Paul releases debut solo single ‘Faith’ on 24/9
Surrey-based musician Paul Evans, 53, is preparing for the release of his first ever solo single, as his self-penned composition ‘Faith’ goes live on all major digital platforms on 24th September. But his focus is not on achieving fame or fortune, as he trains his eye on another prize…to be the first new and original artist to enter the UK charts with a debut release.
Written in the summer of 2020, Paul demoed ‘Faith’, along with many other original songs at home, and spent most of lockdown working whilst writing and recording whenever he could. After sending demos to former bandmate and producer Charlie Fowler, the two decided to produce a selection of tracks to release quality when Paul suggested that, “if we’re going to do that we may as well try and release them.”
With plans to release a 4-track EP, Paul and Charlie decided on ‘Faith’ as the lead single with the EP scheduled for release in mid-late October. With Paul playing all electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar and singing lead and backing vocals on the song, Paul says ‘Faith’ reflects the reality of lockdown, as he had to put the idea of forming a band on pause. “Before lockdown I was putting a band together but that came to an abrupt halt, so I decided to concentrate on writing and recording at home. I didn’t really know what I was doing when it came to recording, so I just learned as I went along. If I wanted something on a demo like keyboards, piano or even strings and brass, I’d just learn how to play what I couldn’t already play and put it down using a keyboard.”
Keeping the Faith
“I demo in Logic Pro X and have a simple home studio set up, so when it came to ‘Faith’ and the EP tracks, we took from the demos what we could and I re-recorded parts at Charlie’s house, so it’s all completely organic! Going into a recording studio wasn’t an option as they were all closed, so we needed to get the best sound to do the track justice in a home setting. It’s worked out really well.”
A breakthrough moment
One breakthrough came when Paul and Charlie decided the song needed real drums. “I had midi-drums on the demo and Charlie created new midi-drum parts for the release but it wasn’t real. You can never replicate the feel, emotion and personality of a real drummer in midi.
I saw a Facebook post for well-known drummer, percussionist and producer Ben Gordelier, who plays with British music icon Paul Weller and The Moons, so I reached out to him. After he had a listen, he said he really liked the tracks and would be up for playing on them. So we did that remotely and he put the drums down at his studio for us. His drumming and percussion really gave ‘Faith’, and the other songs, the life-force they needed, so we couldn’t be happier with Ben’s contribution.”
The next challenge - how do we release Faith?
As ‘Faith’ reached the final stages of mixing, Paul suddenly realised he had no idea how to release it. “I reached out to a few digital labels and had no response or they emailed ‘we’ll get back to you if we’re interested’, but I couldn’t leave it like that. It was too uncertain. One night I happened to see a comment on an Instagram post and someone mentioned Ditto Music, so I researched that, signed up and organised my own release. It was great, as I felt I had more control over it and I’m just happy it’s made releasing the track a reality! Apparently Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith started out on Ditto so hopefully that’s a good omen!”
Faith - what’s it like and what’s it about?
Producer Charlie Fowler describes Paul’s songs as ‘familiar but in an entirely original way’. “When I first heard ‘Faith’ it was completely original but it felt like something I’d heard before and knew well. Paul’s forte as a songwriter is just that. His songs are musically and lyrically original, you can detect influences but they’re also like nothing you’ve heard before either. I don’t want to put ‘Faith’ in a genre box but I would say that anyone who likes the Stereophonics, Paul Weller, Oasis, Indie/Britpop and The Who would feel very at home with ‘Faith’.
Lyrically ‘Faith’ is not about ‘faith’ as such and, as Paul explains, the lyrics came naturally. “When I write songs it’s all about melody and to capture that I usually sing the first words that pop into my head. Often this gives me an anchor for the lyric and this is what happened with ‘Faith’. I would say that lyrically it suggests that faith is defined by whatever you have faith in, whether its a religious philosophy or the people closest to you. It comes from within.”
What’s the goal and why?
In a record industry dominated by music aimed at younger audiences, Paul wants to present an alternative by showing that music is a universal force for everyone, whatever their age. Paul: “People of my generation have very little in the way of new music from new artists, which is why so much of the music we grew up with is reissued, remastered or presented as deluxe editions. Most of the artists I love exist on back catalogue and record companies keep inventing new ways to re-present what’s already been around for decades. Most artists of my age made it in their teens and 20s and, as far as I’m aware, no new artist writing original songs has broken through in their 50s. However pie-in-the-sky elephants might fly it seems, wouldn’t it be amazing if that happened?”
With digital streaming platforms dominating listeners preferences, Paul insists he’s not in it for the money or fame. “The likelihood of earning any money from a digital release, especially when no-one’s heard of me and I have a tiny social media following, is pretty remote. Even if I did, I’d probably give it away. Fame is a young persons dream, so I’m genuinely not bothered about any of that. I just think it would be amazing to get ‘Faith’ out there and see if people like it. If we can break convention by getting someone of my age to chart, it just might provide hope for anyone setting out or involved in music, whatever their age. We should all have a voice, realise our potential and let the public decide. I also wanted to create my own musical legacy for my family after years of doing mainly live performance stuff. This is a new phase for me too.”
Release info:
Faith is available on all major digital platforms from 24 September and goes on pre-release from 20 September
Pre-save and add it to your music libraries now by clicking https://ditto.fm/faith-paul-evans
Credits:
Faith: © 2021 Paul Evans Music. All rights reserved.
Musicians:
Paul Evans: Electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, lead vocals and backing vocals
Ben Gordelier: Drums and percussion
Charlie Fowler: Hammond organ
Produced by: Charlie Fowler
Cover design and artwork: Paul Evans
Follow Paul: Instagram @paulevans_music and Facebook @paulevanssound
Website: www.paulevans-music.com