Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up playing classical music and when I started university I started writing songs on guitar. I would always borrow from my parents vinyl collection and my music taste evolved from there. I realised after finishing study that I wanted to pursue songwriting full time.
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 “William John Titus Bishop”?
A: The message, if there is a deliberate message in any of the songs, is to take care of each other. I grow my fanbase by playing my music to as broad an audience as possible, and then seeing what is well received and doing more of the same.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Currently there are some wonderful artists. Bob Dylan is quite incredible, as is Marika Hackman and Phoebe Bridgers. Inspiration can come from anywhere, but the more music you listen to the more something catches your ear and gives you the idea for a song.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Nicotine.”?
A: The song is a short story about two people who almost fell in love. I think this is something we can all relate to.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: New, authentic, and something you’d want to come back to.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Nicotine”?
A: I recorded the song in the winter, just before I transferred my back catalogue to a new label, so I was distracted in a way from finishing the song. I wrote the song very quickly, it took me a long while, but in the production I settled on a sound I was comfortable with.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The message is always to be good to each other. My goals are to keep making music for as long as I’m able, to meet as many great artists as possible and hopefully at some point in the future have the music recognised with an award.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: In an ideal world I’d have collaborated with Leonard Cohen, his lyrics are undeniably outstanding, but sadly that is no longer possible.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: I think there is so much said about the Music Industry, and so much said about how to go about having a music career, that it is easy to get disheartened. My best advise would be to learn to ignore those people who dislike you, and focus on putting out the best music you can.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: I would tell my younger self to have more self belief and never to give up on doing what makes you and those around you happy.
