This time on NAS 10 Questions, we get to know Blue Scarr,an indie electro and commercial EDM musician who believes more in the "...emotion of the track rather than its genre. Music is a feeling, a movement."
The track "Rectify" is featured in the New Artist Spotlight Family of Playlists.
Link To New Artist Spotlight Playlists:
1. Tell us a little about where you are from and what you are currently doing.
Hello. I'm from Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. I live in the suburbs about 8 miles away from the city centre in a more rural setting. I am a qualified Lawyer and work in Manchester City Centre for one of the largest law firms in the UK and globally. I'm currently writing and producing music as a side hustle.
2. What inspired you to start playing and making music?
I have always been interested in the composition of music. I always liked to disect the sounds in my head and work out what was going on. As a teen I learned to play the piano and guitar and performed in a very amateur band at University. As an adult I got out of the habit of playing and probably didn't touch a guitar for 10 years. During the pandemic I started playing around on a DAW and realised that I enjoyed this. I remixed a track and felt it was OK, but could be better. So I just kept on going. One day I decided to set up a soundcloud and the reviews I was getting were awesome so I looked into the whole Spotify thing, and here I am!
𝟯. Who are your biggest influences?
As a teen it has to be Basement Jaxx, The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. Their chaotic brands of electronic music still influence me now. On my new album 'Masking' (out 4th October) there is a track called Abala, which is heavily inspired by Basement Jaxx. My guitar playing was heavily influenced by Brit Pop heroes like Oasis, Ash, Pulp, Blur, but I always loved the American bands like Green Day and Weezer. These days a huge influence on my music has been Deadmou5, DJ Snake, Zedd.
4. What are your goals in the music industry?
I just want to connect and be a positive influence to people. It's not about money for me, as unless I have an unexpected mega hit, it will never replace the day job. I just want to have fun and make friends. I take great satisfaction in helping other artists. Eventually I can see myself taking a back seat approach but working with new artists, getting their songs up and out. That would be sweet.
5. Tell us about your creative process when you make new music.
I don't really have any set rituals or habits. I quite enjoy making the music on the go. Some of my best work has come about in totally unexpected circumstances. I have a track out called Truck, which now has over 20,000 streams. It was largely made in the car park at ALDI. I remember because my laptop was lagging and I mistimed the kick, but it actually turned out way better. One of my tracks I mainly wrote in the kitchen at work. I often do spend hours playing with notes, and loops just waiting for that 'right' sound
6. What is your all-time favorite song?
Contrary to everything i said above about my influences, it has to be Creep by Radiohead. As a kid in the early 90s it was probably the first song i heard and thought 'wow'.
7. What is the best advice you have either given or received in terms of music?
The best advice I've received and this is something I also pass on is 'everyone can have a bad day or bad song' you know when you spend hours on something and you hear it back and it's rubbish. I say don't give up.on it. Sleep on it. Get fresh ears and have a listen a week or so later. Sometimes that space is what that hook, lyric, melody needs. Also a great piece of advice is "be nice to everybody".
8. Proudest accomplishment?
I recently released Rectify with my friend Ariel Petrie. She is based in Canada so we had to do it long distance. We have produced an amazing track together and I'm so proud of our work. Ariel wrote the melody and lyrics and sat on the demo for years. The song is so personal for her and I'm so proud of her for getting it out there.
9. Just for fun! What's been your most embarrassing moment so far?
I once tried doing a tiktok live and was screen sharing my phone playing some of my tunes. At the same time one of my WhatsApp groups was going mental with notifications that kept going on the screen. And I had no idea what to do. Luckily hardly anyone was watching 🤣. Safe to say I deleted that one.
𝟭0. Tell us about your lowest and highest points in music so far.
The high point for me is getting Rectify out there as I mentioned above. For the first time it felt like I was doing this for real. Lowest points were all in those early days. I'm pretty sure the only person who streamed my debut track on day one was me. Did a few early tiktok lives where literally no-one watched. I've moved on since Feb and March 2023 and I've learnt from the mistakes that led to those situations. I might do a tiktok live for my album... we'll see.
Stream "Rectify" now
and follow their socials
Please share this post and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!