Tell us about the genesis of your project.
I’m Waiting for Smith. Named after waiting for my original drummer, Smith, to turn up on time. I realised I wanted to do music after breaking my back in the mountains. I used to be a ski instructor in France.
I make acoustic lead electronic pop…or Indie Folk although I’m always trying to change my style as I love every kind of music.
My goal is to make people feel good, supported and question why we’re here.
How did you get to where you are now?
Well that’s a long story. I’ll keep it short.. started a punk band when I was 10, went on to writing songs to then get totally distracted by short careers as a bartender, stand up comedian, cigar salesmen, etc.
Then went on to work in the French Alps as a ski-instructor when I broke my back.
After a year of healing in bed I finally pursued my career in music.
I met someone local to where I lived, who believed in me and started recording the songs I’d written.
Started playing live in local pubs and open mics firstly with old friends in a band and then solo. I then got picked up by some big UK festivals. My first single Monkeys in My Head took me a year to finish, now I’m releasing a song a month and have been played on 190 radio stations around the world. It’s very exciting.
Who are your all time musical icons?
so hard to answer. JJ.Cale is up there. When I discovered his music it really set me off on a path of drum machines and understated cool. My first car was inherited from my grandmother, a beaten up purple ford fiesta. I drove it around town with the windows rolled down smoking rolled up liquorice cigarettes; thinking I was maybe the coolest guy ever to live. It’s fair to say that Troubadour , 5, Naturally and Really (some of his albums) changed my life. If you wanna know more about the music that inspired me and listen to some tuuuunesss you can follow my playlist below:
What is your creative process like?
When writing songs – It’s quite simple, I have this feeling that comes. Then I sit down at the piano, grab my acoustic or make a little beat and I start to sing & play. The best melodies seem to come in 20 minutes, lyrics sometimes come quick but I normally take more time for them. In the studio if I’m working on a track we get it into shape and rough it out like a storyboard for a film and then we make it. I truly believe songs come from somewhere else, they seem to just fall out of the sky.
What inspires your lyrics?
I’m often inspired to write about the everyday ups & downs of life, love, and the never-ending investigation of who we are and what we’re all doing here.
So It can be a good conversation or a new place I visit. If I’m learning a new language I write more for some reason…
DO you draw inspiration from other forms of art such as paintings, literature, cinema etc?
A lot from books, philosophy mainly, but also great movies…I love good stories and interesting questions. Anything with all those in it really moves me.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Hopelessness of Love” inspired by a challenging episode of love.
I was in the studio with Jan (producer & co-writer), I felt that I wanted to express that whatever you do in love, and however hard you try, you can’t escape the fact that sometimes there’s going to be difficult moments in your relationship.
The first lyric I heard went “I’m your sugar man to ride…let’s go, let’s go, let’s collide” This was the start in my mind of a fight between a couple.
I’m super proud of this one so go take a listen. Hopelessness of Love by Waiting for Smith.
Do you have any peculiar pre or post show rituals as an artist?
I like to meditate before and get really calm, then do my vocal warm ups, I play a few songs, box the air, shout to myself something encouraging and go on.
What’s the future looking like for you?
I’m really enjoying making a lot of new good music. So I feel the future will be very interesting if the music finds as many people as I would like it to. I really hope to make millions of people feel good with it.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
Watching a string section perform Song for Grace in Abbey Road Studio 2 was a big moment for me. It was when I was just starting out and I’d never heard an orchestra play my music, it was so surreal… I remember laughing out loud with joy
What is your advice for aspiring artists that want to achieve what you achieved?
If you’re just starting out, get out and meet new people. The more people know about what you’re doing the more opportunity is likely to come your way. Try to let go of perfectionism when making music, say what you think, be yourself as much as you can and find what it is that you are uniquely born to say…that takes time. Find a mentor to guide you through the industry, Harriet Starling (mine) really helped me so much.
