As a young kid, something I loved doing was zoning out to the sound of music. Every Sunday morning, I’d wake up to my parents playing some of the smoothest jams, from Marvin Gaye, to Freddie Jackson, the Culture Club and more….whilst mum would make our Sunday fry up, of eggs, seasoned baked beans, toast, a little corn beef stew and sometimes sausages, before we headed off to church.

 

When I look back and think about those days, they were incredible family times and for many people, memories like those, don’t exist and if they do, they are scarce. As we grow up, living our lives, we forget about some of those precious moments that brought about togetherness. For me, these are some of the most purest memories I have and they will always have a place in my heart. I suspect this is the reason why music has been such an important gift in my world. 

 

Without music, I don’t know what life would be like because it’s always been there. And I am so grateful for it. Six years old, in Brixton, South London, is the earliest memory I have of writing songs with my big sister - she would take the verse and give me the chorus or sometimes we’d switch roles. 

 

All those years of writing and singing songs as a kid with my siblings and first cousins (also singers) I never knew I was training myself for what would be a huge part of my journey, to write words and dress them in melodies. 

 

Living out your dreams is special because doing what you love is a privilege, many don’t get the chance to experience. 

 

With dreams of being an architect slowly fading away as I was in my teens, the fire to write some of the best hit records, grew stronger and stronger. A singer songwriter was what I thought I was born to do but after leaving school came the real world, and the real world doesn’t give a toss about your dreams. 

 

So I would spend the next 15 years after leaving school, chasing those dreams…knocking on doors, sending in demos, going for auditions, having fun at writing camps, all whilst playing semi pro football, managing Crohn’s disease and studying for a degree in criminology and film studies. 

 

In those years, I barely saw a penny. Don’t get me wrong, there were some opportunities that brought about monetary rewards for what I loved doing but mostly, it was over a decade of grafting. Heavy, heavy grafting. But I loved making music so somehow, not being paid, didn’t feel so bad. If anything, the frustration of the music industry was what took its toll but I’ll get into that another day. 

 

Today, some of those seeds are paying off and I am and will always be grateful to Deli music, Feel for music and anyone who has ever given me a shot. Because sometimes, that's all you need!

 

So here’s a snapshot into a few things I’ve done over the years.