Interview: Up and Coming Music Artist – FØNX

FØNX is an up and coming music artist from the UK that everyone should keep their eyes (& ears) on. His latest single ‘Come On Over’ was recently released and it’s absolutely incredible. With a jazzy, pop, soul vibe, it truly is a bop with a nostalgic feel to it. I was lucky enough to have a chat with him about his influences, his music and his life, and I can’t wait for ya’ll to learn more about him. He’s a lovely, humble musician with the drive to make music his own way. Read on for more from FØNX.

• Can you introduce yourself and tell us where you’re from?

  I’m FØNX and I’m from the UK. I currently live in a town by the sea not too far from Brighton.

• How would you describe your sound?

  I’d describe my sound as soulful guitar-driven, lyrical music with hints of RnB and Jazz.

• When did you first realize you wanted to be a musician?

  I’ve always wanted to be an artist from a young age when I was listening to Eminem and writing lyrics at school. I then moved on from that and very slowly found my voice and starting song writing. I think it’s always something I’ve wanted to pursue but once I got into The Brit School some years later to study music that was when I said to myself this is what I’m going to pursue now 100%.

• When did you begin writing songs?
  
  I was always writing lyrics and making backing tracks from an early age but I think I probably wrote my first ‘proper’ song when I was about 14 – which nobody ever has to hear!

• What is your songwriting process like?

  Always random. I’ve gone through phases of being obsessed with the production of songs and thinking I’ve got to be creating the most cutting edge thing you’ve ever heard to be noticed. But, I think I’ve learned now that longevity comes from the song writing not what synths you’re using, and people connect with ‘songs’ more than anything else so I’m baring that in mind when I write now.

  I’m always recording notes into my phone with ideas so usually this is how I get ideas rolling for songs or themes.

• Who has influenced you musically (& personally)?

  Many artists, but I’d say of late John Mayer, George Benson and D’Angelo have influenced me just in terms of being inspired by their music and their musicianship.

  My Dad has also been a big influence with introducing me to so many amazing artist’s and albums over the years. He’s also a musician so there’s always been a constant stream of music playing around me.

• What is your favorite song to perform live?

  At the moment it’s a brand new song I’ve written called ‘Feels For You’ as it was inspired by someone I met recently. It’s always your latest creation that is your favourite as it’s new and exciting. I actually performed this song live for the first time while the person who inspired this song was in the audience…bit nerve-racking!

• Your latest release, ‘Come On Over,’ has a mellow, jazzy, R&B vibe to it & talks about heartbreak and the struggle to move on from a relationship. How important is it for you to pour personal experiences into your songwriting and maybe drawing from the experiences of others to relate to your audience?

  It’s hugely important for me as I really don’t want to be singing songs that don’t mean anything to me. I’ve had people push me to write songs quickly in the past and you just end up writing fictitious stories which mean nothing to you and at the end of the day and I’d much prefer to know exactly why I wrote a song and who was in my mind while writing it. So I’m just taking my time and when I feel strongly enough about something I’ll write about it.

• Do you have any upcoming projects we should keep our eyes (& ears) open for?

  I will be releasing a new single in the not too distant future which I’m very excited about as this one is definitely more upbeat than ‘Come on Over’ and I’m also busy working on an EP which I plan to release in the New Year. I’m producing the EP myself so this is taking a lot of time and patience and is something I’ve never done with the FØNX project before.

• Where can everyone find you online?

  You can find me on all usual social media and stores but if you’re on Spotify go follow me there and if you use Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, you can also find me there at /fonxmusic.