In an industry that’s tough to break, the work ethic and belief of Etham is uplifting. Absolutely chats to the Reading-based singer ahead of a new EP release.
An Exclusive Interview With Etham
How excited are you for us all to hear Everything and Nothing?
I’m really excited, I’m really proud of these new songs and I feel for the first time that there’s a lot of consistency in the sound as well as conveying a real story that is hard to write about, but also a relief as I know it will hopefully connect with a lot of people.
Do you ever feel any trepidation when a release comes out where you are baring your soul?
Of course. I think every release is as exciting as it is scary, but I learned to let go of those feelings years ago and just feel confident in my decisions. So as much as I have confidence in these new songs, I think there will always be a healthy amount of fear – but overall I do feel more proud and excited.
Did the writing of the songs come easily?
I think for the first time ever I’d have to say yes, most songs did come to me quite quickly – and easy because I set some rules with the writing process for this album. I only gave myself a certain amount of time to get it done, otherwise you end up overthinking and end up spending most of the year thinking ‘I could write something better’ and it can become quite toxic mentally. So I backed myself more and honestly I think I only wrote a maximum of 15 songs for this project and picked my 10 favourite ones.
What inspires you when writing a song?
Sometimes I honestly don’t know. I think when it comes to writing a song I just make sure that I have a clear vision of what I want to hear, whether that’s a sad energy or a happy energy, and I just commit to concepts that I have experienced. Then a mix of all that generally produces something I really like.
How was the recording experience?
It was really fun. I have three to four main producers that I work with and they really understand what it is I’m looking for, so when I bring in either an idea or a completed song they do a really good job of taking those ideas and bringing them to life when we start the recording process. I generally never worry about the outcome because between us I know we’ll bring the vision alive.
What can you tell us about the songs on Everything and Nothing?
All the songs are about an experience I had with heartbreak and even though I would have loved to write about something else, it just felt really real and true to put those feelings into my music. It’s just a journey of each stage of a heartbreak, the beginning, the middle and then the end, and I think each song describes each stage of that experience.
How confident do you feel at this stage of your musical journey?
I feel really confident and I back my experience as a songwriter, but the music industry is harder than ever now and trying to get your songs heard is a difficult process. You have yourself and your team around you saying how great it is, but without listeners or fans or a viral video you do sometimes question your ability and what it takes to become a successful artist. But I’d rather enjoy every part of the journey instead of giving up no matter how successful or unsuccessful I become.
It is tough, but at the same time nothing is easy. You do need to have thick skin to deal with rejections and failures, but there are also the things you learn from so over the years my attitude to those hard times have changed and you have to remind yourself that you are pursuing something you love doing. You just need to be grateful for every stage you’re at and believe that your hard work will pay off in some kind of way.
Jumping back, were you heavily into music when you were younger? What kind of stuff did you listen to?
From a really young age (about eight-years-old) all I could think about was music. I was obsessed with guitars and drums, I loved how music sounded and made me feel and I was so deeply interested in how music was created. I was lucky enough to grow up on great music such as people like Elton John, The Beatles and then as I got a little older I was really into bands like Red Hot Chilli Peppers, 30 Seconds To Mars and lots of other bands, but I think the ones that really inspired me to make music when I was around 11/12-years-old was the artist James Morrison. I think his image as a simple stripped back guitar vocalist with amazing heartfelt songs really grabbed my attention and he was the first person to truly inspire me to write songs.
When did you first start singing and how did it make you feel?
I think I was 10/11-years-old and at first I didn’t really think anything of it. I started playing guitar first and when I learnt my favourite songs I just started singing along and one day my dad said “Oh that sounds really good” – and because of that it just started to give me confidence that I could possibly pursue this as a career. That made me feel incredibly excited and then there was no turning back, I knew from then that I just had to do this.
When did you realise you had talent and maybe you could do something in music?
When I was 14-years-old I was contacted by my first management who I ended up spending eight years with and I think when they became very serious that I had what it takes to be a singer, then I became very committed to making it work.
Is it true you walked away from a record label to be able to control your output?
No, it was a mutual agreement as I was coming up to the end of my contract and also Covid had just hit so it was a grey area for everyone. I also understand that the music industry is a cut throat and a very difficult industry, so there’s absolutely no bad blood there and I’m incredibly grateful to those who gave me a chance and believed in me.
You have worked with some amazing artists. Who stands out for you and why?
I actually just recently worked with an artist called Moon Myang and she’s so amazing. Her vocals are amazing and I think she’ll go very far as an artist.
Will you be touring when Everything and Nothing comes out? Do you love being on stage and playing live?
I really hope to tour with this EP because the reason why I got into music was because I loved performing live. It’s a really crazy feeling when you perform live, the excitement and also getting that instant gratification that people are enjoying what’s going on in that exact moment is my favourite thing about music, so I really hope to do a lot of shows later this year.
What venues do you love playing at?
There’s been a few highlights and I think Shepherd’s Bush Empire is one of my favourite venues, just because I’ve seen some of my favourite artists play there and I’ve been lucky enough to play there as a supporting artist three times. It would be a massive dream of mine to sell that place out one day.
You are from Reading, so anywhere local or close by that you love playing at, or even visiting to see music?
To be honest there’s not actually that many venues and if you’re going to watch someone it’s normally in London, but I did once watch Ed Sheeran in the sports hall of one of biggest gym facilities years and years ago.
What comes next?
I think commitment to the promotion of this EP and really trying my best to get the songs heard – and then I guess after that more songs!
Follow Etham’s journey @etham
