Pigeon Opinion Featuring an Interview with Martin Tennant

Interview with Martin Tennant

(^)> What inspired you to begin your official release journey with this debut single?

I have always loved music. Listening to music, playing music on my guitar, singing. I especially love writing music. Its kinda my calling, you know… I even studied music at the University of the Highlands & Islands in Perth years ago. I also teach guitar and piano evening classes as a way to make money.. Music is a big part of my life and… there isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t engage with it in some way.

Honestly, I probably would’ve started releasing music years ago if it weren't for the Covid-19 lockdown and a lack of access to high quality recording equipment. Now that I have my own studio set up at home and have mastered the basics in music production, I’ve finally started what I hope will be an long journey of writing and sharing my own music with the world.

(^)> How has growing up in Scotland shaped your sound and songwriting perspective?

When I was growing up, my parents exposed me to a lot of music. They used to put it on in their stereo CD player (this was the 90s and early 2000s. No smartphones or streaming) So thanks to them, I listened to a lot of songs by The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, The Police, The Eagles. Basically anything from the late 60s onwards. But as I found out pretty quickly, Scotland has a lot of well-renowned bands and artists from rock to pop to indie. There’s bands like Travis, The Proclaimers, Simple Minds, Big Country, Texas. Solo artists like Annie Lennox, Paolo Nutini and others. If they were Scottish and they were good, you can be sure they were playing either in my house or in the car.

Later on, as I started to develop my own music taste, I discovered artists like Biffy Clyro, Amy MacDonald, KT Tunstall and… of course… the one and only Calvin Harris. All these artists who helped me develop my love for music and shape the sound of my own unique perspective on songwriting.

I’ve also been to a lot of gigs and festivals throughout my life. Scotland has always had a thriving live music scene, especially in the summer when the festivals are on. I’ve been to the likes of T in the Park, Transmit, The Highland Show and countless smaller gigs. I have always been surrounded by music growing up and for me, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of watching a band play live and hearing the crowd singing the words to a song. Its absolutely amazing! Sometimes I think to myself… oh, I wish I could be up there too!

(^)> Which personal experiences most strongly influenced the emotions behind your music?

My songwriting inspirations comes from various different places and experiences. No one song is exactly the same as the other, but generally, I would say it comes from a personal place. I usually try to write about how I feel in the moment when I’m writing. Doesn’t matter what its about - a specific feeling, a memory or maybe a past experience from years ago, I find when I focus on how I feel about something in the here and now and how I may address it, the lyrics and music are more genuine. Writing from a true and honest place is very important to me. I want whoever is listening or reading my lyrics to feel something.

Forgotten Son (for example) is about a certain period in my life where I felt uncertain and slightly insecure about myself and the direction my life was going. Wondering where to go in a complex and confusing world. Despite this though, there is a kinda sense of hope and optimism. That uplifting feeling the song has, signifies a sign of better things to come in the future.

Its deeply personal, but also relatable in a way I hope will resonate with others.

(^)> How do you balance nostalgic 90s indie influences with modern production choices?

My music tastes lies somewhere between the sound of a band playing together in a room, making great music and… that highly produced, modern sound that is more associated with music made over the past 20 years or so. I really love the sound of highly produced music with lots of clarity in the mix, but at the same time, some of the best music I’ve heard in my life comes from previous decades. Ii’m talking like… between the 60s and 90s. There’s just something about the way music was written back then in a time before the internet and home studios that seams special to me. Like more genuine, much more authentic.

But I do appreciate the bigger sonic sound and clarity of modern music. I wanted to take the best of both worlds and try to create something that feels modern in its production but with the authenticity of classic indie rock from the past. I guess that’s why some people have told me that Forgotten Son sounds nostalgic to them.

(^)> What themes of identity and self-reflection feel most urgent for you to explore right now?

Right now, I would say the most urgent ones for me would be like - Search for self; Growth & transformation; Finding a sense of belonging and self acceptance.

I think these themes reflect the general mood of Forgotten Son because it is essentially about reflecting on past mistakes and the insecurities that come with it. Self-reflection can be difficult. It can be very uncomfortable at times, but it helps you grow into a better version of yourself and move on from the past.

I think everyone at some point goes through a phase in their lives where they look back on their past and try to discover a new version of themselves to find purpose and happiness. That’s a powerful thing and one that I can say I’ve been through. That’s why I wrote the song.

(^)> What does vulnerability in songwriting mean to you in practice?

That’s a good question because for years, I didn’t know myself. I was just trying to figure out how to write a good enough song. One that I hoped people would like a little bit and hopefully not cringe at. haha

I guess nowadays when I’m writing a song, I try to write from a personal place or draw inspiration from someone else. It has to be something that I can put my own thoughts and feelings into it. I find when I do that, the songs I write sound more authentic, more honest.

Being true to yourself as a songwriter I think is so… so important. People will only connect to a song if it feels to them like it comes from a real place. Songwriting is a very personal thing, just like writing in a private diary is personal and private. The only difference is that once you’ve played one of your songs to other people, its no longer private. People you know and don’t know are now listening to your thoughts and feelings. It can be quite scary sometimes, but its a beautiful thing when people connect to it!

(^)> How are you building your sound independently as an emerging artist?

Over the past few years, I have been building my own home studio set up in my bedroom. I’ve also been learning and applying the skills necessary record, produce, mix and master my own music at home. It took a long time, but I finally have the space, set up, equipment and know how to make professional sounding music. Something which has been difficult for me to achieve in the past. Thankfully, we now live in an age where you don’t have to spend a lot of money or even go to college to create music. You can just get what you need and learn it yourself. And you know what… I absolutely love making music. Its probably the most fun I have these days.

(^)> What can listeners expect from your upcoming debut album?

Well… I do plan on releasing a full-length album at some point. Hopefully within the year. But right now I’m focusing on releasing singles as I work towards building a fanbase. What I can tell you though is that I have loads of songs already written and waiting to be properly produced at home for a full album. I’m not short of material, its just a case of when I’m gonna do it and when I get enough people interested in what I’m doing. The album will likely have a vibe that is similar to Forgotten Son, similar energy and mood with a the occasional slower song in there as well. If you’re someone who likes indie rock music, you’ll wanna listen to my upcoming debut album.

(^)> How are you preparing for your first live performances?

At the moment, I haven’t got many gigs lined up. Just the odd local gig and open mics. I do plan on looking into finding more places to play. If I could get myself the chance to play at a music festival in the near future, that would be amazing. I Will be starting to go live on YouTube and Facebook more often once my first single is out, so for the time being, the best way to come and see me play live is to watch my live streams or come to my home town.

(^)> What do you hope listeners feel when they hear your music for the first time?

Its not really something I’ve thought about the much to be honest. Everyone response differently to a song… you know what I mean? Its hard to know exactly how people will receive the song. But I certainly hope they will respond to it well and want to listen to it again and again and maybe… that’ll lead to them wanting more music from me. I hope they will feel just as connected to the mood and message of the song as I do. If I can make one person happy by listing to the song, that would be wonderful to me.

(^)> How do atmosphere and storytelling work together in your creative process?

Well… Its not like I plan out what kind of atmosphere or mood the song will have when I’m writing. It usually manifests itself after I’ve finished making the song. I usually have a first demo version or rough recording of the song and then I’ll use that to make a fully produced version on my computer. Forgotten Son was no different.

As for storytelling, as I’ve mentioned before I mostly draw from either personal experience or other people’s experience. They usually hear about from them and the best ones normally stick with me. Long enough to write about them. I believe that the best stories in songwriting comes directly from people’s lived experience, its also the most relatable in my opinion, so I tend to lean towards that when I’m writing.

(^)> What defines your artistic vision as Martin Tennant moving forward?

Being true to myself and not letting others define who I am. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life so far, its that no one can tell you how to behave, how to live your live. That is your choice. No matter how hard difficult life can get sometimes, always be yourself and be happy and comfortable in your own skin. Its the best way to live your life and the best way to be unique as an artist.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Martin Tennant on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist