This weekend sees the return of Nusic's Future Sound of Nottingham, where local acts take to the stage at Rock City to battle it out for a slot at Splendour Festival. Meet Remy, one of this year's finalists...
How would you describe your music?
I would describe my music as being passionate, honest and soulful! My main aim in writing a piece of music is finding something that people can connect to. If it be the lyricism, the melody, an interesting chord progression for guitar fans to enjoy, then I’m happy. Now that I have much more free time due to the massive weight lifted from finishing my A-Levels, I am determined to write far more music where I can convey these ideas for people to enjoy and relate to. What I have written so far is only scratching the surface of what I’m capable of!
What was your reaction to the news you’d be playing the FSN final?
My reaction was shock. Going from fourth place the night before and finishing first with a lead of twelve votes is crazy! A huge thank you to all those out there who voted and a special thank you to my Mum for asking everybody she knew in her phonebook. She really encouraged me to step my game up! I will admit, it was short-lived though – I had a Psychology exam the next day so I had to contain myself.
What can the city crowd expect from your performance?
They can expect a full range of emotions. I’ll be coming out from backstage with a bang and walking off the stage with people in tears (probably just my Mum, not going to lie)! But, one of my songs really does seem to hit a soft spot in people and hopefully the audience will recognise that and scream their heads off when I strum that last chord and get me those points!
Who are your musical influences?
My musical influences span from the soulful likes of Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Marvin Gaye through to gentle singer-songwriter artistry produced by the likes of John Mayer, Daniel Caesar and Jack Johnson. I’ve learnt a lot of my vocal technique from the soulful artists I just listed, as well as de-constructing their songs to a more basic level, drawing certain qualities in some form or another to create my own unique style.
What Nottingham artists are you loving at the minute?
Nottingham Artists I’m loving include my good friend Laurie Illingworth who’s killing the game this year securing a spot on the Splendour confetti stage in July – he’s gonna kill it I’m telling you. All the First Light acts e.g. Alfie Sharp, Emily Makis, Betsey etc… they also have big things to come!
What are your biggest non-musical influences?
My biggest non-musical influence is probably my Mum, she’s a very driven woman and taught me everything I know about working hard to achieve what I want. Hopefully one day I’ll work as hard as she does!
What’s been the highlight of your career so far?
The highlight of my career (if this is one) is the amount of support and love I get from people I’ve never even met or seen before. People taking the time to come up to me and tell me how they loved my set, or even occasionally give me some constructive advice about what to do next. I think it's amazing how many people want me to succeed and improve as an artist and I’m truly grateful for those that do come up to me and share their views purely because we both share the common interest of music.
Any last words for LeftLion?
I just want to say thank you for the opportunity, I cannot wait to get onto the stage. It's gonna be a blast, thanks.
Nusic’s Future Sound of Nottingham takes place at Rock City on Sunday 7 July
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