Norfolk lad born and raised, John Galea has made it out of his small town and made the world his oyster. Having began songwriting at the age of thirteen and winning a UK National Songwriting Contest John utilised his skills in order to write for himself and other artists. John has quite the portfolio under his belt after supporting the likes of McFly and Lemar. As well as having the opportunity to work with top producers and writers from around the world , including L.A based Beluga Heights (Britney Spears, Jason DeRulo, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj) and Grammy Nominated production team The Monarch (Rita Ora , Chris Brown).
Nice to meet you John, tell us about the ‘Notes From My Piano’ E.P which was released in 2014…
Notes From My Piano is my third E.P and is about the aftermath of a stormy breakup I went through. I was lucky enough to work again with the producers The Monarch ( Rita Ora, Chris Brown) on most of it and the amazing Oscar Lo Brutto on a few tracks. This E.P. I wanted to be very honest and personal and utilise my classical piano training and I wanted to incorporate the piano as much as possible on the E.P as its my main tool when I song write.
Tell us about the tracks that are included on the E.P…
The first track Notes From My Piano is an intro track that sets the scene of the E.P and the relationship.
Struggling, produced by The Monarch, has a piano, dance , vibe to it and again is about the problems I had accepting the end of the relationship I was in and thinking you need it again.
The theme carried on for the track Blue which I wrote with an amazing singer/songwriter Claire Rossi on her kitchen table in north London. She’s an amazing writer and we were writing for her and ended up with this gem for me as well.
Mozart the forth track came to with a piano riff and then I layed it down and sent it over to guys in L.A , they loved it and finished it off in London, I really wanted to incorporate my classical side on it.
The fifth track I Am A Survivor is one of my favourite songs that I’ve ever made, its definitely the most personal track I’ve ever made. I started with the chours and then the verse came and I kinda of spilled out my life over the piano as I wrote it. In the studio I wanted to keep it raw, and so we left off the drums and heavy production and me and Oscar just kept it very simple and by the end of it I knew we had something very special. It’s a very special track to me.
Uncut Diamond is one of those tracks that just got better as the process went along. I loved the idea of an diamond in the rough so scribbled Uncut diamond and came up with these crazy chords and then in L.A the guys layed this heavy EDM beat down and the track took off, would love to make a video for this one day.
So you are commencing your ‘Notes From My Piano’ Tour on 23rd October, where are you going to be travelling to?
We are heading out over the UK from London to Manchester to Edinburgh to Sevenaoks – I’m looking forward to seeing the UK again its been a while since the Scrapbook Tour.
Where are you most excited to be playing?
All of the places are going to be amazing to be honest, playing in Scotland is going to be fun as I haven’t ever played there before.
Will you have any support acts join you on Tour?
Yes we do although I think we are still confirming them at the moment.
What do you mostly set out to achieve when going out on this tour?
Getting the music out for me is everything, theres nothing like playing with a live band to a live audience , it’s a great feeling.
Which artists have influenced you the most over the years?
So many great artists and songwriters have over the years, my iPod is crammed with music from the past and now. People like Luther Vandross, The Bee Gees, Mariah Carey, Diane Warren, Max Martin, The list is endless theres too many to name.
You’ve had the opportunity to tour with McFly in the past, how was that experience?
Amazing, the sound of a crowd singing back to you your own lyrics you made in your bedroom to a huge stage is a crazy feeling. Playing with my amazing band , who included Tristan, who’s now in The Vamps, was also amazing they did a great job and I loved playing the tracks live and getting the instant feedback you do when playing live.
What would you say has been your biggest musical accomplishment to date?
I’ve been lucky enough to write a Number One in Malta with one of Maltas best songwriters ever Dean Muscat, – Frontline by Thea Garett and having a track played on Beverly Hills series also was also a huge highlight.
Give us a brief history on your musical background…
When I was a kid my dad brought home an Electric Organ one day and I couldn’t read music or play and so that sparked off my interest in learning and lead me to the piano and classical music. I lost a bit of interest and got hooked into songwriting and started songwriting and learning the trade of how to make a song and from there it just snowballed. I was fortunate to be performing in local shows at the time swell which helped me as well.
What is next for John Galea after this tour?
I just finished working with some new artists as well the amazing Frankmusik on some tracks so I’m guessing back in the studio. I’m writing every day so we will see about a possible new E.P or Album next year.
Written By: Samantha McQueeney
To find out more about John Galea and where you can see him on his tour, then follow the links below:
treblewiththebass@outlook.com