Hailing from Suffolk, England, indie-pop sensation Connor Adams is a force to be reckoned with. A follow-up to his well-received single ‘Don’t Play With A Heart’, ‘Deeper’ is the latest addition to his portfolio. We spoke with Connor about ‘Deeper’, discovering new music and much more!
Why did you choose to enter the music industry?
I’ve always listened to and played music. From the age of 7, I picked up the guitar. Growing up, I jumped in a few bands but, funnily enough, I always pretended I couldn’t sing, I used to put on this deep out of tune voice when I’d sing the occasional backing vocal. I don’t know why I did that, I guess because I was embarrassed.
The truth is that I love singing. Everybody knows that now, but back then it was a different story. I’m lucky enough to work in the music industry as my full-time job. I’ve been doing that since the age of 20 (I’m 25 now). I just absolutely love it, I love being creative and learning from others along the way.
What can you tell us about your single ‘Deeper’?
I can tell you that it was a load of fun to record, that’s for sure! The bones of the song I had written and structured out pretty quickly; this was definitely a case of ‘letting the song write itself’. The song left a lot of room for experimentation. We played around with numerous guitar tones, added vocoders, there’s even a choir in the final chorus!
Even though the lyrics are very dark and heavy-hitting, I really wanted to make the music fun and put a smile on peoples faces. It’s funny because until I’d done a few interviews on the lyrics behind the track, the majority of people didn’t take notice. I then shortly after received messages from friends like ‘pmg, are you ok!?’. The beauty of music, hey!
What was the recording and writing process like?
I don’t remember hanging around a lot with ‘Deeper’. In fact, I think there’s only a couple of different versions of the track. We hit the wave pretty early and rode it all the way through. Writing for me is a funny old game, sometimes the song will unfold within 20 minutes and then, on the other hand, the song could be locked away for years before you know what’s right for it.
We took the demos to a good friend of ours, Tom Peters; he’s a bit of a legend. We sat down and listened to it together in his studio whilst sipping on some fine coffee. After the song had finished, he turned around and said, ‘well, what do you want me to do with them’. I didn’t know how to answer the question at the time, but looking back the answer was ‘polish them’. So we re-recorded the guitars, then recorded live drums and vocals. Most of the plugins and BV’s stayed in from the demos, which I find pretty cool. But, yeah, Tom really took my songs to the next level production-wise!
What do you hope people take from your music?
Emotion, some sort of feeling. Whether that’s happiness or sadness, I don’t mind, but for that odd 3 minutes, I’d love for them to solely focus on the song.
Which is more challenging for you – melody or lyrics?
I’d say I definitely spend more time thinking about lyrics than thinking about melodies. After 20 minutes of gibberish humming melodies, I’m pretty locked in with what we’re going to use. Something I actually find really useful when recording is to lay your vocal in with the right melody but not necessarily the right lyrics. This way you can flesh out your song and get a much clearer idea of what direction you’re heading. At a later date, I’ll go back through the song and tighten up the lyrics with a fresh pair of ears; this tends to give me the best result!
Describe your music in three words.
Best experienced live.
What do you think is the best way to discover new music?
In my personal opinion, I think there’s nothing better than seeing an unknown artist live for the first time. The feeling of being blown away and saying to yourself ‘how have I never heard of them before’. That’s how I like to be discovered, for sure. There’s so many ways these days, through playlists probably being the most successful.
What does the future hold for you?
I’d love to say arena tours and a long life of playing my songs to the masses, but who knows. I suppose the only thing that really matters is that I’m happy with what I’m doing. I can’t see myself falling out of love with music anytime soon.
What advice do you have for any person planning to become a musician?
Find your instrument and play it every day. Stick on your favourite album and learn your parts until you can play it effortlessly. A lot of people think you have to be the world’s best singer or the world’s best guitar player in order to be successful. The truth is you’ve just got to work hard and enjoy what you’re doing.
I honed my craft pretty early by performing in cover bands, the setlist was filled with Green Day and My Chemical Romance. Learning these songs and performing them live taught me so much. By the time I was ready to start performing my own music I felt really comfortable in doing so.
Do you have any message for our readers?
Thank you for taking the time to listen to me and dig a little ‘deeper’ into my word – I know, I know, awful pun, but I couldn’t resist! I’d love to stay connected with you guys, so go give me a follow on social media and we’ll hang out! Let me know that Turtle Tempo sent you my way!
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