Interview: Oscar

Fresh from his North American tour dates supporting Bloc Party and MS MR, we interviewed the wonderful Oscar Scheller on his recently released debut album ‘Cut And Paste’. With the support of BBC Radio One, NME and The Guardian- there’s a big hype forming around Oscar and his colourful Britpop sound.

Hi Oscar! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today. We really love your debut album Cut And Paste, could you explain the process of making it? How long did it take?

It all started just me in my room, recording late night demos onto Logic. Because I had limited access to live instruments I embraced the art form of sampling and in doing so, fell head over heels for it! At the time I was studying Fine Art and found myself thinking about composition and sampling in a rather artistic fashion. Each song was a collage. After writing and recording about thirty demos, I then started to comb through each one and define a track listing for the album. I took all the demo stems into a studio (about ten minutes from my house) so that live drums and bass could be recorded to the sessions and then those hybrid sessions went in to another studio to be mixed by my friend Ben Baptie. That was where the real fun began! So all in all, took me about three years to get from A to B.

In terms of production, there seems to be a big range of influences in there, which artists would you say had an impact on it?

I would say Alton Ellis, The Cure, Rihanna, Elastica, Beck, Beenie Man, The Wannadies, Big L, Jeremih and Saint Etienne.

From the record, which tracks are the most meaningful and closest to you and why?

Only Friend and Gone Forever are the closest to me. Both those songs are about my dad who died of Cancer when I was eight years old. It's special to me that I can be connected to him through music and these songs in a way came from him.

When did you start making music?

I started making music when I was around twelve years old, writing ballads on the piano. Even back then I was aspiring to be making big pop tunes and nothing's changed.

What do you hope to achieve in your career?

A commercial crossover and a very loving and loyal fanbase. A longevity that reflects true artistry. Just the small things really...

Could you tell me something about yourself that people may not know?

I smashed a piñata with my bare hands high on sugar on Boxing Day.

What’s next up for you?

Summer festivals and my September/October headline tour in UK and Europe! More fun, more memories!