You may have heard us playing Forehead Kiss by The Used Notes on a recent Rising Stars show – but who are The Used Notes? We caught up with them to find out more …

Tell us a little bit about your yourself?

The Used Notes is a mystery studio band and the brainchild of myself – ‘Notes’ – who writes the music and lyrics. I’ve been a music producer on and off since the nineties and started working on ‘Used Notes’ songs around six years ago.

Which artists did you listen to while growing up?

Growing up I mainly listened to mainstream radio and was influenced by a mixture of what I was exposed to. My biggest influences would probably be a lot of the 80s and 90s pop and soul music along with early rap and a lot of the music which rap sampled back then. The influences aren’t obvious in the ‘Used Notes’ songs as the aim is to create something truly original with every song.

What music have you recorded and released to date?

The Used Notes catalogue is on streaming platforms and there have been releases every year since 2019. The most popular being ‘Scream Please’, a song about mental health.

Which artists do you enjoy listening to at the moment – and do they influence your work?

Current artists I listen to are varied, I do like Rag n Bone man, Teddy Swims, Lizzo as standouts and the song I’ve listened to the most over the last year or so is Stick season by Noah Kahan. I think everything I hear influences my work but I never listen to music immediately preceding creation in case I inadvertently copy.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

The dream collaboration would be with Norah Jones or Sade, they have such great texture in their voices.

What are your plans for the future?

The plan for the future is to release music more regularly. This year there has only been the one but there’s enough material to release many more. Must allocate more time to finishing songs!

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find me on Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Spotify.