Ramin
Ramin is best known for his work in the theatre but he has stepped into the recording studio to make his debut record.
I caught up with him to talk about making the album, writing his own material and what lies ahead for him for the rest of the year.
- You are about to release you debut album so what can Ramin fans expect from the record?
I think it’s quite a new sound that is coming out as we have tried to bridge the gap between what they know me for to where I want to be, you have got these gorgeous orchestral bits mixed with a folky and lyrically heartbeat. So it’s a nice mix and it’s a great first step to where I want to go.
- Many will know you as a theatre star so what made this the right time to go into the recording studio and make an album?
The funny thing was I wasn’t looking for a record deal they sort of approached me. It wasn’t something that I was desperate to do and it wasn’t a necessary desire to do but I wanted to be a songwriter and I did have ideas.
At this point I was in Love Never Dies and my co-star Sierra Bogess her father was a guitar maker and for my opening night they made a guitar as a gift. Because I am stuck in make-up for so much time I thought that I would learn to play it.
So I am sat there learning to play some folk stuff and I was writing some songs, people liked it and the next thing that I know Sony finds me. I was sat there developing as a song-writer and I thought that this was the way that I wanted to go because I didn’t want to make a theatre album because I don’t know enough theatre for me to justify to an audience.
I could have done a theatre album but I felt that I would be resting on my laurels just to make money and I wouldn’t have been able to sleep at night if I’d have done that.
So I said ‘ I want to develop as a song-writer’ and they were excited about that and they were excited that I had ideas - so that is what made me feel like it was the right time because I had found someone who wanted to go in the same direction.
- You have mentioned developing yourself as a songwriter so how have you found that experience?
It’s great. I get really excited because it is so new to me. It’s a personal thing and it’s scary at times because you are putting so much… I like to live with my heart on my sleeve and lyrics I like listening to are ones that are really honest.
I don’t want to put any comment on society for me it’s all about my story-telling and my journey with spirituality and life. I don’t want to make any other comment other than this is what I have experienced and this is what I am sharing with you, that’s why I like country and folk because it just takes you on a story; like Johnny Cash I forget he is singing because I am listening to the lyrics.
That’s what I like about the song writing process and when you have the chance to write with great writers and you learn so much about how they develop their craft.
- The music is a mix of covers and original songs so what did you want this album to say about you as an artist?
The album is an introduction to me because it’s not a theatre album and there will be an audience that hasn’t experienced me in the theatre side of things. The album is not just twelve single tracks I wanted a through line, I wanted to make an album not a song.
I also didn’t want to do twelve completely new songs as I felt that it would be taking the mickey a bit as people have followed me through certain things, I think that could be album two or three where I can fully go into that.
So I felt that the covers that I chose have to fit the storyline of the album and something that I can say I have experienced and I know what that lyric is saying, or at least I have an interpretation of it.
So the story of the album goes through someone’s journey with spirituality, love, loss, regret and redemption.
- You have covered the likes of Bryan Adams and Everything I Do and Muse and Guiding Light so how did you go about choosing the covers on the album?
Mainly the lyrics especially with Everything I Do, it has the Canadian roots, but it takes me back to a point in my life and that created so much imagery in my head. When you sing there should be images in your head from experiences as opposed to just singing a song - so that justified that for me.
And then Guiding Light it was just those lyrics that fitted perfectly, especially where I needed that track on the album, to carry the story and also push it forward to the next track.
- How difficult was if putting your stamp on these already well known songs - because they are completely different to the originals?
Oh that’s good. It’s one of those things where I am not clever enough as a musician to make it different on purpose, I didn’t have a game plan I just had images in my head that related to those lyrics.
So I just went and sang it and if my vocal did something different then great if they didn’t why change what is not broken? And then producer Tom Nichols put his spin on it.
So I just thought that as long as there was truth I didn’t care if it sounded the same or different because if it’s truthful then it’s a good thing.
- You have mentioned Tom Nichols so how did that partnership come about?
He was introduced to me by my A&R lady Kathleen Murphy and I liked his desire and also his hunger to try something different.
I felt that he believed in me as a launch pad for him and he liked my voice to I just want to work with people that I get along with and who want to have a good time - I don’t have a game plan to be number one or anything like that. I do an album with integrity and truth and the right thing will happen.
- How did you find working with him and what did his experience bring to the record as he has worked with the likes of Celine Dion and Hayley Westenra?
Absolutely. I put a lot of trust in him and his direction but it was great because he put me at ease and he liked the rawness, we weren’t looking for vocal perfection or technically perfect things he wanted the story and the emotion - so that was a great experience.
I hate recording and I hate being in the studio and he made me feel comfortable, especially with the studio that we chose because it felt like my living room. That felt more honest to me because that is how I learnt to play just sitting in my dressing room with a load of prosthetics on my face - so to be thrown into a high tech studio was a bit odd.
His experience as you say and his connections with John Metcalf, who orchestrated the album, and I listen to the album from time to time and it sounds unbelievable.
- You mentioned earlier that you didn’t want to particularly make an album but now that you are a recording artist something that you are interested in pursuing a little further?
Oh absolutely. I have enjoyed it for one, if I didn’t enjoy it I would have thought ‘that was a good experience but let’s move on, but I have so much more ambition now and lots of ideas and songs in my catalogue. I did this gig last night I tried a few new songs as a possibility of album two and the reaction from the fans was great - so I am going to take that on tour with me in May.
So I am going to just keep developing. And as I go on tour I will be working with great musicians and on the downtime during the day I just want to continue writing songs so if I do get blessed with another album I will have a ton of songs.
- You are also preparing to go on tour so what can people who haven't see you live before expect from one of your live shows?
No matter how big the auditoriums are going to be, which is actually scary at times because when they said do you want to tour? I thought maybe we would be playing 500-700 seaters but no these are 2000- 2500 and I am like ’oh my God’.
We are going to attempt to make a big sound as intimate as possible because what I feel I do best is if I am speaking to the audience one on one. There will be an eclectic choice of songs but again there will be a through-line, I think that is important to me as opposed to be a bunch of songs I a row, I want the song to feel uniform.
We are going to start with the album and then jump back into the theatre pool and in the second half of the show we will make it even more intimate by making it quite folky. I am lining up some guests to come with me, which I will always announce on the day. So it will be a mix of theatre, folk and album stuff.
- You have played some of the most famous musical characters including Jean Valjean and The Phantom so what do you think has made these two shows so enduring and what drew you to the characters?
Well with Phantom it was just the story and getting to play the underdog and trying to get to the underbelly of what is on the surface - it is easy to call him menacing and a murderer but he is none of those he is forced to be those.
What I found interesting was the opposite side of him and bringing that out, that was a good challenge. It’s also a lot of fun as you get to be the coolest character in town.
Jean Valjean again was something that I didn’t want to do and it came to me. Cameron Mackintosh sat down with me one on one and he showed so much faith in me that I would be able to do that part and I was like ‘ok I will give it a shot, but you have more faith in me than I do’.
And I am so glad that what I thought was going to be a nightmare has turned out to be a dream role, I have got two weeks left but if they want me back and I have time I would do it in a heartbeat. I have just had the best time doing this role.
- You also returned to the role of The Phantom in Love Never Dies so what was it like returning to the same character but telling a different story?
What interested me with that was although it was the same character it was a complete 180 in the sociology in it - what was once dark is now light and what was haunted I now celebrated and I thought that it would be interesting to give it a shot.
Then in the workshop I got to meet Sierra and we just got on so well, when you find the perfect partner to work with the piece becomes irrelevant.
- Finally what's coming up for you both as a musician and in the theatre?
In the theatre who knows, it has been a solid ride for ten years now. Because I have been double shifting with theatre and albums for a couple of years now I am going to have to re-energise and so I am just going to focus on the recording and touring which will eat up the rest of my year.
I have a couple of films that I have also be signed up to do. One is called Bad Town, that is going to be shot in Canada - when I say I am singed up to d o a film everything keeps changing so what I have learnt is when I hear ’action’ that is when I am doing it.
There is also another film called Dinner With Lucifer, I have just got the script now and it is still in pre-production. And there is a third that has currently been postponed.
Ramin’s self-titled debut album is released 9th April
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw