You’ve been going from strength to strength over the past couple of years and, despite the pandemic, have been releasing new music. How have you found the last twelve months in terms of your music plans? How have you worked through the lockdowns?
This last year has been tough on everyone for obvious reasons however it has also been a good year for me in many ways. The band and Is had such a busy summer of gigs and festivals booked for last year but those all got either cancelled or postponed due to the pandemic. Having this extra time on my hands gave me a lot more time to write more music. I found myself writing a lot last year and one of those songs was my latest single ‘Breathe’ which has already had great success in the charts! We were very lucky to get into the recording studio between the both lockdowns last year which has enabled me to release a few singles!

How would you describe your songwriting process? Do you plan things out, or does creativity just take over?
I tend to write songs on my own in a quiet room. I’m quite old school- I sit back with a notepad, pen and my guitar! I go through spells of writing loads over a few month period then have quieter spells where I don’t write as much or find it difficult to come up with anything decent. I tend to come up with the chord pattern and melody first then the lyrics tend to come last for me.

We’ve already been treated to songs such as ‘Kingdom Caller’, ‘Free Falling’, and now ‘Breathe’. What do you have planned, in terms of releases, through this year?
I have said for a while now that I would like to work on an EP then lead up to an Album but this whole pandemic slowed everything down so it felt right to release singles over the past year. An EP could definitely be on the cards in the near future though.

What inspires your lyrics and ideas? Has the turbulent year influenced your writing or approach in any way?
The inspiration for my lyrics can totally vary. I think if I go through something myself and have a lot of emotion in me then I always find it easier to write music and the lyrics just flow more. It has always been my way of letting my emotions out and just totally escaping!

In terms of live gigs and festivals announcement, what can we expect? Or, what would you hope for?
I have gigs and festivals booked for over the summer still however this will all depend on us being allowed to gig again. There eventually seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel  so fingers crossed live music makes a return soon.

We imagine that, as an artist, you’ve picked up some lessons. What words of advice would you give other aspiring artists?
When I first started doing gigs I always worried so much about what other people thought of me and I had a very negative mind set. This totally affected my confidence as you can probably imagine. I still do get like this but no where near as bad as I was back then. Over the years the support I have received from everyone has been amazing and this has given me the confidence to keep doing what I love! My advice to others would be to do what you do best. If you enjoy it then don’t let anyone stop you. Be confident and own it!

On a more general note, what three people inspire you and why?
Janis Joplin – Her vocals are just something else. I just love her voice!
Freddie Mercury – The way he owned the stage when he performed is just mesmerizing. I wish I had his confidence.
Kelly Jones – Another vocalist that I can listen to all day. The tone to his voice is just amazing.