We’ve been playing out Pain from The Used Notes on various shows recently – and we caught up with Notes to find out a little bit more about himself and his music …

Tell us a little bit about your yourself?

I am nicknamed ‘Notes’ (of ‘The Used Notes’) and am the songwriter, mix engineer and producer for all my songs. The Used Notes is a mystery band and the idea stemmed from my love of radio as a child and love of the wonderful songs I would hear. Not once did I wonder who the people singing were or what they wore or what they thought outside of the lyrics of the songs. I felt personally connected to each of those songs and their meaning was only relevant to me. That’s the connection I’d like listeners to have with my songs.

When did you first start to develop a passion for music?

My listening growing up was pop music – from soul, pop, funk, disco, early rap etc and never at the time thought to distinguish between genres. Music for me was just songs and how much or little I liked them.

What music have you recorded and released to date?

To date I’ve released 10 songs and each one has it’s own story and motivation. I tend to do a video for each song whether I’m promoting it or not as it then adds narrative for those who don’t relate personally.

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

I tend to still listen to older music alongside new songs. Some of the artists I listen to are: Bob Dylan, James Brown, Coldplay, Blur, Gorillaz, Carpenters, Adele, Nora Jones, The Staple Singers, Chic, Rag and Bone man, Gnarls Barkley, Lupe Fiasco, Stevie Wonder, MJ, Marvin Gaye and various Motown, Beatles, David Gray, The Verve, Craig David, Abba, Blondie, Beyonce … and the list goes on and on. More a fan of songs not artists (with very few exceptions)

I’d say my work is influenced by a mix of artists but think I’m fortunate not to have the musical background to make the influences too prominent.

Who would your dream collaboration be with?

My dream collaboration would be with Paolo Nutini, Alicia Keys or John Legend I think.

What are your plans for the future?

My plan for the future is really to continue making music and push to reach more of the audience which will connect to it. The listener is the final piece after all 🙂

Where can we find out more about you?

You can find The Used Notes on Facebook, Spotify and YouTube.