Introducing Bristol based singer-songwriter Jasper Storey, at just eighteen years old he is slowly but surely turning heads in the industry. And with his debut EP Storeys, he can finally showcase his talents to a vast audience all over the world.
How long have you been writing your own music? I’ve been writing for about 4 years now – on guitar mainly, and also piano. I feel my writing has progressed a lot throughout the last few years.
Where do you find that the inspiration normally comes from when you write new songs? It can come from all sorts of different things. A lot of the time I get inspiration from music, and I will create a song musically and then the lyrical content will come later.
What comes more naturally music or lyrics? Music, definitely. I have dozens and dozens of songs recorded on my phone that are in the early stages of writing. They’ll usually be riffs or guitar parts with a murmured melody over the top. Then I’ll listen back to them and pick out the ones I want to carry on with.
Tell us about the tracks that are on the E.P ‘Storeys’. One thing I can say about the four songs on the E.P, is that each track is about a different girl.
I like to think that my lyric writing is quite direct and straight-forward. I never like telling people what my songs are about as I like people to make up their own minds’ about that. It’s like reading a book after you’ve already seen the film. It’s always better to read the book first. Let your imagination create the characters and interpretation of the story, instead of having someone else tell you what it’s about.
So…how long did it take for you to completely write and record the E.P? The fourth track on the EP ‘That’s Just You’ was written about two years ago now, and is just a song that I’ve held onto for that amount of time. The moment I actually decided to sit down and start to write and record for this EP was at the beginning of the summer last year. I was recording demos of the tracks at home up until the end of last year, and then finally got into the studio in March. I got the final masters back in April, and so have been holding onto these songs for a while now, but I can’t wait to get them out there!
How will the E.P be made available for listeners? The EP will be available on iTunes and Spotify as well as Apple Music. I’ll be selling physical copies at the gigs I play at too!
How would you say your E.P stands out amongst other E.Ps out there? With the E.P I really wanted to encapsulate a live studio sound, that I felt was prominent in old soul and funk – like with a lot of James Brown’s records – where you really get the essence of a ‘spur of the moment’ live recording. I don’t feel that anyone else in the current music scene is doing this at the moment.
Growing up, who would you say have been your main musical influences when you finally came to write your own music? I feel like for me, musically in my life, I have been through three different stages of influence. When I was young I listened to mainly rock and pop music. Bands like Oasis, The Beatles, Blur and Nirvana.
Then, when I first started writing music I was listening to Singer-Songwriters such as Ben Howard, David Gray, John Lennon and Lewis Watson. This stage really shaped me as a musician and artist, and made me decide that I wanted to be a singer-songwriter.
The final stage, the stage I am in now, is one that I feel has influenced my own music the most. At the moment I am listening to old-school funk and soul artists. People like James Brown, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and Earth, Wind & Fire
Does your family have a musical background? Did you grow up in a musical family? No I didn’t, unfortunately. A few of my cousins sing and play musical instruments, but apart from that I’m all alone!
Do you have any big gigs coming up? I have a couple coming up in Bristol in October. Including the Smoke & Mirrors on the 6th Oct, and the Bristol Fringe on 27th Oct.
You can find all the upcoming live dates that I’m playing on my website Jasper Storey Website
What would you say are the main challenges that you have to face as an artist? Carrying my guitar amp around has got to be up there!
When people listen to the E.P, How would you like it to make them feel? Relaxed, but on the edge of their seat whispering to the person next to them ‘what was the name of that last song?’
If you could describe the E.P using three words what would they be? Smokey, folky funk
Are there any plans for a music video to come soon? Yes! The music video for the single off of the EP Monday Morning, has just been released (Sun 20th Sep). It’s up on my YouTube channel now for all to see!
Written By: Samantha McQueeney
To find out more about Jasper Storey and to keep up to date with upcoming Jasper Storey news and gigs then follow the links below:
Jasper Storey Facebook Jasper Storey Twitter Jasper Storey YouTube Jasper Storey SoundCloud
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