Ed Drewett has made quite a name for himself in the last few years writing for the likes of One Direction and Olly Murs, but he is set to release his debut solo album.
We caught up with him to chat about that album, his new single and what lies ahead for the rest of the year.
- You are set to release your new single Drunk Dial so what can we expect from the new track? And what is it about?
It is basically something everyone can relate with as it is about going out and having a couple of jars - or one too many - and reaching for your phone and calling someone who you could probably do without calling.
It is a fun track and it is a little humours as I wanted to bring more of that out in my music and Drunk Dial does it perfectly I think. It has got a little two-step vibe to it as well as I use to love garage music. Hopefully people will like it.
- As you say it is something a lot of people can relate to so how have you found the response to the track so far?
So far it has been great. It is just a case of pushing it now as I am doing all of this independently so there is a lot of hard work going into it.
Hopefully when the video is done, which should be next week, we will be pushing it even more. It has been a fantastic response so far and people seem to really like it so far - so far so good.
- It was back in 2010 that you released your debut single Champagne Lemonade so what have you been up to between then and now?
I have basically been looking for the right team for myself - I have been through a couple of major record labels but the teams with them changed a lot and nothing really felt stable.
Now I am going independent and I am hand picking my team and that is great because now things take half the time - big decisions take half the time because it is just me that has to ok them. Going down this independent route I can hopefully get the results that I want in the future.
- You have slightly touched on my next question as you have mentioned already that you have gone independent so how are you finding the independent route? And why did you decide to go down this path?
Initially the major label approach is mainly financial as there are very few of us who have enough money to be able to fund a music career so that is mainly where the major’s come in. You would think that you sign a record deal and things go smoothly… but it rarely works like that.
You really do need the right team around you, it really is so important. With the economic situation of the last few years budgets have been cut and, on a couple of occasions, I lost a lot of my team and everything was very slow.
The song writing has very helpfully funded this and why wouldn’t I do it on my own now? That is the question that I had to ask myself and there was no good answer to it. So I am just going to give it a go and see what happens.
- You have been writing for other people such as Olly Murs and featuring on other tracks so how has all this experience prepared you as you have worked on your own debut album?
To be honest I started writing my album long before I ever started writing for anyone else - so I started writing my album back in 2009.
My song writing came from that as I had written All Time Low for myself and then my record label at the time wasn’t ready to release but The Wanted lads loved it and I said ‘Hey, it is going to a good home so have it’. So that is really what has kept me in the industry through all the record label problems.
From then on people hear that you write a good song for someone else and then everyone wants in. Glad You Came and Lightning came about and then I got asked to write on Olly’s album and I also have other things in the pipeline.
- While you have had all this experience how great was it to finally get in the studio and star work on tracks for your own album?
It has been an ongoing thing really as there are songs on this record that are from day one - from 2009/2010 until present day it is a full range of my best songs over the past few years.
It has been an ongoing process of writing through the good days and the bad and the bad times that I have had with record labels and the good times I have had with me own song writing.
I have always been continuously writing for my own album which means I am over the moon with it now and I am happy with all every song on it. I think it will make people happy (laughs).
- Speaking of that debut album what can we expect from it in terms of sound?
I am a sucker for traditional pop so I love Rod Stewart, The Eagles, The Police, Elton John - so really big and melodic songs. That is kind of what comes out in my writing through my influences and so I am very melodic and I like to tell a story.
I think people will relate to a lot to them and they are catchy as well but without being too throwaway. There are some big epic songs on there, more organic songs but all still very traditional and old school pop.
- Have you been working with any producers for the album or have you been doing that of things yourself as well?
I do co-produce in terms of getting involved… I can’t push the buttons but I know what it is that I want. I have made some great friends including Future Cut, they did all of Lily Allen’s album, Tim Powell who did lots of stuff for Girls Aloud - just some really good people.
These are people who I also get along with socially as well and so that makes it all the more enjoyable and easy.
- How important is it for you to be hands on in the producing side of making a record?
It is kind of something that I don’t even think about, I just do. I suppose it is kind of like driving a car or flying a plane I would much rather be the one at the helm and leading it myself.
When you are a new songwriter or a new artist you sometimes don’t feel like you have the right to tell people ‘oh I like this’, but you do as it is my career and I follow it every step of the way - even into the financial and business side of things. I just need to make sure that it is going down the right route.
- So how did you get into music in the first place?
There is an operatic society in my town and my mum and dad took me along to one of those when I was about eight and I just remember fancying all of the girls up on stage. So that was my decision made I was like ‘I am joining as soon as I am old enough’ - I think that you had to be ten.
I loved singing, performing and acting and I went on to a dance college after leaving school at sixteen. So it was always going to be something with me centre of attention (laughs).
-And with the single and album release on the horizon are we going to be seeing you out on the road?
Yes, we are going to be looking for s support tour at the end of the year; there are a few options open. I am going to be doing some little intimate gigs for some competition winners as well.
If all goes well this year we might have our own Ed Drewett tour next year but I am just taking it one day at a time.
- You are focusing on solo stuff at the moment but are we going to see you continue to write for other people? Are there some collaborates with other artists in the pipeline?
Completely. It is sometimes quite difficult to balance the two sides on it; if I was a full time songwriter I would be able to concentrate on that fully and vice versa. But it’s good because it keeps my options open for all eventualities.
I am going to be getting involved in the One Direction Project this year, which should be great, but who anyone who wants to write with me or people I am draw to I would love to write with them. It is going to be an exciting year.
- Finally what is next for you over the next couple of months?
The next couple of months are going to be getting the video back for Drunk Dial - which I cannot wait to see. I will be pushing Drunk Dial and getting it out there and it is released next month.
Then it will be seeing where it goes from there and if it doesn’t blow up it will be a stepping stone on to the next thing - which will probably be a single release soon after.
It is good now having control of it and take the next move as I see fit - having control is nice for once (laughs).
Drunk Dial is released 10th March.