Your music has come to the attention of many people via advertisements and other “non-traditional” ways for an artist to become known. What are the pro’s and cons of this? Is it odd that people may know your music but not know you?
The plus points for me outweigh the cons by far. Some people have a negative opinion of music being used in advertising, but I've discovered a lot of my favourite artists through hearing their music on advertising campaigns, for example Stina Nordenstam. And I wouldn't have heard them otherwise as their music never had regular airplay on any of our main radio stations. If you're quite a left-field artist or you're doing something a bit different, you're actually more likely to find a bigger audience through an advertising campaign featuring your music than you are through radio play. So I definitely have respect for advertising agencies for being more creatively minded about music. I think it's a real shame that many key radio stations have lost that from their high rotation playlists. Secondly, the income through having your music featured in an advertising campaign can be the equivalent to having sold (these days) many thousands of albums. So they also generate funds you can feed into touring or recording. For me personally - I always enjoy seeing how my music works with different visuals. I've enjoyed the anonymity of the way this kind of exposure works.
You regularly interact with fans via youtube and facebook. As you become ever more popular and in demand, do you feel that you’ll be able to keep this connection?
Absolutely. I love speaking to everyone on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. And yes, I will certainly be able to keep this connection, I take a couple of hours out of every day to make sure I can catch up with everyone - to me, showing my appreciation to those who've taken the time to let me know why they've enjoyed listening to the music, is really essential. It means a lot to me, when people get in touch to talk about how the music's moved them.
We’re conducting this interview prior to your show at a tiny church (St. Pancras Old Church in
It doesn't very much actually...I still try to cram in as much of a spectacular show as I possibly can, regardless...and I've not found it to be a problem so far. The only time I change approach is if I can't find musicians who are available for the date, or sometimes I'll just feel like doing a show with less musicians involved. But for sure, the best reflection of the album is through a larger arrangement...although smaller arrangements give more focus to the album melodies and lyrics, which is also a really lovely thing.
What are the hopes for your career? Is there any particular artist whose career you’d like to emulate?
That very little will change. I wake up every day and think, what do I want to create today? And I always want to have the time and space to do that. That's what my life is like now, pretty much. And I want it to stay just the same. To me, that's the most important thing about being an artist. Of course it's nice to have people appreciate what you do...but sometimes certain levels of success force artists to become more heavily involved in doing non-creative things all over the place, and I think that would get in the way of my daily ritual of creativity.
Has any other artistic medium – films, book, etc. – particularly influenced your music?
I wouldn't say they've influenced my music directly - all of my music is influenced most directly by the way I feel. But in an indirect way, the feeling that the poem "The Lovesong of J.Alfred Prufrock" by TS Eliot leaves me with, definitely helps me create music. Or, "The Prelude" by Wordsworth, which is based on the individual's physical and emotional journey through the landscape and is hugely influenced by visual artistic vision.
Why do you think some artists lose their way after initial excellent music? Does the potential of this happening to you worry you?
Hmmm...I can't really speak for others; I don't really know any other artists personally enough to say. But for me, there's only one thing I ever aim to do and that's to be sincere when I create music. If I feel strongly about something, and express it musically, I always feel pleased. I think sincerity communicates to everyone. Although so much of my music is set in an 'other-worldly' place - the issues I deal with through the songs are very involved in real emotions. It just feels safer for me to confront those things in a creative place that feels much farther away from reality. It doesn't apply just yet as I'm working on new material I'm really proud of, but in the future, if I feel I have nothing I need to express, I won't write and that doesn't bother me either. As otherwise, it'd be a waste of my time and everyone else's and I think when you're an artist, you have a responsibility to only create things that truly mean something deeply important to you.
When you’re most into your music, playing for an appreciative audience, what does it feel like?
It feels like I've brought the world of my imagination into reality, it feels like I'm finally speaking out after so much of my life spent in a very forced silence. I feel like crying. And I feel like I'm less alone, that the audience are there - representing the society I'm finally able to connect with. At times in the past, I've broken down and members of the audience have offered me tissues and given me a hug!
Your videos are striking, particularly ‘Beside You’, which is a remarkable combination of colour, images and music. What makes a good video in your opinion? How do you collaborate with your directors, e.g. what level of input do you get?
Thank you! A lot of thought went into the colours in "Beside You". I guess I should start off by mentioning that I direct, produce and film all of the music videos myself. I then edit them too. I do it all using my Canon 7D and Final Cut Pro X. Obviously, for shots that I'm in, I have friends to help film and I describe to them how I need the camera to move for the shot, the angle, the speed etc. I really love putting the visuals to the music myself, I naturally think about things in quite a visually symbolic way. I make them myself because I'm quite particular about the vision I have for the videos and also, because I don't think anyone would have the same amount of time I have to commit. It's a real joy, to be honest.
I'm happy with a lot of the videos, but I'd love to re-shoot some of them with an actual budget. I had no budget at all and very little support for creating all of the album videos I made. So they took me around nine months of solid work. But when I have a creative idea I'm excited about, I just have to do it, no matter what it takes, I'll find a way. I'm definitely still learning with the videos, so, I'm not entirely sure if I'm qualified to answer what makes a good video! In other music videos that to me don't look strong, I think it's often down to how close the subject is, or what angle they're being filmed from. I'm personally a fan of simplicity and iconic shapes/forms...either religious or mythical. I'm really excited about the second album, as I will be stepping up my visuals for that into something I hope will be very special.
Masks and blindfolds are a recurring presence in a couple of your videos. Can you talk us through their meaning?
The album is set in the world of the imagination - in a sense, the subconscious, and the 'dreaming mind'. So, I wanted the masked figures to represent that surrealist world...which is full of nightmares as well as pleasant dreams. I specifically wanted them to look unnerving, but at the same time, be a friendly, helpful presence. Because to me, this is how the dreaming mind functions - even when it delivers nightmares, those dreams are giving us important guidance about our emotional or psychological well-being. Bad dreams being associated with stress etc. So, I love the concept of the frightening actually being very helpful. The blindfold represents lack of awareness, being in darkness...and being surrounded by the masked characters represents how the dreaming mind can actually give you more insight into yourself. I don't expect anyone to ever get all this from watching the videos! This is just what it means to me...I like others to form their own interpretations...hard as that may be!
Going back to your school and college days, what was the music you were listening to and do you still play those songs today?
My access to music was pretty limited indeed. As my stepfather who was a strictly religious person believed all art and music detracted from prayer. So I wasn't allowed to listen to music at home. At school however, my friends were listening to Garage (the genre) at the time, so I'd hear bits and bobs through them...I wouldn't say I was particularly inspired by the genre though...and no, I don't listen to it these days!
Once I left my stepfather's house when I was 17, I started listening to a huge range of music. I started with the radio - the Chart Show - as it was a really easy point for me to start from. It was easy to understand, in a way that record shops weren't - I didn't understand the genres that records were filed under, or how you went about knowing what any of the CDs sounded like...I tried to buy a single, but ended up buying the album because I didn't even know albums existed - I thought the one song I heard on the radio by the artist was the song I'd have if I bought the CD with the artist's name on it in the shop. And was horrified to realise the one song I wanted wasn't amongst the 12 songs on the album I'd purchased. It was very confusing.
I remember I received a compilation disc and couldn't figure out, for a very long time, how to get the second disc out of the case...people don't realise the issues you come across when music just hasn't been a part of your life for ten years. The music I enjoyed listening to really ranged, I dated an MC...who introduced me to lots of hip hop, soul and RnB...and I really enjoyed how albums such as Lauryn Hill's "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" and also "The Roots - Illadelph Halflife", had so many interesting sounds. I liked how they were arranged. I watched films, and discovered Yann Tiersen through Amelie - and I loved his work too. So, quite a range...
The Disappearance of the Girl is out now on Decca Records. Phildel plays the St Pancras Old Church on 25 April (sold out), Bush Hall on 15 May and Secret Garden Party on 27 July
Questions from Kevin