Getting to Know… Kyle Chatham | Interview 🎤

On the 236^th Q&A in our Getting to Know…series, we totally ‘get to know’ more about intriguing Scottish singer/songwriter, Kyle Chatham.

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o, what makes Scottish singer/songwriter 🎙 Kyle Chatham special – “That is the question!” According to the musician, “I think there’s an honesty and bluntness to my lyrics that is seldom seen in music like mine.” That’s so cool! Chatham adds, “I’ve tried to create something that bleeds what it is to its fullest degree when and where it can.”  Just like his compelling response to our first question, Chatham totally rocks out our 236^th interview (woo!) in our Getting to Know… series; he never fails to intrigue.  That means, we get background, aspirations, musical influences, and of course, his current and future musical endeavors. Awesomeness exemplified! So, without further ado, we unveil 🎤 Getting to Know… Kyle Chatham: Interview No. 236!

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Starting things off, for those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

🎤 I think there’s an honesty and bluntness to my lyrics that is seldom seen in music like mine. I try to create worlds of mood you can sit inside whenever you feel inclined to and feel it to its fullest degree. As people, we are generally encouraged to experience and express things in a watered-down way – I’ve tried to create something that bleeds what it is to its fullest degree when and where it can. I try to never compromise on that and be as true to the emotions and aesthetics as possible. I think audiences appreciate that in art. I know as a consumer I do too.

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Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did your career start and what were some of the goals or the visions you had early on?

🎤 I’ve been writing and recording music for a really long time, but I think it really came together when I made my album, 💿 Neon Spring, a few years ago. I’ve stayed quite true to the sentiments in that record ever since while consciously trying to expand the sound and style as I go along. I’ve always had the intention to be able to create and showcase for a living. I’d love to be able to make all sorts of records and tour them. Direct videos and design various things along the way. That has always been my intention since I was young, and it has never altered.

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Let’s talk more about goals. Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

🎤 I suppose my goals haven’t really changed, they’ve maybe just become more specific as I’ve created more music and understood myself more and how I’d like to be presented. My perspectives on music are always altering slightly as music changes. The more music and art I experience, I am confronted with new ways of doing things and thrust to question my own efforts. I always enjoy that process and have learned not to fear it but run with it and embrace new things no matter how subtle. I think it has had a good effect on my art and my thinking. As for specific goals, I’d love to have more attention from my peers generally and perhaps do a support slot for a tour to gain more experience that way.

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Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

🎤 My biggest musical influences are probably Ben Howard, James Blake, and King Krule. I love how they create worlds within their records and music generally. I love the attention to detail they bring in their own ways. They are all quite different musically to an extent, but they form quite a nice relationship in my head somehow. I’m influenced heavily by all of them and many more of course and I suppose my music is a marriage of all those influences filtering through my brain.

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Ah, the fun stuff. What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance? Feel free to be creative.

🎤 My first performance as a solo artist with my own music was an interesting one. It was in a community centre hall with an audience of parents of other acts. One act, however, the “headliner,” was a young band that had a lot of friends around the age of 15/16. They all showed up completely drunk. During my set, in this well-lit hall was a crowd of kids up the back chatting loudly, throwing things, one of them being sick all over the floor. Two songs into my set, the police show up and try to calm things down at which point many, many more kids who had been outside come running in, throwing tables and chairs around as I kept on playing and laughing through my set. My friends are watching me completely in awe of what’s happening around them attempting to focus on me though proving impossible. I am then told by a friend of mine who organised the event that the police are shutting it down, so I have to make the next song my last. My next song was 7 minutes long. I dragged it as long as I could to the amusement of friends and frustration of everyone else, I imagine. All things considered, I look back fondly on that show.

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Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

🎤 I suppose my favourite things are always the most-new that won’t be out or even finished for a while. But I’m very proud of my new single, 🎵 “Valentine”, which I just released last week. I think it presents what I was feeling at the time very well lyrically and has a delicate beauty to it that I’m really fond of. I’m looking forward to playing it live in the near future and seeing how it translates. You can stream the track here:

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Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you?Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

🎤 I’ve got a ridiculous memory for the year things happened or were released. I’m yet to fail on that at my local pub quiz. Not much of a talent but it won us a tiebreaker one time and that meant a nice amount of money for the bar tab for us that night as the prize!

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Closing things out, what are you currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.

🎤 Well I’ve just released my new single, “Valentine”, recently and I have another single due to be released at the end of March. I’m working on new stuff all the time that I’m really excited about. Would be nice to see this collection of songs take me somewhere this year. You can find updates on my Instagram for all new things.

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🎤 Getting to Know… Kyle Chatham: Interview No. 236 [📷: Kyle Chatham, Brent Faulkner, The Musical Hype]

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