While the pandemic left many artists on hold over the last year, Nottingham-based artist Jack Kwiecinski aka Esports Player took to opportunity to launch his latest project as he emerges with his glittering debut single 'Self-Care'.
Channelling a rich and soaring aesthetic from start to finish, 'Self-Care' makes for a wonderfully uplifting introduction to his sound. With its heady mix of light production, driven pace, and his own tranquil voice at the helm, it feels like this won't be the last we hear of him throughout this year.
So with the new single available now, we sat him down to find out more about his background and what has inspired him most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I’m not very good at playing any instruments to be honest, so I come at songwriting more from a MIDI production angle. With that, I find keyboard much more intuitive to play and I like that you can see the whole composition in front of you at once. I listened to a lot of Hip Hop in my teens, and I think that’s what shaped some of the sounds I love. For example, I love a Moog synth and a squelchy, sawtooth bass sound in particular. I also love guitar music but, much to my regret, I’ve never learnt to play.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
My parents played a variety of music when I was a child, but I’d say the two family staples were always The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel. When I started getting into music for myself I started listening to a lot of R&B and Hip Hop from the nineties. Then as I’ve got older I’ve got more into bands from the eighties like Orange Juice, The Style Council and Sade. It’s a pretty mixed bag of influences in the end, but hard to pinpoint one particular kind of music that I loved from the start.
What was the first album you remember owning?
The first two CDs I really remember owning were Craig David’s “Born to Do It” and Usher’s “8701”. I used to love those two albums at that time haha. I probably wouldn’t go back and listen to them much these days, but I can sense that they’ve had an influence on some of the vocal melodies I write today.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
That’s a tough question. I think “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears is an amazing song. That’s probably one that I just can’t imagine being able to write. The structure is perfect, but it’s also just how timeless and profound the lyrics are.
I also think “Silly Love Songs” by Wings is a pretty outstanding pop song. I love how McCartney is answering his critics by saying, “yeah I keep writing poppy love songs, don’t I? Well no one does it better than me, so stick this one in your pipe and smoke it”. I kind of wish I could write an upbeat pop song like that, but I always talk myself out of it and stick to the safety of the minor key… I just find sadness much easier to express than happiness for whatever reason.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I can’t really think of any specific rituals. If I’m trying to write lyrics, I will often start reading more or watching more films. I find that phrases and themes come to me more easily when I’m stimulated by other artistic mediums, so that seems to help. I find the bath to be quite a good place for lyric-writing as well. There’s something about the privacy and lack of electronic devices that helps!
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
It’s probably the worst thing to admit as a new artist, but I’ve not actually discovered that much new music that I love recently. Without gigs, I find it quite hard to find things in the streaming world. There’s something quite daunting about the sheer amount of digital files on Spotify haha.
Having said that, my favourite artists from the last couple of years are probably J Hus and Matt Maltese. They’re obviously completely different to each other, and not that close in style to my own music, but they’re both amazing songwriters in their own lanes. There are a couple of people I know from the East Midlands music scene who I enjoy listening to as well – Fang Jr. and Cj Pandit are both great if you haven’t checked them out before.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Hmm in terms of current artists, I’d probably say Tame Impala. Stylistically that lineup would match pretty well, I think. But even just playing any gig, or being surrounded by a crowd of people seems a bit of a strange prospect to me at the moment – I’d take a pub garden filled with 6 people right now haha.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The most rewarding part for me is definitely the elation of when a new song comes together. There is no greater buzz than when you’re writing and ideas that you like are rushing towards you. I also enjoy going to a studio to record, that always feels like a treat… whole days spent immersing yourself in creating a complete work of art.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Probably the exact opposite, the most frustrating part is when I have periods of low creativity or writer’s block. I will myself more and more to come up with new ideas but sometimes the more I try, the harder it becomes haha.
To be honest, I’m also pretty frustrated by the current economics of the music industry. Say you’re in a band of four, you get paid around £400 for 100,000 streams and £50-100 between you from playing a gig (if you’re lucky). That will scarcely be enough to cover the cost of travel to another city, or to professionally record one song. Then on top of that you receive emails from PR agencies, saying that if you pay them upwards of £1,000 they’ll pitch your song to Radio 1. That’s not to discredit people who work in PR – they have to get paid too – but where are new artists getting their money from to fund all of this? Musicians themselves are the last to get paid, and I think it’s totally unsustainable. It’s very difficult for new artists to make a living from streaming royalties and playing gigs.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
The best piece of advice I’ve received is “always limit how many times you listen to a mix”. If I’m not careful I can find myself scrutinising a recording after leaving the studio for weeks and eventually finding fault in it. Often it’s best to listen a couple of times in different settings, if you’re initially satisfied then that’s enough. Release it into the world and move onto the next song.
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Esports Player's debut single 'Self-Care' is out now. Check it out in the player below.