theaussieword.com’s special interview with UK artist Sam Ray
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Tell us how it all started. What had you first interested in music?
I first realised I was really into music when I was given an old cassette tape recorder by my Dad at the age of about 11 and started recording little things I was coming up with on guitar. They were never even close to proper songs though!
What are your biggest goals you hope to accomplish as an artist?
In terms of goals, I really just want to focus on writing and recording music which I love, and if I can do that, hopefully people will like it!
Success, what is the secret to it?
I think the secret to success is time and effort. I don’t know if I believe in talent at all. I think it’s all just about pursuing interests!
What has been your biggest career highlight so far?
I probably get a new highlight of my career every time I write a song I actually like and doesn’t bore me within a few weeks! With the new single ‘Next to You’, I absolutely did that, and it’s a great feeling.
Which stars of the music industry do you find inspiring?
I find quite a few different artists inspiring, for different reasons. Tom DeLonge from blink-182 and Angels & Airwaves is a big inspiration because he just does exactly what he enjoys doing. He’s probably stepped away from the spotlight a little bit by leaving blink, but he seems to be doing it because he wants to pursue his creative interests on his own terms, which I think is admirable!
The music industry is huge, where do you see yourself a few years from now?
I’d like to still be an artist and songwriter, and I’d like to still be doing things which are exciting and new to me!
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 think the industry is fractured at the moment, for sure. There’s a listener base which is so splintered that it’s hard to define what ‘mainstream’ is these days. Consumers have an almost infinite amount of music at their fingertips and now they’re listening to the things that they want to listen to, when they want it. All this makes being in the public eye even more important, though, so it’s exciting!
Name a few of your favourite Aussie artists.
The big one for me when I was a kid was AC/DC. The first proper guitar I had was an SG, solely because of Angus Young!
What can we expect from you in the coming months? Any plans to tour?
At the moment I’m looking to write and record as much music as possible, and I’m hoping to release another single in early 2017 and hopefully tour – I just have to figure out the best way to play solo without losing the production value on the records.
Tell us a bit about your latest record, how would you best describe your music?
So with ‘Next to You’ and a lot of the other material I went into writing and recording with two simple goals; it has to be dance-able, but it has to be emotional, too. Also, having been making into writing pop-punk stuff for most of my life, I wanted to make music that was a little bit more intelligent on the production and arrangement side. I’d describe my music as kind of like what you would imagine would happen if you made Robert Smith and Bryan Adams make a dance-punk/indie-pop record.
Do you have any new projects in the pipeline?
At the moment the sole focus is on solo material!
Thanks for the interview! What final message do you have for us today?
Thank you for the questions! I hope you enjoy the track, and keep an eye out for it official dropping on November 18th! Also, can we have some of that Aussie beach weather over in the UK!?
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