Rising star, Fyfe – aka Paul Dixon –   has lately been receiving acclaim from DJs at Radio 1, 6Music and XFM. Having topped Hype Machine on numerous occasions, supported SOHN and played a string of sold-out shows as part of Communion’s New Faces tour, Fyfe is also about to start an eight date headline tour, including London Electrowerkz on March 25th.

Filled with beautifully reflective, experimental pop songs that ooze originality and charm, Control – the debut album from Fyfe – is released next month. We caught up with this creative artist and producer to find out more about his journey to success:

 

First of all, how have you been and what have you been up to this week?

I’m great thanks – I just got back from Budapest which was a lot of fun. Now it’s full on promo mode as the album is out really soon!

Your debut album Control is due out on March 9th, what are your feelings coming up to the album’s release?

I’m really looking forward to it being out there. As an artist, it can feel like such a long time between completing work and it being released – I’m really happy with the record, so not dreading its release at all.

You’ve got a full UK tour coming up, what can we expect to see at your live shows?

We’re expanding from just two on stage to three so hopefully the sound we make will reflect that. Also we will be including new songs from the record, which is exciting for us if slightly nerve-racking.

You used to be involved in a lot of classical music, what led to the transition?

Well I played a lot of classical music growing up as I learnt violin and trumpet which I also played in orchestras, but I never really composed in the classical realm apart from the odd music lesson project. My creation of music has always been quite song based – I love to sing, so when I picked up a guitar aged 12 it felt very natural to sing whilst playing.

It’s not always been a smooth ride for you, becoming degree-less and job-less as a result of taking a huge risk to drop out of university to be a part of the music industry – how does it feel to say you picked yourself up and made it to where you wanted to be?

It’s just nice to be able to make a career from music. Maybe I was naïve, but it didn’t feel like a massive risk – I always wanted to be part of the music industry, so the decision to drop out of university wasn’t on a whim and I always have the option to go back. It is of course nice to be vindicated in your decision making in life, but I would never throw it back in the faces of the naysayers.

Who would you say your influences are as an artist?

I really like music that makes me want to move. I’m not a particularly outwardly emotional person so I’ve also started embracing song-writing as a way to express things that I might not be able to say or show.

Are there any current bands you’re enjoying listening to at the moment?

I really like Aquillo because – even though they exist in quite a congested genre – they write good songs, which makes them stand out.

 You created ‘Solace’ and watched it become a viral sensation online without any PR or managerial assistance etc, what were your reactions to its success?

I was quite surprised – I never imagined it would be posted and listened to so many times. I remember when it first went up I had to keep resetting my ‘success’ marker in terms of plays. At first I thought a few thousand would be nice, then 10k, then 50k. After 100k I stopped looking at the stats because I was getting a little obsessed.

How would you describe your upcoming album to people who have never heard of you before?

Direct love songs about freedom. Someone once called me a ‘hip-hop Michael Bublé’, which I thought was hilarious… it’s now a running joke with friends.

 What can we expect from you throughout the next year?

I’m really looking forward to touring the record from release around Europe and playing festivals in the summer. Also, I’m starting to write my second album and would quite like to not leave too long a gap between first and second. It definitely won’t be this year though.

Thanks for answering our questions, Paul! 

 

Control is out 9th March via Believe Recordings, and you can catch Fyfe live on one of his tour dates:

Mar 24 | Green Door Store | Brighton

Mar 25 | Electrowerks | London

Mar 27 | Louisiana | Bristol

Mar 28 | The Sunflower Lounge | Birmingham

Mar 29 | Bodega | Nottingham

Mar 31 | Castle | Manchester

Apr 01  | Nice N Sleazys | Glasgow

Apr 02  | Brudenell Games Room | Leeds