Starsmith

The underground pop scene has been bursting at the seams with raw talent, and it has become apparent that these upcoming artists are unstoppable. Starsmith has made quite a name for himself behind these doors, mixing the pop tracks in which we’ve come to love, and revamping them for our listening pleasure. The modified golden synth compliments every beat, whether it’s Lady GaGa, Katy Perry, or newcomer Marina & The Diamonds. The accidental success of his “pass it on to friends” project with Ellie Goulding, has been a mainstream hit, and has led to his phone ringing relentlessly, offering him new and exciting work opportunities. The soon release of his highly anticipated debut album with Neon Gold Records is sure to top the playlists of pop lovers Worldwide. This 22-year old has talent beyond his years, and is re-inventing the sound of today’s pop, and for years to come.

Alex Kazemi:  Hello Finn, how are you today?

Starsmith:   How is it going?

Kazemi: It’s going good, you?

Starsmith: I’m very well, very well indeed.

Kazemi:   So, last year I heard your whole life revolved around the “Lights” project with Ellie Goulding. How did the project with Ellie come about, and how did you both discover the album’s sound? All of the songs kind of fall into one cohesive category, so what would you say was your inspiration for the five main songs you worked on in those particular sessions?

Starsmith:  I think all of the sessions we did last year came together really well because it was just us involved in it, and the label wasn’t involved in it at all. We did those tracks long before Ellie was signed, so we didn’t have a label giving us a direction in where they wanted to go. We were in complete control of it all, so the outcome was of course, a cohesive sound.

Kazemi:  Did anything in particular inspire lyrics and the base of the songs?

Starsmith:  Its weird, a lot of very odd stuff inspired us on that record. We both were teenagers at the time, and close in age, so a lot of things like the fact that we both listened to Simply Red, a lot of 90′s soul, and Eric Clapton inspired us. Its weird, I know, but we were really into their musical ideas, and not so much into production, but we definitely adapted the risks that they took and the style they brought.  Honestly, we only started taking risks near the end of the album; we were more comfortable to just throw something in the deep end.

Kazemi:  “Starry Eyed” easily became a top five hit. Did that take you by surprise with the success of Lights? When you were working on the record, were you intending it to become such a brilliant success?

Starsmith: We had no idea, not at all. The first eight or nine months we were working together we had no money. No one was signed and it was all very indie. We were just assuming that the Internet buzz that was barely created would be the audience; just the genuine people that enjoyed what we were doing would be interested.  Not at all were there intentions for commercial success. So when Ellie was signed, that obviously put things in motion.  I remember when Ellie received her Brit award; it was so amazing because the album wasn’t even near its release date.

Kazemi: Yeah Ellie’s success seemed fairly instant!  Well, personally I prefer the demo version of Starry Eyed rather then the album version.

Starsmith: Hey! I did both of them…

Kazemi: Do you have a favorite?

Starsmith:  Well in my eyes, the album version and the demo weren’t that different, and that’s what we quite liked about it.  The only major difference of the version we ended up with on the album was that she cut different vocals.  Wait, I lied… I did do some synth edits, but it was mainly the mixing that made the track sound different then the demo that leaked. I think people view the two as different because they assumed it was produced differently, or that Ellie sung it differently each time. It’s just the mixing. Things can sound drastically different when it’s in the hands of an absolute pro.  When I was doing it, I was just starting out, and it was very “bedroom” [pop lingo for rough].  So I prefer the album version, I feel like the song came to life in my eyes.

Kazemi:  I still like the demo, Ha-ha! Frankmusik was also a part of the “Lights” project and I know you met him in a really early time of your career, I thought I’d say that “Jeckyl and Hyde” is one of my favourite songs by him, it’s truly a pity you guys didn’t get to finish it!

Starsmith:  We never actually got to work with each other but “Jeckyll and Hyde” was a track Vincent had heard, it was just a backing track that was laying around and he loved it, so he wrote the hook to it and just sung it! We put it out for the sake of putting it out; we didn’t really sit together in the studio and write it that is a shame.

Kazemi:  After the whole Ellie project was finished you were called up by Kylie Minogue to work on “Aphrodite”, alongside Stuart Price and the Nervo Sisters. “Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)” was the outcome, were there any other good songs from those sessions?

Starsmith: I did write another track for Kylie’s album that didn’t make it, really because it was simply delivered too late. The album was finalized and wrapped up extremely quickly, everyone who was working on the project had already decided what tracks they wanted on the album and we were just too late. It’s a shame really, because the album track is sitting around in my iTunes.  After hearing the outcome of the rest of the record, I think it would’ve had a great place on the record.

Kazemi:  Any insights on what the track sounded like?

Starsmith: It was a bit slower; it’s a lot more like “Everything is Beautiful” which Fraser T and Tim Oxley employed. It’s that tempo, that delicacy.  That one track had its exclusivity on the album, so when you think about it maybe it wouldn’t really have fit. It’s okay though, I’ll be quicker next time.

Kazemi:  I don’t want to push it, but do you remember the title?

Starsmith: I think it was called “Heart of the universe.”  Wait. No, it was called “Sequins Of My Heart.”  That was it.  “Heart of the universe” was the early stages of that song.

Kazemi:  Did you write “Put Your Hands Up” with the Nervo Sisters?

Starsmith: Yes, they came over for a night, and we wrote that track and pitched it.  Then one day we heard it was definitely going to be on the album, and we were invited to the studio, which was amazing.  Kylie was there, and ready to cut the vocals, and her and Stuart were working pretty solidly at the time. Stuart had the executive producer role on the album, and he was more over there to oversee what I was doing. So, after Kylie cut her vocals, we spent two days in the studio together, cutting up some parts and making sure he was happy. We’ve stayed in contact since, and it’s been really good!  It was a great experience.

Kazemi:  Did you find a lot of pressure working under the legend that is Kylie Minogue?

Starsmith:  A HUGE amount of pressure when I went in. It was so nerve-wracking. I wasn’t just going in with Kylie; I was going in with my hero as well, production wise.  The Nervo Sisters were sticking to Kylie, and I was sticking to Stuart.  It was amazing when we combined. It was such a long day, but we got so much done. It was a very memorable session.

Kazemi: That all sounds like a dream come true. You did some work with Wynter Gordon. How was that?

Starsmith:  I’ve only worked with her once, and that was last summer.  I worked on a track with her alongside Wayne Hector.  I haven’t worked with her since then, so I have no idea what’s going on with that project.

Kazemi: Who was the last artist in your studio working on new material?

Starsmith: Cheryl Cole about two weeks ago in LA.  We’re making late 90′s very fun.  “Fidgety” house stuff. It’s quite funky, I haven’t heard the rest of the record, only our tracks, and so I don’t know where it’s going.

Kazemi: Ahh, like the glory days of late 90s pop?

Starsmith: Yeah, it’s got a lot of house piano; we’re trying to avoid the rubbish dance music of now.  I worked with Wayne Hector on the project too. We just really wanted to do something fun but still really authentic and thrown out a little bit.  We weren’t sure people would love it, but we did, and we were really pleased.

Kazemi:   Are there any pop artists that you haven’t worked with yet but feel like you could do something really fresh with? Any Swedes?

Starsmith: I would love to work with Robyn since I remixed her. I actually asked to remix “Hang With Me”.  If you listen to it carefully you can tell that I was really interested in the track.  I’m so happy with that remix and it came out really nicely. I would love to do something in the studio with [Robyn].   I’ve worked with a lot of “pop-stars” already, so it’s hard to think about where I’d go next.

Kazemi:  You do a lot of remixing, when you get to remix a big-name artist’s song and it gets radio time, what do you want people to get out of it? What does the creative process consist of when you’re remixing a highly successful top 40 songs like Lady GaGa’s “Bad Romance”?

Starsmith:  Well I initially start by breaking up the vocal tracking and looking for the most interesting parts.  Recently I’ve used the acapella, because a lot of labels specify that they want to keep the original form of the song.   The Labels know I do a good job with the original form, which I enjoy doing because its quite nice to take certain bits of a chorus and really make it a feature part.  I’ve never gone into a remix with the intent to create a club track.  A lot of people do that, and want their remixes to be played in the club every week. Although it’s brilliant when other DJs play your material, I’m quite happy with people listening to my remixes on their way to work.

Kazemi: At this point, do you want people to recognize A Starsmith remix without having to think twice?

Starsmith:  I’m not fussed with if people can or they cant. I think it’s great that some people can recognize it and actively look for my new remixes and work, but I’m not trying to have a cohesive sound on my remixes. At the moment, I’m not entirely sure what the cohesive sound is, but I do things that make it sound like its me, and I think its good because I think if I realized what it was, I’d try to push everything, and when people to do that they just do it to kick the boxes just because it feels good at the time.

Kazemi:   Interesting process… Your debut album drops next year and you seem ready to glisten with the rest of them with your new single “Give Me A Break”.  The single itself seems to be inspired by very late 80′s/ 90′s French electro, like Alan Braxe meets Cassius. Will the rest of the album be like this? Will there be any anthemic pop songs?

Starsmith: There’s definitely a lot of pop but still French house dance tracks as well, but all at once.  “Give Me A Break” was an odd single choice because it was created really quickly, and I took it into the label and I didn’t expect them to love it. My record is featuring me singing, so the fact that they released it as the first thing for people to hear is a bit weird.  I hope the record contains a lot of great pure pop tunes. It sounds to me that it could be something that I’m really proud of.  They’re trying to get a body of work together, which is hard at the moment [laughs].

Kazemi: What place are you at right now with your album sessions?  The beginnings, middle, end?

Starsmith: You could say I’m in the middle. I’m a two thirds through the album. So, I’ve got the majority of it done. I have all of the tracks written, I just need to finish them.

Kazemi: Any special appearances?

Starsmith:  A couple. I’ve got Ellie, a dude named Dailey who is a bit like Sam Sparro meets De Angelo. His voice is absolutely stunning.  I’ve got Stine from Alphabeat, and I’m to be meeting with Imogen Heap as well but we’re struggling to find a time that works for the both of us. Hopefully that will happen soon.

Kazemi: Did you receive any guidance when you worked with Cathy Dennis, in the way of song writing that could be adapted to your ethic on your debut?

Starsmith:  I had a session with Cathy for Cheryl, but the song wasn’t really right for her. It’s a shame because I’ve always looked up to Cathy as writer, and we didn’t have enough time with each other for me to learn anything.

Kazemi:  Is it solely yourself writing on this record, or have you teamed up with any other songwriters?

Starsmith: The majority is myself, but I have a couple of people that I’ve worked with extensively on other projects.  I called them, and they were interested, so I got to work with with Alan Braxe, Miranda Cooper from Xenomania whom is just amazing. I’ve found a really big musical bond with her! You’ll have to see when the album comes out. Anything can happen by then.