Mega Music Talent

Archive for the ‘Interviews’ Category

Duane Johns is a singer from Cornwall who successfully reached the top 50 in X Factor during 2006 (the year Leona Lewis was crowned the winner). Since then Duane has appeared in the limelight supporting acts like East 17, Cheeky Girls and Journey South.

So how did it all start? When did you realize that singing was your passion?

At a very young age, I knew I wanted to do something involved with singing, at first I was doing stage, you know Panto’s and shows as such, but back then it was just a hobby and to be honest I wasn’t a very good singer! But from then on I just got better and better, and decided to enter singing competitions, one was called the singing sensation and Maggie Moon was a judge and she told me to audition for the x factor that very year!

Also in 2006 I was in a Band called Graffiti Eyes! We sold 150 Albums and was on the radio for a week I have also recently recorded a Disney album for my family and just based it to show my love for Disney!

Singing has always been my passion I suppose!

2006 was a big start for you, when you decided to enter the X Factor. What feelings did you have when you entered the room and stood on that famous X in front of the judges?

Well it’s wasn’t an easy ride, very tough! To be honest I remember feeling very excited and confident and was pretty relaxed actually I sort of just done it! Lol, the best part was seeing it on TV and I felt pretty good about myself.

You successfully managed to secure two yes’s from the judges.

Well this was like 3 years ago now so it’s pretty hard to remember, Simon Cowell was pretty much on the fence the whole time, Sharon Loved me, and thought I was really cute and sweet! And said I seemed like a lot of fun! Louis was also willing to give me a chance! And I was so happy when he had the final say! And he said YES!

What was the bootcamp experience like?

Bootcamp was another tough part of the competition, every single person that was there were really good and we all had the best chance’s to get though! We had to wait around a lot of the time and only took about 1 minute to sing a song! It was a pretty hard day over all, but I would do it all again!

Are you still in touch with other original x factor contestants from 2006?

I was in the series with Leona Lewis and Ray Quinn. I met Ray at bootcamp, he seemed really sweet! I didn’t get to meet Leona but as we all know she is pretty quite so maybe I didn’t notice her. I did have one friend who was so funny! But haven’t stayed in contact, but she was a character! Lol.

What’s your experience did you gain from the Bootcamp experience?

I think it’s all about standing out and showing yourself off as much as you can! To do this business you have to get people your full attention! Otherwise you just fade into the background! So I think I had a confidence boast, took that away with me and I never lost it! There’s being confident and there’s being big headed! And I know the difference.

In your opinion, do you think TV reality shows like the X Factor are good for the music industry?

Yes I will have to say they are, only because I love reality TV. I think they get you noticed by people all over the world! So yes is my answer to that one! It done me pretty well after all.

Soon after the X Factor, you supported acts like East 17 & Cheeky Girls! Was that a worthwhile experience?

Yes Oh My God! It was my favorite part of 2007! It feels good to support such big top acts that people have heard of, the crowds are always exited! And it always looks good on your CV!!

Which artist did you enjoy supporting the most?

Ooh well I loved supporting the big acts, but my favorite had to be with Chenai from the x factor 2005, it wasn’t in the best place, but I just liked her on the x factor so it was really nice to also watch her sing live!

Do you have any more ambitions in supporting more artists in the future?

Oh yes definitely, my dream would be to support the likes of Girls Aloud, as I just think there amazing! They proved people that reality shows are worth the while. Also Paris Hilton, I know she’s not the best singer in the world! But I love people who want to do well in life and also have fun along the way, she’s such an inspiration, people really need to get to know her before they start bad mouthing her, just for making money! At least she is doing well I also love Emma Soraya Beard, who was a finalists on popstars the rivals and nearly made it into Girls Aloud, I love her because she never gives up even when people put her down she never gives up, I love her music and would love to support her one day!

Do you enjoy the audience atmosphere?

Oh My God Yeah! I love it when people are listening to me and are having fun, maybe having a little dance that makes me feel so good that I am making someone happy and that is what it is all about! Making people smile!

Any memorable moments whilst on stage?

When people shout nice things! Like Duane we love you! Makes you feel very special! Just because your singing to them and that’s all you are doing, It makes people feel that way about you.

And, embarrassing one?

Oh yes I have had a couple of them, it always happens to me when I sing the same song! REHAB! I’ve been told by people I sing it very well and people all get up and dance! But the only problem I have is that I always forget the words and mix up the verse, so I have left that one alone lol. It just happened every time, even though I knew it off by heart!

What’s your favourite type of audience? (i.e. pub, club, mini arena, etc)

I always think the best type of place would be holiday parks I have only done one and made such a good impression I was asked to come back again, holiday makers always love to be entertained and defiantly at shows if you support an act!

Although you mainly sing cover versions, is there a song that you would like to release as a single that would be officially approved by the original artist?

Well I love to sing covers I just always have. That’s a hard question, there are so many good songs out there, it would be hard to choose, either ‘Because The Night’ Or ‘Parachute’!

Do you prefer singing the ballads or the catchy tunes?

I love singing both, because it’s always good to sing the ballads if you need to show your voice off and it’s fun belting out big numbers!

I also love singing the catchy, Cheesy Faster songs! Just can have so much fun with these tracks!

This year your due to release a second album. What’s your ambitions with this new album?

I just want to get my music heard! By someone who knows I could do well! Someone who will put 110% into me and help me to be successful, I also want people to hear me and just think, Oh Duane Andrew Johns, he’s pretty good! My new album is in the works and I really want to release it real soon, it will have about 15 tracks all covers some people will know them and some people will get to know the others, I’m just waiting for the right time, but hopefully it will do good, as long as people enjoy it then I will be happy.

Have you any favourite tracks on your future album?

Oh yes plenty! I love all my music but the ones that stand out for me are, Parachute, Falling Down, He Said She Said, And Tell Me something I don’t know.

You come across as a very passionate and dedicated singer, have you any future ambitions in writing and launching your very own single?

Well if the right person came along and wanted to do this with me, then I would be more then up for it! Launching a single and getting to number one would be a dream come true! So we’ll see how it goes!

What’s your future ambition? Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Well in 5 years time I would love to be doing it as a full time job, but this business is not an easy one, and it’s very hard to be heard! But I never give up on my dream!

Thank you Duane, it has been a pleasure talking to you and I wish you all the success with the launch of your second album and I’m sure your dedication as a singer will prove to be one day successful and rewarding.

Find out more about Duane Johns by signing up to our free Unsigned Music Mailing List at www.megamusicdiscovers.com where you’ll receive more information about Duane Johns and other unsigned artists we are promoting.

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Jay C is a Torquay based rapper and freestyler who has just launched his debut album produced by Relegate Records. Jay had a few minutes to spare out of his hectic and non stop schedule to answer a few questions by Gary Vine which provides a great insight into his aspirations into being a successful and well noticed rapper.

 You’ve been rapping since 15 years old? How did if all start?

I started off just freestyling with a friend shortly after moving back to Ipswich from Devon. I had wrote the odd set of lyrics here and there but i didn’t take it too serious. I went to a house party with my brother where he introduced me to a rapper/producer called Mr Woods who was part of a group called Battle Scars, after about a month I got the opportunity to feature on a few of their tracks and the experience made me start to take witting lyrics a lot more seriously.

What made you decide “Rap” was your type of music?

I went through stages of liking different types of music more than others particularly Indie and Rap. When I was 14 I started taking guitar lessons for about a year but I struggled to get into it. To this day I still listen to some Indie music but as I grew older I started to listento more and more rap, hip hop and R’n’B. So I started to write the odd lyric here and there and the more I started to write it soon became clear that writing lyrics and rap music was the thing I wanted to do.

What’s it like working with Relegate Records?

Demanding (laughing out loud) , but I believe in the work we are trying to achieve. You no the old saying “the more you put in the more you get out” and the progression the label has made within the past year is evident where ever we go in the bay.

Your debut album “Letting Them Know” was release on 24th November 2008. Have you achieved your goals through the launch of your debut album?

My expectations weren’t too high as it’s my first album and the current state of the economy is making it harder for Independent record labels to push their projects forward but I believe that no matter how well you do, you can always do better by pushing yourself that extra mile. We still have plans in action to promote the album but as you may know no one makes it big from their first ever album.

Please provide some more information on how you put the album together?

We weren’t 100% aware at the time we were making an album it just kind of fell together after about 8/9 months of solid recording. After Relegate Records became official we realised that we had to start making some money so we picked the best 10 tracks we had done and went from their.

What is your favourite song on this album?

Mummy’s boy by far! I got a few other’s I really like but Mummy’s boy the realist track I’ve done.

Does any of your music have any reflection on your life?

Apart from Mummy’s boy and playa 4 life (Jay laughs out loud!) no not really, but this is something I have been working on in new material some of which will be released quite soon, so keep an eye on relegaterecords.co.uk for the new singles.

­­­Have you any gigs coming up soon?

Yeah, I have a gig coming up at liquid bar in Paignton on 30th April. I had a gig there in November last year and the night was such a success that the Manager asked the label if I could come back again. I’ve also got a few more gig’s coming up soon but they are yet to be confirmed, I’ll keep everyone informed through the website so keep an eye out.

Do you enjoy the audience atmosphere?

Of course, what true artiste doesn’t like the buzz of a crowd watching you on stage, I’m still growing as an artist so it’s a nice feeling when I see the crowd respond to one of my tunes.

What’s your favourite type of audience? (i.e. pub, club, mini arena, etc)

I’ll get back to you on that one when I’ve performed in a mini arena (Jay laughs)…. so I’d have to say in a club. I do like the atmosphere club crowds bring to the gig but playing in a mini arena is on a different level, I’d love to have the opportunity but we’ll have to see what the future holds.

Every artist whether signed or unsigned have had unexpected encounters on the stage. Can you recall an unexpected encounter on stage that wasn’t suppose to happen?

Yeah, their was a incident at a festival I was performing at last year, where as we were in the middle of the chorus on our main track the needle on the turntable skipped ahead a little and confused the crowd and myself but luckily it didn’t skip to far so I was able to salvage the performance, Touch wood their will be no more in the near future.

Have you got any future album or single releases coming soon?

Like I said earlier I have a few singles coming out in the next month or so and there’s plan’s to bring out another CD around April/May time. I wont be looking to release another album for about a year or so but there will be plenty of fresh new material to look forward to.

Would you like to be profiled as a world class musician?

Who wouldn’t? If I was considered a worldclass musician I’d be grateful that my talent has been recognised to that extent and that my voice has been heard all around the world.

Have you ever considered auditioning for reality programs for shows like X Factor?

I can appreciate the talent of some of the contestants, some of them have amazing voices and without shows like X factor they might never have been heard and given the to shine. But until Simon Cowell comes up with a rap factor I don’t think you’ll be seeing Jay C on an episode of X factor any time soon.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

I would like to have made considerable amount of progress with my music and hopefully have a good reputation throughout the UK as an established artist. I would like to have performed at some big festivals like Glastonbury, maybe to have collaborated with a big artist or producer and have a single in the charts. And ideally not living with my mum and step dad……

THIS ARTICLE CAN BE REPRODUCED FROM PERMISSION OF GARY VINE. THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT MUST BE CONTAINED AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE WHEREEVER IT IS PUBLISHED

This Interview and article was written by Gary Vine of JV Creations. JV Creations also owns the following websites that promotes unsigned artists – www.megamusicvideos.co.uk, www.megamusicdiscovers.com, www.megamusictalent.com and www.megamusicsite.com

There is a very simple audio question making the rounds these days; why vinyl? The answer is just as simple-millions of music lovers are discovering the superior sound that vinyl offers. Add these newcomers to the millions of audiophiles and collectors who are already sold on the benefits of analog sound and one can understand why there is a ‘vinyl revival.’

With the renewed interest in vinyl records, many web sites have been launched to help vinyl lovers find their rare audio treasures. One such site, www.wax.fm, can not only steer you in the direction of online retailers who sell vinyl records, but in a unique twist also alerts visitors to real ‘brick and mortar’ stores in the US.

The man behind wax.fm is Rob Lambert who has, not only a keen interest in vinyl, but is developing a unique, interactive website to help his visitors with all their vinyl needs. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Rob, let’s learn more about the intriguing site:

Why vinyl, what is the allure? When did you start collecting, what kind of collection do you have?

“I have always loved all kinds of music in all formats. I was born in the early seventies, so my mother had a decent collection of records that included artists that I still love to this day: CSNY, Joni Mitchell, etc. But by the time I started purchasing my own music, it was on cassette and then CDs. I still have a huge CD collection (and the MP3 versions of those on my computers) and so I am not anti-digital music. Initially, in the early 2000’s, I started buying my all-time favorite records solely for the artwork to frame and hang on my walls. But one thing led to another and, and as I mention in my “about” section, I bought two palettes of (random) records which led to me actually getting a nice turntable. It then became about the whole experience. Sitting down and LISTENING to the music, looking at the artwork, and yes, the superior sound.

Today my collection is all over the board (see my favorite artists below). I probably have 1500 records or so (not counting lots of leftover boxes of junk from my big palette purchases).”

When did you launch wax.fm?

“End of October 2008.”

Why the fm domain?

“On a technical level, .fm is the country code top-level domain for the Federated States of Micronesia, a group of islands located in the Pacific Ocean.

Initially, I was going to build a website primarily for mobile devices. I wanted a name that was as short as possible (easy to type on little devices). An alternative to “.com” allows the possibility of finding a good, short three letter domain. I noticed the exploding trend of music-related sites using the “.fm” extension (last.fm, blip.fm, sky.fm, jazz.fm, etc). FM conjures up the feeling of classic rock radio, especially of the 70’s, and to me, that goes hand-in-hand with the old school technology of vinyl records. The first short word related to vinyl records that came to mind was “wax” and sure enough, wax.fm was available!”

Tell me about the future plans for the site.

“For sure:

? Better integration of the main site with the blog (see http://blog.wax.fm for some videos of me and other initial blog posts)

? Continue to add more records and record data

? Continue to add more vendors where specific records can be purchased online

? Continue to add more brick-and-mortar record stores

? Add record fairs to the “Find Records in Your City” sections

Other strong possibilities:

? Allow outside users to rank and comment on record stores and fairs

? Mobile/iPhone friendly version for researching records while shopping at thrift stores, garage sales, used record shops, record fairs, etc.

? Additional audio and video samples of records (but I don’t want to make digital music a central part of the site)”

Where do you see vinyl, in let’s say 20 years?

“You know, I really have no idea. I truly hope that bands and labels continue the current trend to put out their new music on vinyl (and include a digital download with the purchase). It seems that the younger generations are currently really discovering, not only the allure of buying new music on vinyl, but also classic music on used vinyl from the Beatles to Pink Floyd to the Ramones ? I hope that trend continues too.”

What kind of music do you listen to?

“Some of my all-time favorites: Dylan, Zappa, Hendrix, Miles, Coltrane, Mingus.

More modern 90’s/2000’s favorites: Wilco, Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire, My Bloody Valentine, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, Beck, Radiohead.

I have a place in my heart for classic metal/hard rock: Sabbath, Megadeath, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, etc.

And all over the board: Johnny Cash, Public Enemy, Fela Kuti, Ali Farke Toure, Phish, Django Reinhart, Nick Drake, Grateful Dead.”

Tell me more about your company Zabada, I understand that you are working on a new service for the web and your mobile device that will make finding and collecting vinyl records easier and more fun.

“Zabada, Inc. is my company and the company technically owns wax.fm. The initial spark for me actually getting to work on a vinyl-themed website was my desire to look up information about records from my iPhone while looking for records at fairs and stores. But once I started building the site, I decided to put most of my energy into collecting data on records and then record stores. At that point the mantra for my site came to me: “helping you find your favorite albums on vinyl-both online and in the real world” and I decided to hold off on building the mobile interface and build a standard website (by the way, the site is relatively usable on the iPhone as it exists right now!) There are lots of great options to buy records online, but I decided that it would be great to make it as easy as possible for a user to, for example, on one page be able to see all of the options and prices for buying the Beach Boys’ Pets Sounds on the internet including used versions and reissues. As I mentioned earlier, this is one area where I continue to put a lot of energy to improve the results and vendor options.”

So here we have new technology merging with a rather old audio format that is now becoming mainstream again. The future looks bright for vinyl records and the future is also bright for www.wax.fm as Rob continues to develop his plans and help vinyl lovers find their treasures.

Author Bio: Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates http://www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can pick up a copy of his FREE ebook called “The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting.” Have your vinyl records appraised at http://www.vinylrecordappraisals.com.

The Norwegian heavy rock band Toxic recently toured the UK to promote their new album Fear. I was very pleased when bassist Rolf Lura agreed to be interviewed and following you will find the outcome:

Trish: I always wanted to play an instrument well but after a screechingly dismal attempt at violin lessons and not much more success with a piano I decided that it was best to leave music making to others like yourself whom I feel quite envious of – just how many instruments do you play and which is your favourite?

Rolf: My main instrument is the bass, that’s what I play live with my band, Toxic. On our new album “Fear”, I’ve also played some double-bass, cello and organ in the studio. I like all the instruments that I play very much. If I have to pick a favourite, it has to be the bass.

Trish: Which was the first instrument that you ever played and how old were you?

Rolf: I started to play the Tuba in my local school band at the age of 9.

Trish: Why did you choose the tuba?

Rolf: In fact it wasn’t I that choose the Tuba. It was my music teacher. I was the tallest and strongest boy in my class, so therefore he advised me to play the heavy Tuba.

Trish: Very democratic of him! Is there any instrument that you can’t play that you would like to learn?

Rolf: The Church organ it’s a majestic and powerful instrument, I would love to learn to play it.

Trish: Yes you are right there; perhaps I will invite you over to learn in the church at the bottom of my street! Now for something different.

The very first single that I ever bought was See Emily Play by Pink Floyd and I still think that track is amazing. Which was the first single that you ever bought and what do you think of it now?

Rolf: It was “I was made for loving you” by Kiss. Now I wonder “Where the hell was my brain at the age of 12?”

Trish: I think that I see what you mean after watching the video on YouTube, those outfits and the white face paint eeeewh. Do you have a record in your collection that the rest of the band would tease you about?

Rolf: Maybe “Gothic Impressions” by a Swede called Par Lind. It’s an organ-based album that I adore, but the rest of the Toxic lads probably think that I’m insane in my brain because I love that album.

Trish: Maybe they have secret likes too! Which band or artist do you currently listen to the most?

Rolf: I never stick with just one artist for a long period; I try to vary a lot, so that I don’t get tired of a good artist. The bands that I listen to for the moment is: System of a Down, Opeth, Queen, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica ++++

Trish: If you had just one wish and could perform with any band or artist – alive or dead; who would that be and why?

Rolf: Queen w/Mr. Mercury or Judas Priest.

Trish: Ah!! I wrote on my blog last week that if I could go back in time the band that I would most like to see perform live would be Queen with Freddie Mercury – you have good taste.

Whenever I return home from holiday it’s a real let down having to return to work and reality. Toxic have just completed a 2 week tour of the UK, how does it feel to be back to reality?

Rolf: To be honest. This return to work and reality was the hardest ever in my life. We had two fantastic weeks and were longing to go back to England on the air trip back home.

Trish: I hope that you will be coming back soon, is there another tour planned?

Rolf: Our manager is in touch with several UK festivals, so we’re awaiting the results of his work. So the plan is to base our next UK tour around a festival next Summer, early Autumn.

Trish: That’s great, something to look forward to through the dreary winter months. This is your second tour of the UK, how did it compare to the first?

Rolf: This tour was definitely the best. Everything was well planned and prepared by our English manager, Mark. We felt so much welcome everywhere. You Englishmen are such a great people.

Trish: Er don’t forget English women! What was the highlight of the tour for you and was there any low?

Rolf: The highlights:-

Our first night in England was fantastic. We spent it at Josi’s radio studio. She works for ”Hard Rock Radio Live” We did a live radio show. Her comment after the radio session was. “You’re the craziest Vikings I’ve ever met, and this has been my funniest/best radio show ever”. Our last gig at “The Purple Turtle” in Camden/London was the best one. We had an amazing audience and a fantastic sound engineer.

The “Downside”:-

We played a gig in South London, upstairs in a pub in a crummy area. There was just a few people attending the show.

Trish: Darn it I missed the radio show it sounds great. Do you have lots of groupies flocking around you or aren’t we allowed to discuss that?

Rolf: There is only one thing to say about that. You didn’t turn up at any of our shows lol

Trish: You sweet talker! We have a saying in the UK – ‘do not judge a book by it’s cover’, but people do judge others by appearances. For instance some people see a biker and they fear them – OMG a hells angel type of reaction – when really most bikers are decent folks who love riding bikes. In the Chronos video the bikers are the good guys, was that intended as a statement or just a different twist to make the video more interesting?

Rolf: Chronos is the God of time. Our intention with the video was to make people wake up and see that things aren’t always what they look like. We try to put things upside down. Like you said. A biker can be good man, and a vicar can be a cruel one. We also turned Elvis into a Messiah. But, I have to admit that we like to be a bit provocative!

Trish: Provocative I like and I agree with what you are saying. I’ve been listening to your album Fear and appreciate the contrasts. Image means a lot for a band and the perceived image is not what I believe to be the true Toxic who from my limited contact are much nicer guys than the image dictates.

Trish: I’d like to thank you Rolf for your cooperation with this interview, you have given me some great answers. Hopefully we will see you in the UK again soon.

Rolf: I would like to thank you also for your questions. They were very good. Most interviewers ask the same questions over and over again, yours were something different. It was a pleasure to answer you back. If you feel that my English sucks, feel free to adjust it

Trish: I always like to be different. Your English is excellent, much better than my Norwegian, which is limited to Tusen takk (thank you very much)

Steven Hitchens is a talented young singer songwriter from the UK. Steven has just released his debut single Whoops on the Internet and is preparing his debut album. We have reviewed Whoops and below you will find an exclusive interview with Steven. You can find Steven Hitchens at: Official Website MySpace Facebook Steven Hitchens profile & Review Of Whoops

Gary: Hi Steven! It’s great to have the privilege in interviewing you and welcoming you to megamusicvideos.co.uk and megamusictalent.com as our November Headliner. So how did it all start? How did you get involved in Music? Which artistes inspire you?

Steven: I’ve always been into music from a very young age. At the age of six I started dance lessons and at eleven I was doing drama lessons, but I’ve been singing since as long as I can remember. I wrote my first song when I was ten called ‘Baby Blueday’ and my friend played the guitar. It was awful!

I am loving the music scene at the moment as there are so many fantastic artists out there. Ultimately I would like to have the longevity and massive would tours like Madonna and I am really into urban music at the moment, so I’m really like Ne-Yo and Taio Cruz and think they are both amazing artists.

Gary: Of all the bands / artists in your CD / record collection, which ones do you own the most albums by?

Steven: I would say Madonna. I’m a bit of a collector when it comes to CD’s. I find an artist I like and buy every single album and sometimes singles that they release.

Gary: What was the last song you listened to?

Steven: Lie to Me by Ne-Yo

Gary: What’s In Your Record / CD Player right now?

Steven: In my CD player I have a vocal warm CD as I am rehearsing for some gigs I have this weekend but now I have an iPod I mostly listen to that!

Gary: What song would you say sums you up?

Steven: There are so many songs that I identify with. There’s nothing like listening to your favourite song when you are feeling down. I think I’d say ‘I Can Be’ by Taio Cruz as I listen to that all the time. It psyches me up for whenever I have do a gig or something.

Gary: What was the greatest show you’ve ever been to?

Steven: I never manage to see as many show’s as I would want to. But Justin Timberlake’s Future/Sex/Love/ Sounds tour was very good. I don’t think that there’s anything that the man can’t do!

Gary: What’s the worst band you’ve ever seen in concert?

Steven: I won tickets to Liberty X in concert they weren’t that bad but they were very rude to the fans afterwards and refused to sign any autographs.

Gary: What band do you love musically but hate the members of?

Steven: I love Amy Winehouse’s music, but her private life being on show all the time takes some of her achievements away. I don’t care what she gets up to behind closed doors!

Gary: What show are you looking forward to?

Steven: I’d love to see Ne-Yo in concert.

Gary: What musician would you like to hang out for a day?

Steven: I wouldn’t mind hanging out with Pink. I think we’d get on great. We both speak our mind and stand up for what we believe in!

Gary: What in your opinion is the greatest decade for music?

Steven: 90’s definitely! You had wicked Britpop. The great bands, Blur and Oasis, the Spice Girls and it was when Madonna was at her best. Some of the tracks on my album have a slight 90’s feel.

Gary: Your debut single “Whoops” is due to be officially launched on November 3rd. Are you excited about the prospect of having your own single released?

Steven: ‘Whoops’ is the first single I ever professionally recorded, so it’s only right it’s my debut single. I can’t wait for the release and hope that everyone will love it. All the feedback I’ve had so far has been overwhelming.

Gary: Please provide some more information on how you put the single together?

Steven: I actually started writing ‘Whoops’ in my Kitchen while doing the washing up! I’ll be in the strangest of places and I’ll have the lyrics and melody forming in my head. Then I use the voice recorder on my phone and forward to my producer who then creates the music for the track based on the styles and brief I give him. I recorded this song late last year in a recording studio in South London. I was thrilled when it was completed. I didn’t expect it to sound so good!

Gary: Listening to your tracks available from your myspace at myspace.com/stevenhitchens you showcase a wide variety of catchy pop songs, along with powerful ballads such as passionate which is sung as the title explains. Does the song Passionate have any personal reflections from your life?

Steven: Thank you. I’m not in a relationship at the moment but I do dedicate ‘Passionate’ to my future lover! It’s a pretty romantic song and I guess it can be quite romantic. It was one of the easiest songs to record because it is quite simple and so heartfelt.

Gary: Do you prefer singing the ballads or pop related songs?

Steven: Both are just as good, there’s nothing like pop songs to get a party started and it’s also good to have a slow dance at the end of the set. There’s nothing like helping people get together.

Gary: Have you any up and coming gigs coming soon?

Steven: Yes I have 3 gigs at the end of this week at venues in South London in aid of a breast cancer charity. They should be brilliant nights with lots of other singers performing. So hopefully we’ll make a lot of money for a very worthy cause.

Gary: Do you enjoy the audience atmosphere?

Steven: The audience are the best thing about performing live. There is nothing better than recording an album, rehearsing it and then getting to perform it. Doing gigs is also the best way of getting people’s reactions from yours songs.

Gary: What’s your favourite type of audience? (i.e. pub, club, mini arena, etc)

Steven: I’ve only done intimate gigs so far and I love them because you get to really make a connection with the audience but I would love to do an arena tour with backing dancers and a live band.

Gary: Every artist whether signed or unsigned have had unexpected encounters on the stage. Can you recall an unexpected encounter on stage that wasn’t suppose to happen?

Steven: I recently did a gig at my sister’s wedding and the wrong backing track came on. I thought I could carry on and sing on backing tracks I haven’t practiced for months or I could stop, get the right CD with the right backing tracks. Luckily the wedding was in a big manor house in the country and we were staying in rooms upstairs, so I legged it up to my room, got the CD and carried on with the show. No one seemed to mind and the set went on without any further hitch!

Gary: Next year you are due to officially release your debut album. Are you excited about this?

Steven: I spent about a year making this album and because I have no financial backing at the moment, it has all come out of my own pocket. So it is very special to me. I always wanted to record an album but it was one of those things I never thought I’d do.

Gary: I know the launch of your new album is “hush hush”, but can you give us a preview in telling us what this album means to you?

Steven: This album means everything to me. In some places it is quite autobiographical. There are songs that are about my demons and flaws. But it’s not all about me. I also like writing songs about other people. There is a song on the album about my best friend from college who had a hard childhood and came out on top and got a great job. I love writing songs about other people and life situations.

Gary: What is your favourite song on this new album?

Steven: I gotta say ‘Whoops
’ as it’s my baby but they’re so many other great tunes on there.

Gary: What is the launch date of your debut album?

Steven: I haven’t got an exact date at the moment but it will be late spring next year.

Gary: Although you are not world class recognised. Myself, and I’m sure all your fans would agree that your music is world class, especially the professionalism of the songs showcased on myspace and I’m sure your future album. Would you like to be recognised as a world class performer and artist?

Steven: That would be great! I love touching people with my songs as they come from my heart. I’m not really materialistic or bothered by fame or celebrity, but honestly… who would say no?! If I can inspire others with my music and I am successful in what I do then that is all that matters.

Gary: Have you ever considered auditioning for reality programs for shows like X Factor?

Steven: You can see some great artists from shows like the X Factor, but then there are also the 5 minute wonders too. I’d rather do some gigs and put my album out there and see what happens.

Gary: Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

Steven: As long as I am happy and successful I don’t really mind. It would be great to do a world tour with the album, so I’ll see how things go.

Gary: Do you have any future plans once you have launched your debut album?

Steven: I am going to be promoting my album all year and hopefully I’ll be doing more gigs as well and I’m am returning back into the studio at the end of the month to start on my second album but I’m really going to take my time with this one. I’m working with new producers so maybe you’ll be hearing a different sound from me in a year or so.

Gary: Thank you Steven, it has been a pleasure talking to you and I wish you all the success with the launch of your debut single and shall look forward equally to hearing the completed version of your album.

The single “Whoops” is a catchy pop song written and performed by Steven and is available for MP3 download now. Check out the review.