Former Redfaces frontman Harry Lyon talks to to Moosik about his debut solo single.

We spoke to Harry Lyon about debut single 'Beginning of the End', the current state of the music industry and next single, 'Gemini'

How does it feel to finally have your debut single ‘Beginning of the End’ out?

To be honest, it’s weird because I’ve spent so much time waiting for it, now it’s out I feel like, what do I do now? I’m really excited, I’ve had a lot of nice feedback from it, and I’m up to like 4,000 streams on spotify which is miles more than I expected since I’ve not got money to put behind it. I’ve loved it, but it’s weird putting music out there on my own, after having done it with a band for so long.

How have you found the reaction to the track despite COVID-19 and not being able to promote it in the usual way?

When we went into quarantine, I told myself I’d try to be better online, since its not my strong point, so I tried to push everything through social media, posting on Instagram, which has gone well, although I’d have loved to have played live, and seen the reaction to the track that way.

How did you find writing the solo song different to when you had a band behind you?

I bought some recording equipment towards the end of Redfaces, when we could see it coming to an end fairly soon, and I started writing demos, to a decent standard at home, so I’d written a song on my own, and it was a strange experience, but I’d had experience writing music on my own before Redfaces came to an end. I wrote ‘Beginning of the end’ in that period at the end of the band, when we knew it was coming to an end, 3 months prior to the announcement, and it felt like my most honest portrayal of my work. I enjoyed having the freedom to do what I want with less voices having an opinion. Weirdly I do prefer writing on my own, even though I loved writing with the band, I feeel like I’ve finally hit my stride.

Does that mean you’ve got more tunes in your locker?

Yeah I’ve got about 25/30 songs written, purely for me, I’ve got another single I think I’ll put out in 4/5 weeks time. I wanted to make the most of lockdown by getting a lot written and gain some traction online before going back out into the world.

With over 20 songs written, do we have an album on the way?

Personally, I think yes, I think I could compile them into an album, but I don’t know when that would be able to be recorded or released, all I know is that I’ve got a body of work I can be proud of.

Are these other tracks more like ‘beginning of the end’ or have we got some variety?

I went slightly more pop and electro on that song, like MGMT vibes, and Gemini, the next track I’m gonna put out is even more poppy, there’s a more focus on the groove of the songs. I’ve got a few more pop songs along with some more old school, guitar tracks. I’ve never liked the idea of writing to a theme or genre, I just write a song and if its good its good. I feel like everything I write has more of a purpose and it fits together quite nicely.

You put a playlist on spotify with the tunes that inspired ‘Beginning of the end’ and they’re an eclectic mix from Ariana Grande to Mark Ronson, Pulp and Tame Impala and strangely you can see where each inspiration has left it’s mark on the song.

That’s really good, I’m glad you’ve said that, and it doesn’t feel like a stretch. The Ariana Grande records more recently, I love the production on those, as I find myself producing a lot more. I grew up on Pulp as a Sheffield lad, so that will always be there, and will never not be a part of my music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2H4u9h25fA

Who would you cite as your biggest influences in music in general?

When I started, I loved Mcfly! Then that spurred me onto guitar music like Oasis and Arctic Monkeys, and the only guitar bands that have stuck with me are Supergrass, the Strokes and The Smiths. I don’t really listen to much guitar music anymore.

For such a young lad, you’ve got loads of experience in music and a lot of talent, how do you use this to your advantage?

My experience of being in a band, and getting signed is valuable, it all happened so quickly. We were signed to Sony RCA, I told them I was 15 but I was 14, the other lads were 17, but we didn’t release a song for a couple of years, and having that experience of too much too young, has made me more confident and I’ll stick to my instincts now and I can now tell when someone’s not being honest with you, which you get a lot in the industry, saying things just to please you, I feel more matured in that sense. Plus, playing live is a much less daunting task having done it, compared to what it would be for others just starting a solo career, so I can have much more fun with that.

What advice would you give to someone trying to put out there first single?

The song has got to be right. You’ve got to be proud of what you’ve done, that’s the main thing. Be honest with your music as well, don’t try and sound like somebody, writing something you think will be successful rather than something you actually like. Be your own biggest fan, if you don’t think your music’s great, chances are nobody else will either. Be a genuinely nice person is a really good place to start as well.

As an emerging artist, how do you feel COVID 19 will impact you specifically, and the industry you’re only just beginning to make a name in?

People working at labels, producers, managers and music journalists like yourselves, are in a state of scramble tryinbg to get everytrhing back on track, albums and tours back to normal, so I don’t think we’ll see much new music for the time being. The possible one good thing that could come from this is new music after this, when its all over, since people have time and freedom to write. Although saying that, I’ve felt quite uninspired, to write because I’ve not been doing anything or going anywhere. But who knows, nobody can tell.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

It’s something I try not to think about, otherwise I’ll get carried away, and I’ll overanalyse things too much. I’d like to have an album out that has had some success, that is the most I could ask for right now and I’d be genuinely happy with that, and maybe having toured it. If in 5 years, I’d had an album out that I was proud of, and toured it I’d be happy.

Harry Lyon's debut single 'Beginning of the end' is available to stream across streaming platforms.