FØNX is a new and upcoming artist that I'm sure you'll be hearing more of in the next few months. His pop-R'n'B style is sure to get you nodding your head when his songs are playing. His latest single, Can't Get Enough, is a banger, with it's electronic sound, the guitars and beat are bound to get you hooked from the moment the song begins.
I've had the chance to interview FØNX about his music, for you to learn a bit more about him and the amazing work his produces. So without further a-do, here's the interview.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First of all,
could you introduce yourself?
I’m FØNX I’m a singer
songwriter, artist, producer.
Where did the
name FØNX come from?
Well I’d been writing solidly
for a couple of years or so and the direction the music was going in was pretty
different to what I had written in the past. So when it came to recording this
new stuff in the studio then actually thinking about releasing it, it felt
right to have a new name and a bit of a fresh start.
So I was searching for names
and really couldn't find anything that stuck and felt like it represented me. I
went round my mates, made some cocktails, put on some good tunes and danced
round the kitchen. Then during the night we were throwing name ideas round
which really helped actually and the name FØNX came up. I thought yeah that’s
cool. My last names Fox and the music has some funky elements in so there you
have FØNX.
Your latest
single, ‘Can’t Get Enough’, you produced with Grammy award winning Tommaso
Colliva. What was working with such a big name like for you?
It was amazing, Tommaso is such
a cool guy and has worked on such a variety of music so it was great to work
with someone with so much experience. We shared a lot of music with each other,
had a real laugh and sometimes the sessions were intense. I really know what I
want and sometimes I may not know how to get there or it may take a lot of
trial and error but there’s always a sweet spot I feel you reach when you’re
both happy with what you’ve created.
It was the first time I had
worked with a producer properly on my stuff so it was a good learning curve for
me too as I produce my demos and do lots of pre-production for the tracks at
home while I’m writing them and recording them initially. Most of these
elements and bits I’ve recorded make it to the final version, but of course
things like guitars and vocals need to be re-recorded in a proper studio.
His studio is full with amazing
vintage and analogue gear which he really knows his way around so we used quite
a bit of this in the sessions but still tried to keep that in the box sound and
feel of the production.
Where did the
influence for ‘Can’t Get Enough’ come from?
The initial ideas came after a
night out in Brighton during The Great Escape where my friend told me he had
recently taken some funky substance and was tripping out for 20 hours straight,
which from what he was describing to me sounded like the worst nightmare! I took
this story away and starting penning some ideas for the song about being
addicted to things.
Your 2016 single,
‘Hit Me Hard’, has some interesting lyrics. Tell me more about your first
single.
So Hit Me Hard started as the
initial guitar part you hear in the intro. I was just messing around late one
night trying out some minimalistic ideas. I really like Steve Reich so I’ve
always been fascinated with minimalistic music. That guitar part was actually
single notes I played which I then placed manually to make that arpeggio
pattern. From there the beat came along and I started to form an arrangement
and a song if you like. I don’t normally start with the production first but in
this case it just came together like that.
Story wise I had a relationship
with someone where things got pretty heavy. So the inspiration came from that
but then exaggerating that story. I’m a big fan of Quentin Tarantino and
sometimes find creatives like him can inspire me to write as film, stories and
music go hand in hand for me. So I wanted to write something that was dark and
felt cinematic in terms of the story, the lyrics and the feel of the music.
I’ve heard that
you’re working on a new lyric video for ‘Can’t Get Enough’ and that you’ve been
working on some of its animations yourself. What do you think you’d be doing
now if you weren’t in the music industry?
Yes I have been...that took a
while! I’m not an animator or really know my way round the software I was using
but it was a fun challenge to put something together myself and hopefully
people enjoy it.
I’d probably be doing something
to do with film or photography as I’ve always loved creating and used to make
short films when I was younger with my mates in the summer holidays. We’ve been
saying for years we should get back together sometime and make another one for
a laugh...maybe one day!
Yes
it was a fun/interesting time. It felt exciting but also strange not knowing
where I was going to stay the next night. I think it’s good to be out of your
usual pattern sometimes as it throws new stuff at you and can make you think
and see differently not being in that same routine you’re used to.
Writing has been
something you’ve been doing since you were young. Do you remember any of the
lyrics you wrote in your first song you ever wrote? What was it about?
I can remember one of the first
songs I ever wrote was about was how much I hated my teachers and it was called
‘My School was a Nightmare’. This was when I was listening to Eminem and wanted
to be a rap superstar at the age of 10. The lyrics were “My school was a
nightmare, I still think the teachers need serious help and care, when I was
there all I wanted was a bit of fun, anyways it’s over it’s gone it’s done…”. I
still have it on a mixtape somewhere I put together...hopefully no one ever has
to hear that!
What festival
would you love to play at most? And what’s been your favourite thing about
playing at the festivals you’ve already performed at?
Glastonbury of course or
Coachella! I just love the buzz and how everyone’s there for the weekend to
have a great time. Just good vibes all round and if the sun's shining you’re
onto a winner!
FØNX, Hit Me Hard Official Lyric Video
Can you play any
other instrument other than the guitar, if not, what would you love to learn to
play?
I play some bass on my tracks
and produce but I guess you can’t call that an instrument. I also used to play
Djembe in a drumming group when I was younger which I loved and probably really
helped with my rhythm. I’d love to be able to play keys though, that’s always
something I wish I had learnt as it’s pretty handy for writing and producing.
If you had the
chance to collaborate with anyone, who would you work with?
I’d love to work with Francis
and the Lights as I love how minimalistic and visual he is with his music.
Really dig his new album ‘Farewell, Starlite’.
Favourite and
least favourite film?
Favourite film - Pulp Fiction.
Least favourite film - Non
Stop.
What do you do to
unwind, that’s when you’re not writing?
I don’t really give myself much
time to chill and unwind these days. When I have some time I usually take my
dog Cookie out for a walk by the sea at night or go round my mates, few
G&Ts and smash some Fifa!
If you could star
on any celebrity talk show, which one would you chose?
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy
Fallon.
What can we
expect from FØNX in the next six months?
Definitely more music, there’s
a lot more to come. Maybe a couple of videos here and there too.
Finally, do you have a message for your
fans?
Until next time...
Have you read my last post?
love the pictures in this post!
ReplyDeleteYes! The second one (pink) is my fave x
Delete