Though Rihanna could be perhaps the biggest name to ever come out of Barbados, Callum Wright could certainly become the best-known male singer with his incredible talent which shines through in new single '1,2,3'.
After reviewing that song earlier this month, Female First got the opportunity to put some questions to Callum about his career as a musician, the weirdest thing a fan has ever done, the Spice Girls and much more! Find out what he had to say below.
Single '1,2,3' is released June 21.
You fuse island and pop music together for your sound, how best would you describe yourself as an artist to new listeners?
A little slice of summer... Feel good, sunshine filled vibes is what I'm all about artistically. I'm bringing all the Caribbean sounds from my home Barbados (reggae, ska, calypso) and fusing them with the mainstream pop sounds we all know and love... pop music with a little Bajan spice. Every time you listen to my music I want you to be able to close your eyes and imagine you're relaxing on a beach under the blazing sun, mojito in hand!
We love your new single '1,2,3', can you tell us a little bit about how that song came about and the work that's gone into it?
Thank you! Absolutely buzzing you guys like it! I wrote it pretty recently actually, after third wheeling a dinner date with two married couples. One of them anyone could see was madly in love with each other while the other pretty obviously wasn't... they could barely look at each other! After witnessing that, the two extremes, "1,2,3" came about... I actually wrote it from the perspective of the lovey dovey couple about the other one... how they couldn't understand how anyone could make being together look so difficult. It should be easy as 1,2,3!
In terms of the work that went in to it, it was actually a pretty quick process... I wrote it at my piano in about 10 minutes and after probably a day of recording it was done! I worked alongside these incredible producers Mike McGreal and Chris Budd in literally a barn in the middle of the country... was an amazing experience.
How does it feel when your material gets picked up and praised?
Can't even put it into words. Absolutely incredible! It's a pretty daunting thing sharing stuff you've written... it's like sharing a part of yourself and putting it out there to basically be ripped apart by the world. You never know how people are going to respond so when they like it, the feeling is insane. You should have seen me when I read your review on '1,2,3'... jumping all over the place throwing some serious shapes! Still pinching myself!
Tell us a random and fun fact about yourself that you don't think many people know!
The Spice Girls taught me to read! At 3 years old I was in love with them ladies... Posh Spice was the one. I got one of their fan books for Christmas one year and taught myself to read just so I could read it. So yeah, cheers Posh!
What's the weirdest, strangest or most exciting thing a fan has done or told to you?
Haha! Gotta be this! Midway through one of the schools tours we did in the UK late last year I got a message from the mother of one of the students from the school we performed at that day. Not the 12 year old girl, her mother! She messaged me telling me I should've dropped her daughter home as she only lived a few minutes away and I could've come in and met her three hedgehogs and dog... think she said it was a husky. That was definitely the strangest one... one for the books for sure! Shame though, would've loved to have met the hedgehogs!
What is it about this world of music that you love and made you want to chase a career in it?
I just really want a Nando's black card! Figured this would be the easiest way! Haha... not really, the truth is I've always loved to perform, being on a stage in front an audience is where I feel most at home. On top of that, I've always loved writing... from primary school days. Stories, essays, even started a book when I was about 11. This is sort of my way of fusing those two passions... performing and writing. I write my tunes and then am lucky enough to get to perform them. There's really nothing else I can see myself doing, nothing I'm more passionate about. So fingers crossed it all works out!
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
Any and everything! Literally anything can spark an idea, from a friend's Facebook status to being a third wheel on a dinner date! It's crazy! Just a little annoying that most of my ideas decide to come through at like 3am... constantly getting woken up by little tunes in my head. You should hear the voice notes on my phone... shocking!
If you could work with absolutely anybody on new material, who you choose and why?
So many people! The list goes on for miles... wouldn't mind doing a little something with Rihanna. Two Bajans on a track together?! That would be mad!
Do you have definitive hopes and aims for your career going forward?
Definitely! I just really hope to spread as much sunshine as I possibly can with my music. Starting here in the UK and then taking things worldwide! Things are about to get very sunny, hope you guys are ready!
Ideally where would you like to be this time next year going forward with your music?
I'd absolutely love to be in a position to perform at some massive summer festivals! That's always been a huge dream of mine... Glastonbury, V Festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend, all of them! That would be amazing... wouldn't mind having a couple number 1's by then either!
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
My debut single '1,2,3' is out in June so we're gonna be doing a lot of promotional stuff for that. We have another small tour in the works and a couple gigs coming up too which I'm absolutely buzzing about! You can follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates on all the action that'll be kicking off. It's all about to get pretty busy, cannot wait!