Following on from the enormous success of his previously shared single 'Crown' last year, emerging singer and songwriter Flynn Marks has now returned to deliver his sweeping new single 'Waiting For Us'.
Lifted from his forthcoming new EP 'Cold Comfort', which is out on the 22nd April, 'Waiting For Us' sees him return with one of his more lovelorn offerings yet. Using little more than an acoustic guitar and his own sensational voice, this new delight will pull hard on your heartstrings from start to finish.
So with the new single available now, we sat down with him 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 remember being so excited when I got my first guitar for one of my birthdays as a kid. I loved the fact that I had the freedom to learn an instrument and begin songwriting in my bedroom, before then I found it quite difficult to draw any inspiration to create new material. A couple of years after I began playing guitar, I fell completely in love, all over again with the piano! It allowed me to take my writing to a completely different space and I find that I create much more powerful material quite naturally on the keys. I guess it’s two haha.
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
All sorts!! When I began songwriting, I really tried to open myself up to different genres that I hadn’t listened to before, I was exploring pretty much everything and anything I could get my hands on. I was drawn instantly to music that makes you feel emotional, and that was what I was seeking out quite a bit. Country/Pop and Folk were quite prominent genres for me, but I also loved Hip-Hop, R&B and Rap too. I am a sucker for well written lyrics, a catchy hook/chorus and some sense of passion/emotion behind the performance. This brought all the genres together for me.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Rihanna - Loud. 11 year old me was OBSESSED.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Good question!! Umm... There’s way too many songs at the moment I wish I wrote so I could perform them live!. But if I had to say one it would probably be ‘The Bones’ by Maren Morris. I love that song so much.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Quite a lot of my songs develop quite naturally, so I am lucky that it comes quite easy to me. I tend to come up with the choruses first, and then I begin to develop the verses around them. I read a lot of different material and watch loads of documentaries too as it helps spark ideas/situations to write about.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
At the moment, I am loving Faouzia, Joy Oladokun, Donna Missal and Chloe x Halle. All are insanely talented artists and I love listening to what they’re creating.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Hands Down, Stereophonics. I grew up listening to them and their songs are just so powerful and well written. That would be a dream!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The most rewarding part is definitely knowing that people have found comfort in my music. I write songs for therapeutic purposes and it’s my main output of emotion. So to find out that my songs have touched other people, or just that they love my work that is extremely rewarding. Doing what I love for a living is just incredibly rewarding in itself too. Meeting new artists and producers is also really cool, seeing what they bring to the table and building lasting friendships with likeminded people who share the same passions as you, makes me super happy too.
And what is the most frustrating part?
I wouldn’t say there’s anything that frustrating, but the writing process can get a little challenging at times, especially if I am going through a bit of a writers block. However I have tools in place to overcome it and it only comes like once a year so i’m quite lucky! There can be quite a lot of pressure on artists especially with social media, so learning to work with that is also important.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
I think the best advice I have received is just to create the music that you love the most. It can be quite easy to try and change your sound to follow trends in music, which I think can be effective in some cases, but ultimately having that passion for the songs you make is the most important. Also if you’re a vocalist, truly learn your voice and write music that showcases the strongest parts of it.
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Flynn Marks' new single 'Waiting For Us' is available to stream and download now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.