X Factor star Aidan Martin has never shied away from addressing the mistakes he made after moving to London aged 17, so it makes sense that he’s made a living out of channelling deep, dark feelings into his songs. He explains how he overcame struggles with addiction and turned his life around using music, and talks about the inspiration behind new singles, Easy and Tears .
Maita lead singer and songwriter, Maria Maita-Keppeler, tells Headliner about her creative process and the production of the band's second album I Just Want To Be Wild For You .
RMB Audio founder and owner Cooper Cannady discusses the state of the live events market in the US and his long-standing relationship with UK pro audio specialist Martin Audio.
Creating quite a legacy in the musical melting pot of Nashville, Nick Brophy is a name that deserves respect in the world of engineering and songwriting. He’s worked with The Rolling Stones, on Avril Lavigne’s game-changing debut Let Go , and even got to write a song with a 15-year-old Taylor Swift – before anyone knew who she was. We talk about the happy place he’s found writing songs for movie placements, the career highlights that spring to mind, and how Waves plugins fit into it all....
OLLO Audio founder Rok Gulič chats to engineers Kevin McCombs and William Robertson about the art of mixing over 300 stems in just one song.
Studio engineer Liam Nolan, who has worked with artists including Amy Winehouse and Paul McCartney, talks about his route into the industry, working at Metropolis Studios, and his engineering work for Adele’s album, 25 , including the single Hello – which saw him win two Grammy awards. He reveals where his Grammys are kept, and why the West London studio complex he works out of is powered largely by Genelec monitors.
Curt Smith, one half of the legendary Tears For Fears, speaks to Headliner about the band’s new album The Tipping Point – their first set of new songs in 17 years.
The Libertines co-founder Carl Barat talks the band’s upcoming anniversary tour, new material, and his solo tour in support of grassroots venues.
Freelance mixer and ADR recordist, Emma Butt, reveals what it was like to work on Game of Thrones ’ and Sex Education ’s ADR sessions, discusses her mixing and sound editing credits on Eastenders, and offers a personal insight into what the industry needs to do to encourage diversity. At the heart of her studio setup are her trusted Genelec monitors; she reveals why the brand has become a go-to for her.
L.A-based rapper and Emmy winning musician George Doman (georgetragic) gets candid about life in the music industry as someone living with Cerebral Palsy, recalling the truth about the discrimination he has faced in music studios, and why this issue is not spoken about more. He explains that musicians with disabilities face no lack of talent, but only a lack of opportunity. He recently contributed to Netflix’s Rising Phoenix documentary on the Paralympics, and explains why the project was such a...
In this Aspiring Headliner podcast sponsored by QSC, Louisa Roach of She Drew The Gun discusses her career to date and the making of the band's latest album, Behave Myself .
Esteemed BBC Radio 1 DJ, presenter and now producer Arielle Free chats to Headliner about her recently released debut single, Soul Full , featuring Joe Killington with Mortimer via Defected’s D4 DANCE label, and her excitement about returning to the stage for some big festival sets this summer.
An award-winning electronic artist and composer, Robert Koch is a trailblazer from Berlin who now makes music from Los Angeles. His music has been synced to countless TV and film trailers, which now sees him working on scores for Netflix and video games. His recent initiation into the world of transcendental meditation (where he unexpectedly met fellow electronic artist Jon Hopkins) saw him inspired to release Full Circle, an album where he deliberately removed any sense of planning or expectati...
Suzi Green, tour manager for the likes of PJ Harvey, Placebo and Katie Melua, discusses the challenges of life on the road, and her new workshop series looking at mental health, diversity and sustainability in the live music industry.
A true journeyman of the music industry, Bryan Wilson, aka Boom Dice, has done it all. Winning a Brit Award for his work on Stormzy's Gang Signs and Prayer is only skimming the surface: he releases dance music and always features the most exciting young talent, and runs Boom Dice Presents, a label which puts on events and is an opportunity for him to mentor young musicians. He talks about his latest single Extroverts, his incredible career so far, and why he's so keen to give a helping hand to y...
Composer Kevin Kiner has scored more Star Wars music than John Williams, having worked with George Lucas and Dave Filoni for over a decade. The Hawaii-based composer reflects on his work on various Star Wars projects, scoring viral Netflix documentary, Making A Murderer , and most recently, the brand new HBO show, Peacemaker – James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad spinoff show. He explains his unconventional approach to scoring the show with Clint Mansell, and why Neve preamps are at the heart of his s...
Having marked herself as one of 2022's most exciting new talents with the release of her debut EP View From The Bridge , Brixton's Etta Marcus opens up on her path into music, the creative process and her biggest music influences.
Composer duo Drum & Lace and Ian Hultquist landed the project of a lifetime when they received confirmation they would get to write the original music for Netflix’s new vampire film, Night Teeth. We talk about their slightly Orwellian experience at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, how they have both carved out a niche as synth-composers, and their approach to scoring the ultra-cool and ultra-stylistic Night Teeth .
Ella Henderson talks about the making of her long-awaited second album, Everything I Didn’t Say , led by brand new single, Brave . The singer-songwriter gets candid about her experiences after The X Factor , explains why she’s not interested in a contrived celebrity persona, and reveals what fans can expect from her new album.
Following the success of his No.1 2021 album Europiana , Jack Savoretti chats to Headliner about his Radio 2 Piano Room performance and his ever-evolving approach to songwriting.
Accomplished monitor engineer Chris Lee – who’s mixed shows for some of the biggest acts on the planet – discusses what it’s like to be back touring with the likes of J.Lo, why he can’t be without his JH Audio IEMs on the job, and offers his thoughts on the state of the live music industry in the US.
Songwriter, producer, engineer and programmer Ed Buller reflects on meeting The Psychedelic Furs (and a young Hans Zimmer) when working in a music shop in London, working with Pulp as the Britpop movement kicked off in the ‘90s, and clears up what really happened with Suede during those fraught recording sessions. Buller worked with Zimmer later in life on the soundtracks for Chappie, Little Prince, Boss Baby, Dunkirk, and the new Lion King film; he gets candid about those experiences, and revea...
One of the UK’s most in-demand producers, Mark Ralph has struck up long-term working relationships with the likes of Clean Bandit, Years & Years, and Georgia. We talk about getting his start as a sessions guitarist, doing remixes for Lady Gaga and Bloc Party, and how he once ended up at Ronnie Wood’s house for a jam session. He also discusses his work with Waves plugins: tools that he considers his go-to in a crunch session and which make his life so much easier.
Multiple Grammy award winning and nominated mix and recording engineer, Adam Hawkins reflects on working on projects as varied as 2000’s Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water by Limp Bizkit, P.I.M.P by 50 Cent, Thought Contagion by Muse and Twenty One Pilots’ Blurryface. Most recently, he has been working on the stereo and Atmos mix of Avril Lavigne’s new song, Bite Me. He explains how he approached the Atmos mix of the track, and why his immersive Genelec home studio setup is with h...
Recording and mix engineer (and AIR’s in-house engineer), John Prestage reflects on his time in the studio with Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer – working as the score recordist on 2014’s Interstellar, and more recently his work on Wes Anderson’s Isle Of Dogs and Disney's 2021 film, Cruella. Prestage explains why he uses Neve’s AIR Montserrat and 88R desks for all of his score recordist work.
Shure VP of global sales, pro audio, Peter James, speaks exclusively to Headliner about how the company is spearheading a "creative renaissance" in pro audio and the trends that will be shaping the industry in 2022.
Simon Ward, member of The Strumbellas, discusses how the song Spirits put the band on the map, and explains why in his new self-titled album he purposefully chose to present songs in their raw, undressed state – no longer disguising them behind upbeat, singalong melodies.
The senior executive team at US production company Soundworks of Virginia tell Headliner about the industry's insatiable appetite for live events, putting on shows through Covid, and the company's unique relationship with UK pro audio outfit Martin Audio.
Kathy Sledge, the youngest and founding member of iconic girl group, Sister Sledge, reflects on the group’s early days, clears up rumours about her relationship with her sisters and the suggestive lyrics in He's the Greatest Dancer, and explains why Nile Rodgers had her record the vocals for We Are Family in one take, fed to her line by line. Kathy also reveals what fans can expect from her Sister Sledge show at Indigo at The O2 on May 14 2022.
We speak to London-based singer-songwriter Cassa Jackson, who has just been out on the road supporting JLS on their comeback tour, to see how she’s enjoying finally being back playing live, and to find out how this rising talent’s recent EP came together.
