On The Radar: Caelan Jack

CAELAN JACK is guaranteed your new favorite singer-songwriter. From playing your local open mics, he now has his own gig at Crowns this Sunday. I catch up with Caelan to talk about playing live, the release of his debut EP and being the shy kid with a big voice. This one of your first gigs in Brighton - how does that feel? Exciting! I've wanted to play in the gig circuit here for a while now, I've played plenty of open mics all around and wanted to really get into the live performance part of being a musician. Getting the chance to play at a venue like Crowns is a really good chance to 'test the waters', so to speak, since it will be more about the audience than just the performance like it is at open mics. Do you have a pre show routine, or something specific you do to warm up before a show? I usually run through the loudest or busiest song of the set to try and capture the energy that I should have when performing, although I imagine my neighbours don't enjoy that as much as I do! It gets me ready to play and just reassures me I can play what I need to. When performing live, do you prefer playing covers or originals more? Currently I prefer covers, only because it's what people know and will sing along to. While I enjoy playing my own songs, if the audience doesn't know it, there's just a loss of engagement between them and my performance. What is your fondest memory of music? I think my fondest memory would have to be music class in year 9. We were in put in bands and I was singing for mine, which as someone with low self-esteem, was nerve-wracking to say the least. I remember it since I started singing and got to see half the class turn their heads quickly when they heard the shy kid sing. It was a definite confidence booster, and the reason I actually started to get into music! You currently have some music released on social media - can we expect an EP in a near future? Definitely! I'm currently working on one at the moment with some other students at BIMM, but most details are in the works at the moment! Your music style tend to vary from song to song - who would you say are your inspirations when writing music? Too many to name! My roots tend to stick around the acoustic pop vibe of Ed Sheeran, mainly because he is a huge role model for me, and that I write with vocals and guitar. Having said that, I've been writing songs mainly inspired by pop and pop-rock artists, like Charlie Puth, or Imagine Dragons, trying out a bit of a mix to see what sort of repertoire I can build. Currently though, I've been just blown away by a recent up-and-comer called Lewis Capaldi, and one of the songs on that aforementioned EP is inspired by one of his! What would be your ultimate career goal? I think the goals that everyone wants in music is to be at the top of their game, and I suppose I'm no different, but my dream would be to tour as many countries as possible. My favourite part of music is the performance side, and being able to play to a crowd who know the words to my songs would be unreal. You're originally from Australia, but have lived in Winchester most of your life and now you live in Brighton to study at BIMM - has it lived up to your expectations? Brighton is waaaay better than my expectations, since the city is just so alive. I don't remember much of Australia, other than it was more than a little hot and everything wants to kill you, but compared to Winchester there is just so much more happening. I've met tons of amazingly skilled musicians in all areas of the industry, through both BIMM and the abundance of performance opportunities here. Being by the beach doesn't hurt either! What made you choose BIMM in the first place? I think the main reason to go to BIMM was to get experience. I wanted to meet musicians of different styles who I could learn from and get to know, and to discover influences that can shape me into the musician I want to be. The fact that there is always something to do is also extremely valuable, as it pushes you to get things done and to avoid a plateau in your musical development. What's a song that gives you goosebumps every single time? It has to be 'Bruises' by Lewis Capaldi. I mentioned him before as one my inspirations in writing, for this song in particular. His voice is so unique and strong, that when coupled with the minimalistic arrangement in the track, creates a truly haunting song. Do you have a dream venue to play one day? Shepherd's Bush Empire, for sure. It might not be the biggest venue in the world, but it would be immensely satisfying, since it would mean I'm getting somewhere (provided people buy tickets that is!).

Published in THE ARGUS May, 2018