After fulfilling his wanderlust travelling across the globe, indie-folk artist Paul Lynch returns to South-Eastern England. Sharing an indie sound with a folk twist, Lynch has recently released his first single of 2020 – ‘Ode’. Taking a moment, Paul sits down and speaks with us about his new single, discovering new music and what the future holds.
Why did you choose to enter the music industry?
I don’t think that you ever initially decide to enter the music industry. You certainly start playing for the love of music and then it gets to a point where you believe in yourself enough to give it a crack and that is exactly how I feel right now!
What can you tell us about your latest release ‘Ode’?
It is my first release since I played Benumu and Ticketmaster’s ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2020, so I have been excited to follow up that show that was so amazing to play up with the single. The song is split into different sections, each telling their own story and have their own feel.
What was the recording and writing process like?
For writing, it started as an ode to a girl that I liked. It then transformed into something not possible and into a dream-like state as I realised that it was not an option! *laughs* After drafting and re-drafting the words as I love to do, the song formed.
The recording process consisted of me rounding up my favourite musician friends to help create the song. I am dreaming of a situation that might be, but perhaps I realise that this is still quite a way away as I enter the dream-like state.
I put on drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, synths, piano, female backing vocals and lead vocals hoping to create a rich sound that entwines my folk story-telling style with an electro-indie production. Hopefully, I transport the listener to where my mind is wandering.
What do you hope people take from the single?
I want people to have a unique listening experience that they have not had with any other bands. This is my musical goal and always has been! Creating unique interesting music that is accessible is not done enough and hopefully, I am doing that with ‘Ode’!
Which is more challenging – melody or lyrics?
Certainly the lyrics. I used to struggle for topics when I first started writing a while ago. I fixed that by texting myself any ideas that I have and now the subjects flow very easily. However, the lyrics can take a long time and I always re-draft them and spend a long time over them. Of course, some songs can just come very quickly and they fall into place, but usually, I write it and then come back to it a few days later and play it with fresh ears and realise a line really wasn’t right.
Describe ‘Ode’ in three words.
Adaptive, dreamy, delicate.
What, do you think, is the best way to discover new music?
I love streaming apps quite a lot. I think that they have the chance to give real music fans the power. Independent people who just love music can make playlists and then all of a sudden they have thousands of people following them hanging on their recommendations.
What does 2020 (and beyond) hold for Paul Lynch?
Things are pretty fragile in terms of making plans. I have one more single ready to go and I will use this time inside to make my next EP to be released at the end of this year/early 2021. In terms of gigs, who knows.
What advice do you have for any person planning to become a musician?
Patience is the number one thing. Things like X Factor create the illusion of instant fame and fortune (although that was never my goal with music). I simply want to be able to make a living out of it, but it takes so much time and so much work. If you can’t handle rejection, then you probably should not pursue it either! Also, try not to get too sucked into the social media/PR things. They are more important than before, but at the end of the day, the songwriting is always number one.
Do you have any message for our readers?
Yes, keep that tempo going at a turtle’s speed. Also, check out the following people: APRE, She Drew the Gun, Fjokra and Hoofa.
Leave a Reply