Christy Interview: 'follow your instincts and don't let anyone hold you back'
By Tania Chakraborti
About Christy
This last month acoustic-based artist Christy has delighted fans by releasing the raw and powerful EP Homegrown. After his previous releases "Remember Me Well", "Pictures" and "Dancing With Air" which all took a classic songwriter approach, Homegrown surprises us with a more subtly pop-inspired feel and we love it and clearly fans do too, with over 1 million streams on the EP garnered in only a few short weeks. We’re also such fans of the unique and soulful quality to Christy’s vocal tone.
The EP was recorded at Urchin Studios in London Fields, and tracks were co-written with the talented York singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich and producer Matt Ingram, known for his work with Laura Marling. It features strings from Tom Hobden (Mumford and Sons) and jazz musician Nick Pini (Laura Marling).
We’re really excited for where Christy is heading next and sat down to talk all things music with the 24-year-old talent.
Interview
One of our favourite tracks on the EP is Dancing with Air, we think it's a raw, beautiful track – tell us more about the song, what it means to you and what it's about?
“First of all thank you very much, I’m so chuffed you guys like it! Dancing With Air is about losing something or someone and having to come to terms with the fact that life will go on without it.
I wrote it when I was out in Norway. At the time, the loved one of a person in my family was going through intense cancer treatment, and I imagined what it would be like for him to not to have her anymore. I put myself in his shoes and that was really the inspiration for the song.”
The track and EP is a change in direction to some of your previous songs, do you think this marks a new chapter in your music and are you working on any new music currently?
“I think with ‘Homegrown' the title track of the EP is definitely a bit of a change in mood from the rest of the EP. I wanted to end on an uplifting, hopeful track as I feel like it’s about time I released some upbeat and happy music.
I feel like I’ve let all my sad boy out with most of the first EP, and now I need to bring back the buzz and make them happy again haha! ‘Homegrown' is just a little taste of what’s to come. I’m currently working on EP 2 as we speak which is going to surprise a lot of people I think. “
Who is your dream collaboration?
“My dream collaboration would probably be someone like John Mayer, I would love to write a song with John Mayer! Or at the moment I’m really loving Billie Eilish's music. I think mine and her voices would blend well together! Of course it would be a dream to be produced by Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, but one can only dream!”
Tell us more about the ideation process behind the EP - what made you place these 5 songs together and is there a particular message you hope your listeners will gain from the collection?
“To be honest the EP pretty much sums up around three years of my life and each song is a different part of something I went through at that time. When It came to choosing the five tracks for the EP it was pretty obvious as all of these tracks were almost a journey from start to finish when put into order. It’s about love and loss, but finally finding yourself at the end of it and realising that you will be okay.
I hope that in listening to this EP it will help people through a tough time, as these songs really were my therapy and got me through some dark times. For me it’s also so strange that the songs are now out in the world as I really do feel like they are my deepest darkest, happiest, saddest, and most intense moments. Really, if they make people feel anything at all then I’ll be happy.”
You’ve had an unconventional path to music, from busking to acting in a Disney series, what’s your earliest memory of music? Was it as a child? When did you first know that this was your passion?
“My earliest memory of music was when I was in the second year of primary school/infant school, I had heard Robbie Williams’ ‘Rock DJ' on the TV and radio and would sing along and dance to it. It just so happened that my primary school teacher was a big Robbie Williams fan.
She would play his music in the class and caught me trying to sing along, so eventually at the end of class every week she would get me to stand on the table and perform, probably very badly, Robbie Williams songs to the class of seven-year-olds. That really was my first journey into performing and singing in front of people, so I suppose cheers Mrs.Mills, I owe you a beer or two🤟🏻”
“I think I really realised that music was my passion some years later. I was about 13 and I picked up the guitar for the first time, and fell deeply in love. I was completely infatuated with this instrument. I actually lost all my friends for around three years as all I did was play guitar in my bedroom. Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and John Frusciante became my new best friends, all teaching me how to play with their music.
I learned by ear so it was a lengthy process, but once I got the hang of it I could and still can play pretty much anything I hear! So I’m very lucky I took that route of learning.”
A lot of our readers are musicians, do you have any advice for those starting out?
“For those wanting to pursue a career in music, I would say follow your instincts and don’t let anyone hold you back. Just keep playing and enjoying music. Write songs! Write whatever comes into your head down on bits of paper, record ideas that you have on voice notes on your phone no matter how small! Just keep going and don’t let anyone tell you that it’s ‘not a real job’.
“Just keep going and don’t let anyone tell you that it’s ‘not a real job’.”
I think that now more than ever, there is so much opportunity out there to pursue a career in music and as long as you just don’t give up on yourself and of course you have passion, it’s very doable! Also reach out to other musicians and play with them, you can learn something from every musician you meet!”
What do you do to relax when you’re not making music?
“Over lockdown, I’ve not been making music, what I’ve been doing a lot is playing Call of Duty Warzone! It’s completely saved me from boredom and especially because I live alone, at the start of lockdown I felt very isolated but having this game and playing with my friends in my headphones was a life saver!”
Favourite snack or meal that you love making?
'“Ohhhhh tough one, I am a bit of a self confessed pasta master. I have perfected a puttanesca pasta! I pretty much make that at least twice a week! And it’s so tasty, if anyone wants the recipe to the absolute best pasta you will ever try, give me a message on Insta and I swear you will not be sorry.”
“if anyone wants the recipe to the absolute best pasta you will ever try, give me a message on Insta and I swear you will not be sorry.”