In this interview spotlight, I chat with Bliss Williams about the latest music, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
I live in North London and make all kinds of music, from folk to disco. But the music I’m releasing at the moment tends to be funky, sad, dreamy, soulful, guitar-based pop. I’m loyal to no genre though; I just want to make music I’m proud of and be free to work on whatever interests me.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to keep going?
I picked up the guitar at age 10 and from day one it’s been my primary obsession. Nothing in particular motivates me, other than the need to play – if I didn’t release music, I’d still be making it. I don’t know why, but since I picked up the guitar I’ve always had the urge to write my own music, rather than learn other people’s (although I did a fair bit of that too). Even before music came along, I always wanted to draw something.
What inspired your latest single, ‘Falling For You’? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
I never sit down and write about anything deliberately. I normally have a guitar part or some chords floating around and a melody presents itself after a while. My nonsensical wailing then tends to morph into words eventually. With ‘Falling For You’, I suppose I wanted to capture the essence of unrequited love (I’ve always prided myself on my originality) but I didn’t realise this until after the fact.
Name one or two challenges you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age? How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
Technology has helped me enormously in that I can record whatever I want at home on my laptop – it has never been easier to get your ideas down. That being said, I’m not a fan of social media, which seems to be considered the be-all-and-end-all these days. Sadly, terms like ‘content creator’ are used all too often in the musical realm. It used to be so much more special…
What was the last song you listened to?
‘Rubber Band’ by The Trammps – it’ll break your heart, if you’ve managed to keep it intact thus far.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
You can’t beat the sound quality of vinyl, but on an average day you’ll find me scrolling through Spotify like every other chump in town.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
As a listener, I prefer Spotify, but I’d like it a lot more if they put me on a playlist. Bandcamp is much kinder to artists, though.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
Follow me on Spotify and on Instagram (@blisswilliamsmusic) – you’ll never miss a new release and you can help me bump up my rate for sponsored posts.
Anything else before we sign off?
I’m flogging Cameo videos for £10 a pop at the moment (special discount for IMD readers) – strike while the iron is hot.
