theaussieword.com catches up with Michael Paynter for a very special exclusive interview!
What can you tell our readers about you? How and where did it all begin?
I can’t remember when it ‘began’ for me. I guess I started this music thing as my full time job about 10 years ago…
What had you first interested in music?
My parents used to teach us 4 part harmony to James Taylor on our family car trips. It was always around me. I guess I fell in love with the ability to express your deepest fears and desires in music and poetic form.
Who motivates or influences your quest to make great music?
Not so much ‘who’ but rather, ‘what’. I’m hugely driven by the desire to see people’s lives enriched and to see people encouraged and inspired by what I write. That’s what keeps me going.
Do you have any planned tours coming up?
I’m about to go on a national album launch tour called the ‘WEARY STARS’ tour covering all the capitals and heaps of regional venues. It runs from Feb-March this year.
What are some of your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?I’d like to be doing this a VERY long time… And I hope that when people look back on my music they see hard work, dedication and a positive contribution to the world
What can fans expect from you in the coming months?
Lots of shows, plenty of TV performances and more music 😉
Success, what is the secret to it and what has been your biggest career highlight so far?
The only thing that separates the successful from the flickering flames is hard work. I always tell young people that you need to work twice as hard as the hardest worker you know. And that it will always take you ten times as long and cost you ten times as much as you planned it would. There are too many highlights to mention, but releasing my album after 7 years is definitely up there…
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
I love Ryan Tedder. He’s a songwriter, producer, incredible singer, frontman and he has had more of an influence on modern pop music than many people know. He’s a genius.
What can you tell us about your latest album?
It’s been a long time coming. I was signed 10 years ago and have made three albums in that time. None of which were released. This one I have produced and mixed it myself as well writing all the tunes, so it’s really my baby…
Are there any new exciting projects in the works?
I’m working on a new EP already… Hopefully we’ll have it out within the year.
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
Hopefully producing great young artists, writing great tunes, playing in all sorts of bands and still singing.
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.
I’ve always loved The Living End, John Farnham, Rick Price, Guy Sebastian and Tina Arena. I admire them all for their long time commitment and their patience and talent.
The shape of the music industry has changed significantly over the years, including the use of social media, how do you feel about the industry as a whole and what does it mean to you in getting your records out into the public eye?
I feel we are in a very interesting time. I think we’ll look back on this and be studying in college. I love the immediacy that social media has bought to the table, but the upshot of that is people’s attention spans are significantly lower… You can barely have an ‘intro’ to a song anymore!
Website: www.michaelpaynter.com