I ' ve read through the lyrics to your songs . They are very powerful . What personal experiences did you draw upon when creating them ?
Thank you . It was important to me when writing these songs that the lyrics were relatable so that anyone who hears the songs can connect with the similar emotion and passion as I do . The inspiration for the songs definitely comes from my own personal experiences with addiction , mental illness ,… and I am prepared to take a swipe at people who are in positions of power or governments . The hypocrisy and corruption of these people is nothing new , but somewhere along the line we have started to accept their behavior as normal . I am not afraid to put my experiences or opinions out in the open and try and challenge people .
If you had to choose one song from the upcoming album which best represents you as an artist , which would it be ?
The song ‘ The Devil Is Innocent ’ is a very good reflection on who I am as an artist . It has some cool guitar riffs throughout and a very infectious drum beat . The song is about the social stigma and archaic views that surrounds mental illness , sexual orientation and addiction . Society continues to believe that these things are something you can deliberately make a choice over , and shake off when it ’ s run its course . It is simply not good enough to think that individuals make ‘ poor lifestyle choices ’ and frankly , it is rather embarrassing to live in such an uneducated society . So this song is a good indication on what I am passionate about ; social conscience , political attitude & devilish riffs !
Which song was the most challenging to write ? Why ?
I would have to say from a lyrical point of view that the song ‘ Like You ’ was the most difficult topic to discuss openly . It is about my relationship with my ‘ inner addict ’ and the daily battle I would have . It describes what it is like for me to be in that situation .
One of the things that I love most about your music is that you are not afraid to tackle very difficult topics . War , sexism , addiction , corruption . You have a very strong voice . To what do you attribute that voice ?
Firstly , I would have to say that I think rock and roll is way too safe nowadays . There is no danger in it . Dave Grohl is an idol to me , but if the biggest name in rock is also the nicest guy in rock , I don ’ t think we are shaking the tree enough . Secondly , I believe that everyone has a responsibility to make the world an equal and safe place , for me that is through music . And finally , the time for awareness is over . It is now time for action . I think it is easy for people to use the term ‘ raising awareness ’ to feel pretty while not actually doing anything . In my opinion , if you are not actively doing something to stop war , corruption or sexism , and you are not actively trying to be understanding , compassionate and caring with things like mental health and addiction then you are passively part of the problem .