little more of a soul track or a bit more pop it depends on my mood. “
Johnston has a very sleek 50 /60’s rock ‘n’ roll swagger in his appearance, slicked back hair and all while adding a modern touch. With social media artists are under more visual scrutiny than they ever were however how an artist looks and their style has always been a big part of branding
“100%, absolutely, but it’s also important to be authentic.I don’t think it works if you’re not authentic.I think people can see through it if you are trying too hard. I wear my own clothes. Occasionally for video shoots or photo shoots I might have a stylist who comes on set. Generally I wear what I like.I like dressing a certain way and I like to keep that apparent through the brand.But also if you look at The Arctic Monkeys which I’m very influenced by as well. I think my voice when I was younger was influenced by Alex Turner and the way he sings but I think if you look at their style it changes with each album.They have a different image for the band so the beginning, the first album was 16, 17 year old teenagers from northern England that have mod haircuts, Fred Perry and really messy guitars up really high and don’t care that much and then when they did AM it was all leather jackets slicked back hair this sort of 50’s style.and now the new record they have long hair, beards, this whole 70’s style.They have a very specific image with each record and I think that is really cool actually.But then again you have artists who just have a hoodie and a pair of jeans on stage and nobody bats an eye.It depends on the person but I think if its authentic people will get it.”
It’s difficult for a singer songwriter to keep things interesting in a live show. Johnston plays with a band for some of his live shows. He has played support slots with the likes of A-ha, Jim James, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Alice Merton, Lilly Among Clouds and Pete Doherty. He is becoming very comfortable with the live setting
“I like to shake it up but I do play on my own and with a band. If I have the band with me I will always do a couple of songs on my own just to show a different side of me and to do something a little chill.I really like to get the audience involved and get them to sing along.People find that cheesy sometimes but if you do it in the right way it can be really lovely. I’m not a great dancer so I don’t do too much dancing about the place but my bass player is always rocking and stuff so that keeps it alive. I think it’s really important what music is playing before I go on the stage.I have a playlist with a few songs that are a sort of intro before I come on the stage and I think it also matters what plays when I come off the stage.The order of the songs is important.It always depends on the gig if its an intimate show and people are sitting down or if it’s in another country and people don’t understand what I’m saying, like right now I’m playing in Budapest in Hungary.most of the audience aren’t really going to speak English so I’ll have to keep down on the chat. Sometimes it can be a bit more daunting when you have a band behind you because of the sound on stage you can’t hear your voice as well.I tend not to use in – ear monitors.So with the monitors on stage if it’s a small venue it can be hard to hear your voice.”
Sion Hill plans to have a show in Ireland later this year but for the moment you can catch him live at the dates below. Keep an eye on his Facebook page here for more details : https://www.facebook.com/sionhillofficial/
APR 11 2020 SEAN ÓG BAR & RESTAURANT, DONEGAL
APR 19 2020 THE FIDDLER, KILBURN, LONDON
APR 21 2020 HEBELBUEHNE, HAMBURG
APR 22 2020 PRIVATCLUB, BERLIN
APR 23 2020 GROOVESTATION,DRESDEN
APR 27 2020 CHELSEA,VIENNA
APR 28 2020 ZEHNER,MUNICH
APR 29 2020 NACHTLEBEH,FRANKFURT
MAY 01 2020 BLUE SHELL COLOGNE
Watch the video for ‘Last Minute’ below
Author : Danu
Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.
