I am so excited for you all to read this interview! I have been wanting to interview this guy for a while now! Chris is such a great guy and is very talented! So I just can't wait for everyone to get to know him and his music!! He is definitely someone who I can't say enough good things about!
So here it goes!
1.Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! I'm a singer/songwriter from the UK, originally from a little village in the countryside near Bristol but now I live in London. I like writing songs, playing guitar, going to concerts, hanging out with friends, driving the open road and skiing! I dislike flying, food full with bean type things, allergies and jellyfish!
2. How did you get started in music?
I began playing the piano when I was very young - around 6 or 7 I think. I didn't like piano lessons much but my parents made me keep it up until I was 16. I first picked up my dad's old classical guitar one summer holiday when I was 17. I began learning the chords to a load of Beatles songs and from that point on I was hooked! I started playing for 4-5 hours per day, learning songs, writing little bits of my own and practicing singing too. I first played in public when I was 19 at an open mic night in Sheffield, UK where I went to University.
3.When did you realize that you wanted to pursue music as a career?
When I was 19 I was really enjoying playing songs at open mic nights but I hadn't played any of my own ones to people in public yet. I had been recording them at home and uploaded some of my very rough demos to Myspace. I friend requested a few people and from then on more and more people began stopping by my page, listening to my songs, commenting that they liked them and asking where they could get a CD / download them. It was a this point I began to take music more seriously and spent more time writing and planning to record my own songs for people to buy!
4.Growing up, who were some of your musical influences? Are they the same today?
Growing up my main influence was The Beatles. After that I think the defining moment was in around 2004 when I spent some time in the US traveling around. I bought a whole bunch of CDs and especially remember buying Howie Day's "Stop All the World Now" album as well as John Mayer's "Room for Squares" CD. I think I also bought a Dave Matthews Band album then too. When I came back to the UK I was really into the US singer/songwriter sound and began writing my songs in that kind of style. I guess my influences all stemmed from this and are still pretty similar now. I have always preferred US artists to UK artists (except the Beatles!). I also tend to check out who is in the US charts and doing well over there rather than listening to the UK charts and usually find new music that way.
5.Who would you love to tour with?
I would love to tour with Coldplay, John Mayer or the Dave Matthews Band...that would be amazing!
6. Who would you love to record a duet with?
There is a Danish artist I love called Tina Dico and I would love to write and record a song with her. She has an amazing voice and style of songwriting and I think we could put a great song together.
7.Describe your music in 5 words
positive acoustic-driven melodic singer/songwriter stuff
8. Your currently working on a new album, is there a favorite song from it that you are most excited for everyone to hear?
I'm so excited for people to hear all of my new songs! I can't even tell which one is my favourite yet! If I had to choose one, I have a song called "Stone by Stone" which I am pretty excited to get produced up in the studio and see how that sounds.
9. Whats your favorite song to turn up loud and sing to when no one is around?
Probably "Get Back" by the Beatles! Awesome classic!
10. What are you currently listening to?
At the moment I am loving Matt Nathanson's new album "Modern Love", I have been listening to a Danish guy called Mads Langer who has an album out called "Behold" and I have also been listening to Howie Day's "Ceasefire" EP a lot. I love all of those. I have also love Noah and the Whale's album "Last Night on Earth".
11.What are 5 things you can't live without?
My guitar, chocolate, red wine, my iPhone and probably my Macbook too!! (Apple seem to have taken over half my life!)
12. Are you a Pessimist or an Optimist?
Probably a pessimist but this is a bit weird as most people describe my music as quite optimistic! I'm not sure how that happens!
13. If you weren't singing, what would you be doing?
Being a lawyer! I have a law degree!
14. If you had the opportunity for instant stardom but had to give up writing your own music, would you do it?
No, I could never go out and perform other peoples songs night on night. I am not a big fan of becoming famous through reality shows like the X-Factor or American Idol or things like that. I would prefer people to love my songs rather than my voice or looks.
15. What is your favorite thing to see in the audience while you are on stage?
People that know the words to my songs! It so amazing to hear people singing along!
16. What advice do you have for people who want to pursue music themselves?
Work hard, learn how to play an instrument, write your own songs, play to your strengths, be yourself, interact with your fans as much as you can but most importantly enjoy it and if you are lucky enough to be able to have a career in music be thankful for being able to have such a great job!
17. On youtube you do a lot of covers, have you ever met any of the artists who's music you've covered? ( I love your youtube page by the way, I'm listening to your music as I write this?)
I've met Gavin Degraw who I have covered before on Youtube but I don't think I have met any of the others...I would love to meet some of them one day!
18. When you aren't working on music what are you doing?
I'm usually just hanging out with friends, cooking, wandering out and about town, doing exercise or visiting my family. Normal kinda stuff!
19. Any current tour plans?
I don't have any shows lined up at the moment as I'm working hard on the new songs for my EP and planning all that stuff. I work by myself so there is a lot to do! I will probably play a show in London before Christmas and tour a bit more in 2012.
20. What can we expect from you int the future?
At the moment I am trying to raise money to help me record and release a new EP using Pledgemusic.com. Hopefully I will hit my target amount and will be heading back into the studio very soon to record my new songs. After that I hope to play a few shows around the UK and perhaps abroad. I am heading to Italy and France for sure next year and may well also be around on the East Coast of the US as well at some point. It all depends how things go.
To help me hit my target on Pledgemusic.com you can pre-order my new EP here:
http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/christownsendhttp://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/christownsend
**Thanks for doing this interview Chris! I loved getting to know more about you and I can't wait to hear more music from you! Best of luck with everything! You're going to go far! **
To find out more about Chris or to keep updated on CD releases and Tours check out his website and follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
And to check out more of his music check out his youtube page! He has some great stuff on there! I can't wait to see what's coming next from Chris!
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