With a passion for music ever since he was a child, Luke Howard is an Australian artist hoping for success with second solo album 'Two Places', relaced later this year in April.
Luke Howard
We put some questions to Luke about his music, what we should expect from him going ahead and more.
For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?
A soundtrack without the movie.
How difficult would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?
Making a career in the arts has always been difficult and it's not different now - [there are] many more opportunities to reach an audience but [it's] a lot harder to make their attention stick. As always, the best thing to do is just to try to make the best work you can.
How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce?
Pretty important. I think for one reason or another I'm used to working by myself, and also it's satisying seeing projects through all the way from inception to the final thing. But I do love collaborating with others and it's something I hope to do more of in the future.
Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?
From other music of all genres, but lately classical chamber and orchestral music, both contemporary and past. I like the simpler, applied visual arts. I am a big fan of the Swiss designers Max Bill and Josef Müller-Brockmann for example.
If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?
Sure I'd love to work with someone like Jon Hopkins but, more realistically, I look forward to doing more with my local bunch of friends, such as producer Tim Shiel and singer/songwriter Ben Abraham. Our first project was a version of Bjork's 'Hyperballad'.
Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.
I once made Brian Eno lunch and it was the first time I'd cooked fish. (That says more about my culinary skills than my age.)
Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?
Only that I'll be able to keep doing this for a long time, and to keep being challenged.
Where do you hope to be this time next year?
I'm all about incremental progress - would be happy to be in the same place, with a few more people listening to my music, and having learnt a few more things about writing it.
What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?
The first half of this year has quite a lot of music being released, the biggest work being this record of course. Apart from that, a few gigs in Melbourne - doing something for Piano Day (a celebration of my favourite instrument!) and of course launching this new record. I hope to get to Europe later in the year.