Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I’m a south-east London boy. I’ve been making music pretty much since I was a teenager, from going bonkers on a synthesiser to 90’s Dance music in my early teens to becoming a songwriter from my late teens onwards. Initially my songs were pretty pants I’m not gonna’ lie, but with time I became more confident in my own skin to write about the shiz that inspires me. When I first started recording music professionally, I would purposefully go into the studio asking myself “what would Avril do? What would Freddie do? What would Bowie do? What would Joan Jett do?” Now, I’m just like “fuck it,” I’m gonna’ do what Terry wants to do and hopefully people will be down with it. Music acts like PJ Harvey, David Bowie and The 1975 have triggered that fearlessness within me that I needed to make the process of making music more challenging and exciting for me.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Terry Guy”?
A: I need a PR agent big time, lol. That is defo my current goal right now. I feel as though since COVID I’m starting all over. I released my debut album in 2023 which I had performed for, literally, years prior to its’ release and, despite how proud I am of that record, I was so ready to move on from it. It feels like I am starting a new chapter, with releasing this new music and reaching out to a new audience of music listeners and I’m genuinely excited about that. My message for anyone who has just discovered me is “thank you. It means a lot that you have taken the time to listen to my music and I hope you stick around.”
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: There’s too many music acts which I have on repeat right now. It’s so hard to narrow it down to just one. Holly Humberstone, Sam Wyatt, Laye, The Strike, Nina Nesbitt, the list just goes on. And then on the other hand, I’m still listening to 90’s and noughties nostalgia like Goo Goo Dolls, Hole, Skunk Anansie, Chantal Kreviazuk, Tori Amos. And then occasionally I’ll Goth-out to Nina Hagen or NIN. But my inspiration comes from what is happening around me or whatever is on my mind, when it comes to lyric writing or the concept of the song. The chord progressions and melodies could come about from a jam session which me, myself and I are having on the guitar or the piano. Sometimes, the whole song will just appear in my mind’s eye and I will pick up my Samsung and record a voice note, like most of us do, lol.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “CLAP.”?
A: I was in the studio at Goldsmiths Uni in London and it was an afternoon after a workshop, during the first year of my Masters. My intention was to lay down a beat, which had a similar tempo and drum programming to Trap music and I had no idea what the song was going to be about. Although I was proper happy to be in the studio, subconsciously I defo had some shiz on my mind. The overall theme of CLAP is about escapism from the political system we all, as a society, live under. Sometimes the system has really affected my mental health, even when I’ve simply turned on the TV and I’ve felt dizzy watching Labour and Conservative at each other’s throats in Parliament. My mind can easily go on overload with that shiz.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Honestly, I get confused with my own sound sometimes, lol. On the one hand I recorded an Indie, Pop-Rock record, with some piano ballads, and the last few years I’ve been recording music which has an obvious Electro undercurrent. On my debut E.P “Bring On the Fire,” I was inspired by Grunge and Rockabilly and then on “Cloud Zero In Society,” I was listening to a lot of Birdy and Sam Fender. I don’t know if listening to these genres of music influences my sound at the time, or if my natural, musical instinct pushes me towards those genres because that is where I am emotionally at. Either way, not even I know what to expect sometimes when I am composing music. As pretentious as this may come across, I would say that my sound is simply a mood.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “CLAP”?
A: The track is quite minimal, but it did not start off like that. There was a long ass intro, with these tribal-sounding drums and an outro which felt like I had formed a dark, EDM rave. Less was more on this specific song. It was all about deleting elements as opposed to adding more.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: Freedom of thoughts, as long as they do not harm others, is the message of my music. Some of us are afraid to express ourselves and we shouldn’t be. If we communicate in a civilised manner, sky’s the limit, in my opinion. Art, truly is, one of the finest forms of communication and my goal is to become better and better and never get to a point where I think that I have achieved too much. I just want to continue to create until my last day.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: James Baldwin. He is one of my favourite poets and to have shaken his hand and told him how much I would love to compose music and make visuals for his poetry, would have simply been one of the most pleasurable moments of my life. He probably wouldn’t have been interested one bit, lol. My motto, for a long time now, has been “if you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: I’m probably not the best person to ask to be honest, as I haven’t seen every sector or role within the music industry. However, having been a music journalist, a performer, a songwriter and a producer who has met other music acts and people involved in the music business, my message to anyone pursuing a career in Music is “do not let anyone mug you off.” There are always some people who will try to take advantage and will be mean. Get that middle finger up and tell them where to go.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: Carry on as you are. Make those mistakes and cross those bridges, and you will learn to be a better human being for it.
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