In our first artist spotlight of 2024, we chat to Seymour about music, creativity and more.
S] How are you feeling?
Excited but also nervous. Me and my team worked really hard on this song but it shows a different side of my songwriting so I hope people enjoy it as much as my past releases.
S] Talk me through the challenges of creating ‘Blood On My Hands’?
I wrote ‘Blood on My Hands’ 4 years ago when a lot of trauma was resurfacing, I was having a really hard time around the time I wrote it. It’s been quite hard revisiting the song and being reminded of that time but it was worth it because I think we’ve made a great song out of a not so great time. It was also an opportunity for me arrange the song in a more commercial style, with the help of my producer, Patrick Chiverton. I feel this was the perfect song for that because the lyrics are quite dark so there was a lot of room for a more upbeat production, but this was very new for me and I’m used to only using live sounding production.
S] Is songwriting a cathartic process for you, in what ways?
Definitely. The songs I write and release tend to be about things I’ve struggled with in the past. Both ‘Chains’ which was released in August, and ‘Blood on My Hands’ were written about an inappropriate and manipulative relationship I was in with an older guy when I was a teenager. Being able to write these songs using abstract lyrics that a lot of people may not be able to make complete sense of, has made me feel like I can make more sense of the things that happened and let other people who have experienced the same things I have know that it’s okay to talk about these things.
S] Your singles have a great amount of sonic diversity – how important is it to mix up genres for you, to sonically explore?
I have a lot of different musical influences so it’s always been hard for me to stick to one genre. When I started writing I was listening to a lot of new wave, punk and Brit pop but I’ve always been massively influenced by jazz, funk and soul. My lyrical approach is influenced by Amy Winehouse and the Smiths. I feel in songs like ‘Knuckles’ and ‘Discreet’ you can really hear how the bass is influenced by The Smiths, in songs like ‘Chains’ you can hear the more rocky side of my music. I think a lot of music industry professionals always advise for you to stick to one sound so you gain a loyal fan base, but this has always been really hard for me as I enjoy so many different types of music, and it tends to affect my songwriting a lot.
S] How do you define success as an artist?
Success to me would be to start a conversation through my music. When I was about 16 it was really common for girls my age to end up in relationships with men in their mid 20s and no one ever highlighted how inappropriate these relationships were and how damaging these experiences could be. I write a lot about darker subjects which people don’t talk about a lot in the hope that people who have experienced similar trauma to me feel heard. It’s also very important to me that my music is enjoyable and upbeat but my main aim is to start a conversation and encourage adults to this more deeply about these situations and step in when they see these relationships forming.
I also love performing and tend to do a lot of gigs. I think success for me would be to reach the point where I’m always either working on a new release and rehearsing for a gig. Building a fan base of people who love the music I write is also really important to me. But my main aim in music is to release songs which people enjoy, and through these songs make the people who have experienced similar trauma to me feel heard and understood.
S] What is motivating you outside of music right now?
My friends. Everyone’s had a bit of a tough year and no matter what people have kept going and achieving their goals. My friends have made me so proud and making them proud in return motivates me.
S] Do you have a message for your followers and supporters?
Thank you for all your support and for believing in me. I’ll continue to work hard no matter what and do my best to make you proud
S] Is there anything you’d like to plug before we finish?
I’m playing a release party for ‘Blood on My Hands’ on the 26th of Jan (release day!) at Strongroom Bar in Shoreditch and some of my friends who are also musicians will be supporting me, they make amazing music and all round It’s going to be an amazing night. We’re going to be selling merch for the release as well so if anyone’s free that evening come down, it’s going to be a lot of fun!
