Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Liverpool lad, creative in many ways, and someone who has spent most of his working life in hospitality and events. Music has always been part of me, even when I wasn’t actively releasing it. Growing up in Liverpool definitely played a part too. It’s a city with such a rich musical culture that you can’t really escape it.
My dad loved Meat Loaf, Erasure, AC/DC and Dr Hook, while my mum was more into dance, rhythm and pop, including Terence Trent D’Arby, Yazz, Ace of Base and Taylor Dayne. So my musical taste was pretty varied from a young age. I still love all of those artists now, but over the years I’ve added people like George Michael, Mariah Carey, Queen, Tupac and Usher to the list, just to name a few. And of course, the Spice Girls. If you’re from my era and say you didn’t love at least one of their songs, you’d be lying.
Q: Can you describe the musical style of Craig Cavanagh in three words?
A: Soulful. Honest. Eclectic.
I don’t really like putting music into boxes. As a writer, I love blending sounds and influences and wrapping a lyric in an emotive melody, if you will. I just want what I create to feel genuine and to sound like me.
Q: How do you stay connected with your fans, and what role do they play in shaping your musical journey?
A: For 13 years I’ve not done music and the word fan makes me feel egotistic to elaborate on haha. I’ve built a career around hospitality and events and heavily used social media, podcasts and other platforms to tell my story and live my life unapologetically. To come back to music to such an open armed response has been an overwhelmingly awe inspiring experience.
The connection has been immense. We held a listening party with over a hundred people in attendance, and the feedback and reaction in that room was something I genuinely couldn’t have expected.
I’m not necessarily writing songs to please everybody, but when something I’ve written resonates with someone else, that’s a special thing. It reminds you why you started making music in the first place.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘13 Summers Later’. Is there a story behind it?
A: My first EP, Green Eyed Soul, came out in 2013, so 13 Summers Later is quite literally a reference to the 13 years between the two projects.
The number 13 also has a personal significance for me. I was born on 2 November 1985, and 2 plus 11 equals 13, while 8 plus 5 also equals 13.
But the EP isn’t just about the time that’s passed. It’s about everything that happened during those years: experiences, losses, relationships, lessons and things I’ve had to confront within myself.
The opening track, Autumn XIII to XVI Interlude, is particularly personal. My dad became ill, I lost my voice, I moved away and he sadly passed away in October 2016. There’s even a voicemail from my dad included in the track, so in a way, he’s still part of this project.
Q: What is your favorite track from the EP and why?
It’s difficult to choose because each track represents a different part of the journey.
Soulmate is a soulful love song built around piano, organ and pounding drums. The ‘I’ll never leave ya’ refrain has that communal, choir like feeling, and the song is really about having someone beside you for life. That could be a friend, a lover or someone you’re partnered with as you both take a leap into this mad world together.
Outside In is probably one of the most personal and honest songs I’ve ever written. It looks at the conflict between the good side, the bad side and the real me, and the things people don’t always see beneath the surface. The production reflects that feeling of being disconnected from yourself while still wanting to get back in the driving seat.
If I had to choose one that carries the most emotional weight, though, it would probably be the opening interlude, because of my dad’s voice being part of it.
Q: Can you walk us through the creative process of producing the new EP, “13 Summers Later”?
A: The creative process was collaborative, but the songs themselves all came from me. I wrote all the lyrics and created the melodies, just as I did on Green Eyed Soul.
We recorded at Nan’s House Studio and Kempston Street Studios. Lucy McQuillan produced the project, with Mikey Fell from Ukebox, the Liverpool band, involved throughout. My sister Kayleigh supplied backing vocals on two tracks, while friends Jonny Crane and Tom Taylor provided live instruments across different songs.
It was a brilliant collaborative process, and I’m proud of what we created together.
Q: What has been the most memorable concert or performance for Craig so far?
A: It has to be Liverpool Pride in 2013, performing in front of thousands of people. I don’t think I ever quite got over that experience, and it’s mad to think that it was my last performance for all those years.
I’ve always suffered with terrible stage fright. Creating the body of work is probably my favourite part, whereas performing can bring out all the overthinking. I start worrying about everything that could go wrong, and the nerves take over. It’s something I’m still working on.
Q: Reflecting on your body of work, each song holding its unique significance, could you share a particular track that stands out to you personally? What makes that specific tune special, and why does it hold a place of pride in your musical journey?
A: I think Outside In stands out because it forced me to look at myself in a way I probably hadn’t wanted to for a long time. It isn’t necessarily an easy song to listen to, but it’s honest.
It touches on the parts of ourselves we hide, the ways we protect ourselves and the struggle to feel connected to who we really are. There’s a lot of me in that song, and being able to turn something so personal into something creative is one of the reasons music means so much to me.
Q: Exploring the diverse creative processes within the music industry is always fascinating. Could you provide insight into Craig Cavanagh’s unique approach to crafting music? From the initial spark of an idea to the finished song, how do you navigate the creative journey and bring its musical concepts to life?
A: I’ve always written my own lyrics and created my own melodies. That isn’t something new since coming back to music. My first ever song was called Love’s Not Enough, which I co wrote with my singing teacher when I was in college. Even then, I knew I needed creative control and wanted my own voice to be heard.
When I started making demo records and eventually released Green Eyed Soul in 2013, I followed the same approach. I’ve never really been able to sing covers or have somebody else write songs for me. There’s absolutely no shade towards artists who do that, because some incredible artists have never written their own material. For me, though, writing is just part of the fibre of who I am as a functional human being haha.
Usually, I’ll sing a melody or throw an idea over to Mikey through voice notes. We’ll go back and forth, he’ll play along with it and we’ll start building the backbone of the song. From there, we take it into the studio with Lucy and Mikey and begin shaping the finished production.
Soulmate actually started with the first verse, which I wrote back in 2009 while thinking about my best friend. It didn’t have a title at that stage. Years later, I picked it back up and built the rest of the song around the idea of having someone beside you for life, whether that’s a friend, a lover or someone you’re taking a leap into the world with. I wrote the rest in about an hour.
Love2HateYa began as a demo in 2010 and originally had a completely different sound. I kept the three verses and the melody, but rewrote the choruses and the breakdown. The original version was about a situationship back in the day haha, while the new sections were inspired by another recent mistake. So in a strange way, the song came full circle.
Mikey is incredibly easy to work with. We first crossed paths briefly at the iconic Daffodil Restaurant, who are a current hospitality consultancy client of mine and who I work with on events and weddings. It’s funny how those little connections can eventually lead somewhere creatively.
Q: As we wrap up our conversation, looking ahead, what aspirations or dreams do you have, and what message would you like to share with your fans as they continue to accompany you on this musical journey?
A: Firstly, I just want to thank everyone for the unbelievable response to 13 Summers Later. Coming back after 13 years and seeing people connect with the music has meant more than I can properly put into words.
I’m also working on a festive song, which I’m hoping to release in early November. I love Christmas music, mainly because of Mariah Carey. When she says it’s time, it’s time, haha. I thought it was about time I added my own little slice of Christmas to the world.
Next year, I’m planning to release a full length LP. I’ve already picked a working title, but I’m keeping that under wraps for now. It’s going to go right back to the 80s, where life literally began for me.
If Green Eyed Soul and 13 Summers Later were the arrival drinks, the LP is going to be the full meal, with all the courses included.
Coming back to music has reminded me how much I missed it. I never stopped being creative, but I had forgotten just how cathartic and therapeutic being an artist can be. Writing, creating and releasing this EP has reconnected me with a part of myself and helped me find my mojo again.
My message to anyone listening would be simple: don’t be afraid to tell your story. You never know who might need to hear it, and you never know what part of yourself you might find again by putting it out there.
