Glaswegian singer songwriter Luke Marshall Black is preparing to release his heartfelt debut single, Losing Sleep, out now via Prospect 21.
Exploring themes of heartbreak, lost relationships and the yearning that comes with such a loss, Losing Sleep embodies the sadness involved in a break up. Taking an emotionally powerful slant, the track celebrates the intense nature of a connection between two people in love. Losing Sleep is an earnest, passionate song led by Luke’s charming, reflective vocals, neatly knitted together by poignant piano segments and layered harmonized vocals.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Luke about his latest release, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
I’ve always loved live instrumentation and organic sounds from old records whilst being a big fan of modern pop bangers. So I guess those influences have shaped the sound I’ve ended up with. Hopefully somewhere in between Paolo Nutini and Adele. I think my new single ‘Losing Sleep’ sits somewhere there.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
It’s just what I’ve always done. I’ve always loved playing instruments and listening to music 24/7 so when it came to choosing a career I didn’t feel like I really had many options. It wasn’t even about a career its just about how to spend the hours in the day. Nothing seemed more worthwhile than creating music, everything else seemed really boring to me. Pushing it out to the public is just about sharing something you’ve worked really hard on! Money would be a nice plus too.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
I listen to loads of artists and always find little influences creeping into my music but the main thing I try and do to stay inspired is just to remain present to the things that are happening in my life and write honestly about them. That way I know I’m always doing something that feels original and is true to my experience of the world. My tastes in genre are always moving as I find new stuff but I’ve always been drawn to good lyricism. Hip-hop artists are always inspiring me to strive to write better and be cleverer with my words.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Yeah, I was trying to write honestly about my experiences in a way that was relatable. It’s easy to write in a very self absorbed ‘poor me’ way but with this project I wanted to take the heartbreak I was feeling and express it in a way that people could relate to. I wanted the songs to be really strong individual pieces of work and to do that I also wanted to work with great producers and I’ve been really lucky to be able to do that with this project.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was ‘Own Light (what hearts are for)’ by Brother Ali. He’s fucking brilliant.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I mainly stream music but if it’s a special album I’ll buy the vinyl. I love seeing the artwork in that large form.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Haha I’m 50/50 Spotify/Apple Music. They’re just great accessible platforms and it’s super cheap when you think about it isn’t it? It’s a great time for accessibility of music.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
I think the challenge is to find your space in the musical landscape. There’s so much music out there it’s hard to be individual and work out where you fit. But that challenge is part of the fun. I don’t have a big label pummelling loads of money into my releases which makes it harder to get the music heard but the fact that there’s so many challenges to work around and different aspects to releasing music is also part of why I love it so I can’t complain.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
The best place to connect with me is Instagram or Facebook. My new single ‘Losing Sleep’ is available on all streaming platforms.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Get streaming.
