Your new single ‘MY WOUNDED HEART’ combines dance-pop anthemics with heartfelt lyrics, taken from the nostalgic Spanish classic ‘Quizas, Quizas, Quizas’. How did you combine both styles to craft the track?
I did not have a deliberate plan. I knew I wanted a DEEP MIX and a CLUB MIX. at the end of the vocal session, FC was about to leave and I suggested we quickly knock out piano versions for reference, for the future. Completely unrehearsed, we had never performed together live before we literally “knocked them out” in ten minutes.
Listening back over the next few days I realised that these – incredibly – were like treasure – the essence of the song both in the vocal performance and in my piano performance. You cannot put a click to these, I just followed FC’s timings throughout. This is what gives the recordings a quality of spontaneity and aliveness. I also created two very different piano versions for the English and Spanish takes. We only did each once!
How was your experience collaborating with FC, and how did her vocal performance elevate ‘MY WOUNDED HEART?’
FC – she is amazing!! I could not imagine these tracks without her voice now. She has the rare quality of being totally professional in attitude and singing the song as if it was her own – from her own heart. The song stands up, but the song with her vocal goes to another level. She is Italian and I am sure this helps both in pronunciation of the Spanish and in feeling the lyrics. She was kind enough to notice one slight mistake in my Spanish which was quickly corrected. This caused a slight problem as it added an extra syllable. Listening to her delivery you would never know!!
Can you talk us through the production techniques and instrumentation used to create the single’s alluring sound?
My basic concept is simplicity, the challenge is always to be ok with editing out bits and parts that I really like, to let the song breathe. I knew, from previous experience that I wanted clearly differentiated versions for different audiences.
The piano versions were recorded spontaneously at the end of the main vocal session. One take and no rehearsal with no plan to release them. Yet these for me are the song in its own truth - undistilled. Here I find the feelings and the regret in large waves. For that very reason I decided to use minimum production and let the song stand and breathe on its own. It speaks, in its own space and leaves room for the listener to respond without being directed how to feel. In truth the piano versions (released 31st May) are the song in its essence, the version I want to be remembered for. I decided to leave them almost as they are. Very little production in the belief the song and the performances speak for themselves.
I realised that these versions– incredibly – were like treasure – the essence of the song both in the vocal performance and in my piano performance like a dance between us. Yet you cannot put a click to these, I just followed FC’s timings throughout. This is what gives the recordings a quality of spontaneity and aliveness. I also created two very different piano versions for the English and Spanish takes. We only did each once!
MY WOUNDED HEART’ is your first release since 2021 - how does it represent you currently as an artist and how you’ve evolved?
The core of my identity as an artist has not changed much over the years. I do believe I am more technically proficient, better at editing out parts I like but that don’t work. I don’t really try and be “modern”. I just make the music and the recordings I love. What truthfully is the impulse behind the creation of art and music? – it is a form of immortality, leaving behind a small part of yourself for the world, for posterity.
Have you established a signature sound with ‘MY WOUNDED HEART’ or will you continue to experiment?
I can only hope that every track I release, every song I write is recognisably and unmistakeably me no matter which version or genre I choose for a particular project. I have achieved this in my piano playing, my lyrics and way I communicate my thoughts and feelings. Love is a universal human experience, yet we each know it in our own way based on the quality of our relationships and our history. This song is about “my kind of love” – the way I have experienced it. I did not realise this till I wrote the English version and came up with the title.
What has been your proudest accomplishment in your career so far?
I am very proud of the Make America Love Again project from 2021 and am very pleased with the videos we have made for MWH. Watch out for the the video of the piano version due on 31st May. Both the MWH videos are the result of an immensely rich process. There are a string of videos I am proud of and the latest one for the piano version of MWH, is the best so far. I am proud to – at last – be able to play the jazz “standards” on the piano in my own style.
Can fans expect any upcoming music?
The next release is almost complete - “We Wish You”. There will be a package of mixes, feedback about the main track is “Talking Heads meets Primal Scream meets 90’s Garage” and “Psychedelic Furs meets Stereo MC’s” which is a different musical space to MWH. I am happy with that feedback especially as I am the vocalist! The Spanish version of MWH has had incredible success in the Spanish-speaking world and I am working on a non-literal translation for a Spanish version of We Wish You.
To wrap up, what are your aspirations for the future?
God help me I have so many more songs and so many ideas to express! Many nights I wake up with a tune or a lyric and I sing it into my phone. My hard drive is overfull!!
Good art is a combination of technical skill and sheer creative inspiration. I wish to continue on this path for the rest of my life.
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