When Chordblossom came into existence, it was always our aim to shine a spotlight on the artists and bands that make up the music scene in Northern Ireland. We’ve been doing it for over ten years now and one of our favourite methods is our Introducing feature.
Put the kettle on, curl up on your sofa and and join us for a quickfire Q&A with some of our favourite new musicians. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover your new favourite artists.
This iteration of Introducing features the musical talents of Franklin who just released their new single ‘Bebby’.
What was the inspiration behind your artist name?
One of us misheard a different suggestion for a band name and it stuck!
You’ve just released a new single. How did it come about and what does it mean to you?
Bebby was the very first thing we all played together. Luke had the original idea and we worked on it for some time before we auditioned Kevin. Kevin wrote lyrics for three songs for the audition, one of which was Bebby. We secretly recorded him and still have it in our archive!
So Bebby was the first thing we heard Kev sing. When we heard that, we knew it was meant to be.
Kevin: I always played in Pop Punk and Emo bands and so never really had the chance to write an actual love song, so when I heard the instrumental I knew it was the perfect opportunity to finally write something about my Fiancé (who was my girlfriend at the time).
Have you any more releases or studio time lined up for later in the year?
Our second single “B.A.T.O.F.” is being worked on as we speak. So hopefully we can get that out later in the year.
Tell us about your song writing process.
It usually starts with an idea on guitar but once we bring it into the practice room it can take on a mind of it’s own.
Who were your favourite artists/bands growing up? Have your influences changed over time?
Our influences definitely exist on a spectrum, that’s for sure. Jamie is a big metalhead and Kevin is a pop-punk fiend. If we had to put our finger on it, our biggest influence for our sound would probably be from Weezer (don’t tell Jamie) or The Pixies. If you had a keen ear you’d probably pick a lot of other influences out of our music.
What’s been your favourite local (NI Based) release from the last twelve months?
Bailey: Enola Gay’s “Casement” EP, hands down. It’s powerful stuff!
Kevin: “Never Let This Go” by Parker, one of my favourite bands in general never mind the scene and they’ll always hold a special place in my heart.
If you weren’t musicians, what line of work would we find you in?
Kevin: That’s a hard one to think about, if I didn’t have music I don’t know what I’d be at! I’m a watchmaker by trade so I’d probably still be doing that or something to do with video editing which is quite the difference.
Bailey: I’ve worn a few different hats, all of which has funded playing music. So, if I didn’t have to do that I’d rather be a full-time musician!
If you could collaborate with one artist or band from NI, who would it be and why?
It’s a tough one there is also many great artists to pick from. Parker perhaps? We’ve played together before and they’re great guys! It would be a fun session.
It is intensely difficult to be successful in the music industry. What does NI need to do to invest in/develop to boost your chances?
By helping us to build it from the ground up. Reducing the financial risk to artists by funding them directly. More radio play for NI artists on NI stations would be nice too.
What does success look like for you?
Bailey: My only idea of success growing up was touring the world and selling a million albums. Now it’s more about not being afraid to try things, learning from mistakes and having fun while doing it. Wouldn’t say no to a world tour and a million album sales though!
Kevin: Honestly my view of success is just being able to make music that I enjoy making, of course it would be very very nice to do this full time and to get paid to do so but for now I’d just take getting some radio play and doing a few interviews and live sessions, those tend to be the things I always love seeing from my own favourite bands so to do stuff like that always makes me feel successful at least slightly.
You’re going out on tour and can have anything you want on your rider, what would we find on yours?
Kev will require an ample supply of flat whites. That’ll be all.
Where and when can we next catch you live?
We just played a sold out show for our single launch but we’ll be announcing more shows soon.
If you enjoyed this feature and fancy discovering some more new artists, we suggest you jump on over to our archive of Introducing pieces.
If you are a band or musician based in Northern Ireland interested in taking part in our Introducing feature, we recommend submitting new music to us via our Contact page and if we enjoy it, you’ll no doubt hear from us.
