Mike Watson is an exciting artist whose new single ‘Black and Blue’ is out now! But along with being a talented solo musician, Mike has also spent a lot of his younger life touring with a successful boy-band in Japan, along with building a loyal fanbase as a YouTuber.
Here we speak exclusively to Mike Watson to discuss his new release, former boyband career, musical inspirations and more:
Growing up who inspired your love of music?
I grew up in a musical family. My dad gave me a guitar when I was little and I was hooked from then really. My grandma sang in choirs and could always be heard humming away around the house, so no doubt her melodies and tunes rubbed off on me in some way to!
Can you remember the exact moment you decided to pursue music as a career?
I used to record covers in my garage at home, and we had no heaters in there, so it was absolutely freezing at times! Eventually one of those covers was found by a management company and the rest is history! I always hoped to make music my job, but I know the chances are very slim, so I count myself extremely fortunate.
Your new single is out now, what inspired the track?
Black and Blue is the song I’m most proud of to date. It’s about having to break up with someone you still really care for, but know it’s for the best. Not only me, but a lot of people I know have gone through this, so I thought…why not write about it.
Can you tell us a little about the writing and recording process for the song?
I’m very weird in the studio, in the sense that once all the music is down, I go into the recording booth, turn the lights down and sing melodies for what must seem like an eternity to the producer. Sometimes the first melody you sing is the best, sometimes the 34th melody is best. It’s about being patient and letting the song come to life. The irony is.. I am the least patient person on the planet.
How would you describe your sound to new listeners?
Following my last two, reasonably uptempo pop tracks I felt it as time to slow it down a little and show a more emotive darker side, that I have a liking for when writing. If I had to describe the new track with reference to what’s out there I’d say mix The Weeknd with Bieber, with a good sprinkling of Years & Years over the top…
What do you hope fans take from the track?
As long as they feel a connection to the song, either lyrically or otherwise then I’m happy. I’m biased but still now after hearing it for the 3,450,675th time I still feel the vibe and my mood instantly alters and takes me to a certain place. Also, if someone going through a similar thing takes solace from the fact that knowing someone else has gone through this experience and is fine the other end, then that’s pretty inspiring.
Do you have any plans to release an album soon?
I’m planning to release my first solo EP in the first half of next year. I have just launched a campaign with PledgeMusic and we want fans to be involved from the very beginning. I’ve been writing a lot of material recently so 2019 is going to be a really exciting time.
You have spent a lot of time touring with your former boyband and in Japan, what made you want to launch yourself as a soloist?
I had an amazing time travelling the world with the band. I see it now as preparing me for what’s to come as a solo artist. Whilst I’ll always be eternally grateful for being in the band, towards the end I craved having more say about the direction we were going in musically. It was clear in order to record and release music I really wanted to, I’d have to jump ship which was very daunting. But I am very happy I did.
Along with the release of your new single, what else can we expect from you in the next few months?
With the PledgeMusic campaign I mentioned we are making some very special exclusive items available for sale to help fund the making of the EP. I really want to make the most of engaging with fans and bringing them into the process. I’m also planning to be back out on the road again for a tour at the end of next year. There may be one or two other surprises in the pipeline too so keep an eye out on my socials.
Make sure you follow Mike Watson on Twitter @mikewatsonmusic to keep up to date with all his latest music and tour news!
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