By: Staff
With so many artists to experience, every so often, an artist emerges with a voice that feels like it’s carved straight from the heart of emotion itself; one that’s raw, authentic, and deeply moving.
The artist Joe Chown has a way of combining the rebellious energy of punk with the soul-stirring storytelling of folk, creating songs that linger in your mind long after the final note fades.
The latest release by Chown, “The Great White North”, is a powerful journey through fleeting moments and untold emotions. A song that hums with nostalgia, fueled by electric energy and a depth that will leave you feeling connected to this artist through emotion and commonplace circumstances.
We had the privilege of talking with this incredible talent to discuss their creative process, their journey from playing small-town venues to gracing major festival stages, and the inspiration behind this latest track. If you’re ready to uncover the story behind one of the most exciting emerging artists today, read our exclusive interview below.
Begin Interview:
Hello Joe Chown, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more excited to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
Q. Is your stage name your given name and what led you to choose this method of connecting your artistry with fans?
A. It is indeed my given name, although my advice to anyone starting a solo project now would be to use a different name from your own/use a band name. It’s much easier to market and it makes your merch look cooler.
Q. For this latest release, “The Great White North”, we absolutely loved the opening guitar section of the song, it’s so energetic and uplifting, setting the perfect tone. Your vocal delivery is truly unique, with its raspy, exhilarating cadence that left us thoroughly impressed. The song feels deeply personal and emotionally charged. Could you tell us more about its inspiration? Is it based on a real-life experience?"
A. Thank you for the kind words. The energetic feel was definitely something I was aiming for, my songwriting tends to slip into a melancholic form by default but I love listening to and performing more upbeat songs. The song was written about someone I’d met and connected with in a different country but knowing it was possible I’d never see them again. I’m slightly hesitant to go any deeper than that, mostly because I feel that once the song has been released, its not really up to me as to what it’s about anymore, and its inspiration becomes slightly redundant. But my real-life experiences do tend to appear in my songs in one way or another.
Q. We’d love to hear about your songwriting process. Where do you feel most inspired to write, and how do you typically approach creating the foundational musical arrangements?
A. I try and take inspiration from everywhere, especially the normal everyday world, so I don’t really have a geographical location that I’d associate with feeling inspired, nor a set process. I did read somewhere that Nick Cave gets up in the morning, puts on a suit and tie, picks up his briefcase and heads out to an office space to write songs, treating it like a 9-5 job. Although no where near as regimented as that, I have been trying to be a little more ordered in how I write songs lately, rather than sitting around waiting for inspiration to strike me like I did when I was younger.
Q. Which instrument typically serves as the foundation for your songs, and how does it influence the overall mood and direction of the final sound?
A. All my songs are written with a guitar as it's the only instrument I have any serious skill with. I am aware of how other instruments can steer your songwriting in different directions though, so it's definitely something I want to expand on. I heard an interview with Sheryl Crow recently and she spoke about writing songs on a bass guitar, something I’d never thought of, so maybe I’ll give that a go.
Q. We read about all the types of venues you perform at, from small bars to festivals. What is the difference between the feel and sensation you get from the crowds when playing these two totally different types of venues?
A. I think smaller venues force a real authentic and personal experience for the audience that people really love, which probably comes as much from the fact I was having a beer with you before I started playing as it is the size of the room. Playing festivals and larger places is always amazing and gives you a chance to play in front of a whole new group of people, but I’m always aware that I need to try my best to replicate that human connection thats found in my local bar, which can sometimes be difficult. I love playing both, but they are different experiences.
Q. We saw your live cover on IG and WOW what an amazing cover of Teenage Dreams by Katy Perry! We loved your raspy vocals and terrific changeup of the presentation of the song. You say you started singing at 13, When did you first realize you had this talent and what was a defining moment for you to move forward and record your voice for the world to hear?
A. The Katy Perry cover was kind of a rip off from the cover The Horrible Crows did, so I cant take any credit for the stylistic change. There’s a lot of pop songs out there that have genuinely great lyrics, which is something I didn’t think was true as a teenager, but Teenage Dreams is definitely one of them.
I started performing live at 13, but I was singing some time before that. Honestly, I don’t think I ever thought I had talent, I just had blind confidence in what I was doing and just kind of ran head first through that wall. I grew up listening to punk rock, so I took more of a DIY/working mans approach to it.
Q. Your music feels deeply authentic and personal. How do you balance creating for yourself and creating for your audience?
A. I think if you focus on creating for yourself, the audience will connect with it more. It’s a strange thing, but the more personally you write about yourself, the more people seem to relate to it. As long as you're being honest and authentic and making the music that you want to make, your crowd will find you.
Q. If you could go back and give the version of yourself who made your last release a piece of advice, what would it be?
A. I kind of have a million pieces of advice, but also kind of none at all. My last release came out a few years ago now and some of the songwriting in it is really bad, and the production and recording of it is absolutely horrendous. But I was working with what limited equipment and knowledge I had and at the time I thought that that was the absolute best I could do, so I’d be hesitant to say there was much more I could have done at the time with my limited resources.
Q. Do you have a favorite song from your early years of listening to music that you would like to cover in the studio and release that makes you feel connected to who you are as an artist today?
A. Yeah, loads. I really like the idea of covering a Townes van Zandt song as I feel he could have been remembered as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, if he hadn’t shot himself in the foot so much. ‘Pancho and Lefty’ was the first song I ever played in front of a crowd so maybe I’d say that one, though that would put me on a very long list of people that’ve covered that song.
Q. What’s one fun or surprising fact about you that fans might not know?
A. I started to learn how to properly play chess a few years ago and I’ve gotten to a point now I’m actually pretty good. That surprises a lot of people, some of my closest friends don’t know that.
Q. In a world where the music industry can be demanding, have you ever faced moments where you questioned continuing? What motivates you to push through those moments?
A. It’s a hard time to be an independent artist right now and continuing to try and force my way into the music industry is something I question everyday. But my motivation is that I don’t really have a choice, I love playing music and I’m at the point now where it's all I really know how to do, so I just have to keep trying.
Q. If you could make one change in the music industry to support emerging artists like yourself, what would it be?
A. I think the struggles that independent music venues are facing in the UK right now is super worrying. I’ve seen that some bigger bands are donating £1 of every ticket they sell to the Music Venue Trust, but I’d like to see the bigger corporate companies in the industry being forced to contribute more financially to grassroots music.
Q. Which top 3 live music venues or festivals are on your bucket list to perform at?
A. I’ve never played Boardmasters, which is the biggest festival in my county, so I’ll start off with that one. I’ll also go with The Underworld in London and King Tut’s in Glasgow. I know they're not the most ambitious of targets, but they’re the venues that the bands I grew up listening to played.
Q. So, what’s next? Can you share the full details on your future projects and what fans should be excited about? We’re hearing about more releases, and we’d love to be the first to announce it!
A. I don’t have anything particularly precise to announce just yet, but there will definitely be new music this year, and hopefully lots more shows.
Joe Chown, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared Joe Chown’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!
Check out this latest release and listen to more on Spotify & YouTube
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