Gavin James is in his prime, having hit over 5.6 million listeners on Spotify, a whopping 5.6 billion streams and sold out arenas world wide, Gavin is certainly no stranger to success to say the least. Now, with the release of his emotionally charged single ‘Man On The Moon’, Gavin touches the hearts of fans, reminding them why they were first drawn to his music, with poignant lyrics, intertwined with a delicate acoustic guitar track.
“For ‘Man On The Moon’ I tried to picture someone on the moon, thinking that they are all alone and not realising that the whole world is thinking about them. It’s about looking after the people you love because some days, they may feel like they have no one to talk to” – Gavin James
Alongside the release of ‘Man On The Moon’, comes MOTM Short Stories, a collection of three creatively animated short films, exploring all too familiar themes of loneliness, isolation and hope. Click here to watch #MOTMShortStories.
We briefly catch up with Gavin, to ask about his early musical influences, how he’s coping in a pandemic, and what we can look forward to in 2021.
What would you say was the main reason for getting involved in music?
My grandfather was a comedian he would always encourage us to perform, my parents bought me to got me a guitar when I was 10 and my sister is also a gospel singer so there has been a lot of music in the family, and it’s just something I’ve been naturally drawn too.
Who did you look up to musically while growing up?
When I was younger, I was into Metallica and Slipknot and a lot of Led Zeppelin but my dad got me into Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan and all that great stuff from his time.
Is the new single about a personal story or would you say it’s just something you want the audience to just make sense for themselves?
I didn’t set out to write a song about the pandemic but it’s about looking after the people you love because some days, they may feel like they have no one to talk to and this year, people might feel more disconnected than usual from their friends and family. This song is a gentle reminder that you are never alone.
What it like to produce this song? Was it different to other songs you had produced and written and why?
The song is strip back production and I wrote it with Mark from Kodaline it started as a completely different song just with the guitar melody but things are different obviously given the social distancing and not being in a studio.
What’s your song writing process like- is it melody and then lyrics or the other way round? Where do you most get inspiration for writing songs?
It depends it can be the melody of the lyrics there’s never an exact formula most of my inspiration comes from either my own experiences but a lot comes from my friends and family and what they’re going through in life.
Do you prefer playing music live or recording songs?
That’s a great question. I love being in the studio and creating but there’s nothing like a live audience and we are totally missing that right now.
What type of music do you enjoy listening to- what are you listening to at the moment?
I listen all all genres of music I’m really enjoying Luz, she’s a new Irish girl that’s amazing.
What’s one thing that you think this pandemic has taught you about life?
I’ve been traveling a lot over the last five years, nonstop that this is the longest time I’ve been at home so it’s been quite refreshing for me because I’m in one place but I can’t wait to get back out doing promotion entering as soon as possible.
Is there anything you’re doing in the future that we should be looking forward to?
I’m currently writing my album and lining up some really interesting releases that are coming up soon and collaborations. I have a live stream concert coming Feb 14th and I hope that we will be back to some festivals this summer
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Interview: Rojan Said