Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Hey! I’m from Melbourne/Naarm, I’ve been writing and playing music for the last 14 years. I started music a little bit later in terms of learning and playing guitar/writing but got right into it when I was 19 years old. From then I really channelled how I was feeling and used music as a means of therapy. The last 5-6 years I think I’ve been a bit more confident in my sound and style of music that I’m writing.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: Lately I’ve been listening to Hayden Calnin, Phoebe Bridgrs, Big Thief and Riley Pierce, also lots of awesome new singles (Chloe: the brand, Paige Barnard, Amistat to name a few).I generally like to be a bit of a mixed bag with what I listen to, the music that influences me and some favourites are Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Ry X, Angus and Julia Stone. The Beatles are my all time fave though!
sorry bit of a long answer haha!
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: As an artist starting out I was into more alt rock and slightly heavier music, (Incubus, Silverchair) and they were my absolute favourites. I still love them’ve kind of melted into the indie folk world now and Bon Iver would be my strongest influence, and then peripheral artists who have followed that style have really inspired my writing, (Ry X, Dustin Tebbit, SYML, Harrison Storm, Hayden Calnin).
I remember when I was 10 years old watching video hits and In the End – Linkin Park came on and it blew my mind. I loved it so much and it was then the first record I ever bought. It got me into pop music and listening to the radio/watching rage every Saturday morning.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘New Day’. Is there a story behind it?
A: I’m really not good at talking about my own songs. New day though is kind of a brutally honest reflection of feeling so low you’ve hit rock bottom and then starting from the ground up. I was in a really insecure and toxic head space, comparing myself constantly to others and not staying focussed on myself. It’s a bit more up beat and unique to my previous singles Forever in the dark and Blue but It follows them quite well thematically.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Eventually yes. I do intend on releasing the songs together in some form but I keep chopping and changing ideas and at the moment I’m enjoying rolling the singles out.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: Potentially my open and honest lyrics might resonate with listeners and provide some relatable perspectives. Sonically I love using falsetto and lots of harmonies throughout my songs.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I’m just continually learning to be as present in my music as possible and focussing on all the things that I can do or things in my control. The most rewarding part is performing or listening to the finished products and it’s such a pleasure and privilege to work with such incredible people.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: It usually starts with me playing around on the guitar until I come across either a chord progression or something I like. The guitar melody will usually inspire something vocally and then songs grow from there.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I feel like it’s really deflating working so hard and spending so much time and money on your work to then be rejected or ignored. I find it hard to conjure up the confidence to network effectively, I get in my head a lot and am self conscious of looking too pushy.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: To this point I am really proud of the 3 singles recorded last year. It certainly has been the most enjoyable process of recording and the releases were really rewarding, it can be hard to listen to your own music a lot of the time.
LISTEN TO THE ARTIST:
Follow Scott Candlish:
Spotify – SoundCloud – Facebook – Twitter – Instagram – TikTok