Howdy, my fellow readers! I know it has been a very long time since I have posted any reviews about ANYTHING, but I am trying to get things back into working order! Life has a way of getting off course, and taking you on unexpected journeys! Those unexpected journeys led me to some very special people, though! So, I cannot complain!
This video I am sharing is a song written, and produced by James [Shay] Peters from Limerick, Ireland. He is the lead singer, lead/rhythm guitar, and songwriter for his band Neverwhat. I have had the pleasure of being able to interview this award-winning songwriter about his music career. It was very insightful, and I would love to share this with you all today. However, I would like you to listen to the song that is posted below before you continue reading! You must know how talented this young man truly is to appreciate the information you are about to intake in this copied interview.
Award-Winning Songwriter
Interview by Marcy Jenson
Question #1 How old were you when you first became interested in performing music?
Answer: I was about 7 years old when my mam recorded a show with Phil Collins playing live and I watched that and wanted to be a drummer playing live... then within the same few days I saw a video of U2 playing live and I wanted to be a guitar player or singer. So the next chance I had to buy a guitar I got this little starter acoustic guitar and I started just playing whatever kinda rubbish I could on guitar not even playing any real chords or anything but I taught I was really playing stuff so ever since then I wanted to be in a band playing guitar and singing. I had wrote a really childish song but I wanted to be a song writer even at that early age...it wasnt till afew years later that I actually learnt how to play guitar and actualy write good songs... so my aunt gave me her keyboard and I got a drum kit so I started to learn a bit of everything on everything.. and I was now only 12 or 13! So then when I actually could play something I new I had to one day be preforming my own songs live in a band...its kinda all I've ever wanted to do.
Question #2 What is the first instrument you learned how to play?
Answer: The first instrument I learnt to play was actually the drums and guitar....I taught myself at the same time at the age of 12 or 13... I went and got guitar lessons though just to learn the finger picking styles..but I had learnt a bunch of chords and stuff myself.
Question #3 What inspired you to write "No Answer to Why" ?
Answer: One day a guy from my old school got in touch with me and he asked me wud i be interested in writing a song for his group project they wer doing in school about fairtrade so i wrote them this song for them to sing as a choir at when they were going to present there final project work. so then at the same time i saw the competition open so i recorded the song and entered it into the comp and afew months later I found I had actualy won it!
Question #4 How did it feel claiming an award for a song you've written?
Answer: It was really awesome to get an email and read that a song I had wrote was picked to win it. It wasn't until the day of me picking up the award that I seen how awesome it was because one of judges who was there told me that they listened to all the songs, but as soon as they had all listened to my song 'No answer to Why', all 3 of the judges all agreed that my song should be the winning song. All my life from when I was 13 I've been writing songs that people could enjoy. Now I have an award to say that I have an award-winning song and I'm now an award-winning song writer.
Question #5 What is your favorite song that you have written and why?
Answer: My favorite song that i have writen is Raise the bar....its going to be on our new ablum but i haven't got around to finishing recording it yet. but its the song we finish all our gigs with... its a realy upbead rock/metal song but i just love playing it. The whole band does really. Its just got sumthing realy special about it and the lyrics are really positive. Its about putting bad stuff that happend in my life and low points behind me and move on and try use them bad parts of your life to be better. The chorus is. 'Lying to yourself, never changing who you are. To know your never coming back, Makes me want to raise the bar.' that's my fave one that I wrote and play but there's slower and softer songs like 'stone' off the 'surreal serenity' ablum, that we dont play live but at times i just wonder how in the world did i write a song like that with so much emotion... but one slow song we do play live is 'Sorry Now'. and that just gets the crowd all waving and slow dancing and at times I've seen afew tears..so its amazing to be able to write a song that actually creates so much emotion to some stranger in the crowd right in front of me as I play it
Question #6 What is your biggest goal in your music career?
Answer: Biggest goal is to be able to put on a gig anywhere in the world and that fans will show up.. hahaha that's where we want to be one day... I want to be able to continue writing enough good songs to keep creating albums....I just need time to record them!
Question #7 Are your family and friends supportive of your career choices?
Answer: Ya they are a huge support...if it wasn't for my mam then the whole band wud never get to any of the gigs...she been driven us and all the gear since day one.. and my bro has been our roadie helping set up all the gear and keeping an eye on things wen I'm on stage playing... so I always keep them in mind.... I'd hate to think that I'd plan on writing a song or do something live or try take the band in a direction that they would no longer want to support us... so I keep things all above board so to speak...like song lyrics even..I keep them so that anyone young or old can listen to and sing along with us. I don't want to rule out anyone from being our fan. So I write songs that anyone can like...from "Stay" and "Sorry Now" and "Stone" and "Too Far to Run To" being slow soft ones....to people who like rock with "Think of You Instead" and "Remind You"...and people who like metal with "Crazy Beautiful" and "Nobody Needs to Know"
Question #8 If you would HAVE to choose another career path, which career would you choose?
Answer: I'd love to be a music producer in a studio helping other bands record there songs.....and if not that...then be a live sound engineer....having all the sound gear for a band to play live...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I really enjoyed conducting this interview. He is a very polite young man. He is very passionate about his work! If you would like to hear more music made by James [Shay] Peters visit any of the links below. Hope you enjoyed my exposed journey inside Shay's mind.
