Like Oasis’s output in the 90’s, Bowie’s in the 70s, or the Beatle’s in the 60s, there’s something seemingly important about a recording artist getting into a good rhythm and building up momentum.
Whilst the multiple takes of Definitely Maybe prove that it may take artists time to find, and develop, their sound; once they’ve got it, seemingly, the best thing for them to do is to fly straight into the next piece of work. And the next. And the next.
Success in the pop world seems to be grounded in a mixture of confidence and momentum.
Momentum; something Hartlepool Singer-Songwriter Charlotte Grayson currently has at the moment… or as much as anyone can have given the current climate.
Flying high with last month’s statement of intent/ debut album ‘Grow’, Grayson is already thinking about how, and when, it’s followed; she’s on a roll. In fact as (bad) luck would have it, the first week of the enforced lockdown was planned for Grayson to record follow-up music.
The Gods of pop may will be sorry if they’ve upset Grayson’s momentum…
“We had a week of recording booked for the week the country went into lock down” confirms Grayson “so that was annoying to have to stop, though we weren’t sure if this was to be an EP or an album, or what it might have turned out to be.”
For some the lack of studio time may well have stopped creativity, not so for Grayson though, “the lockdown’s keeping me busy and I keep writing demos and sending them across to the label to hear. Once I can start writing a song I won’t stop until it’s finished.”
Taking plaudits since it’s release, ‘Grow’ is a particularly high standard of a debut, and if new music may follow soon then it’s to be looked forward to. Filled with a country-pop sound, Grow is full of optimistic, melody-filled, songs sparkle with confidence and vocal delivery. Opener ‘Tiptoe’ sets the standard high for upbeat, acoustic driven, emotive pop which glistens as much for it’s honesty (‘I like to test you just to see how much you care’) as it does for it’s Americana styled electric guitar lines. Likewise ‘All you have to do’ and ‘Drunk girls’ sounds like, well, they sound like early/ country-fused Taylor Swift; purposeful pop with strong hooks and cleverly crafted, honest, vocal lines.
Choosing the title purposefully (“We decided to call it Grow as it’s my first album and my labels first album so I feel like grow encompasses my feelings about how I’m developing and how the label is developing”) Grayson remains confident that her creative choice of being as open as possible is essential; “I think the album is about me up to this point in my life. The common denominator in the songs is that they are true, and that was important to me. It was only the song ‘People’ that I felt was a bit too direct so I tweaked a few lines but other than that I ran blindly into this – that’s life.”
Promoting the album through live-streamed gigs, Grayson is also keen to maintain her momentum with more streamed gigs, an album launch party when possible, and recording new music. “I can’t wait to get out and play live as soon as possible” she leaves us with. That’s the sound of momentum if ever there was one.