Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Sean Morrell
Manchester based, Hull born indie pop rocker, putting out my first songs as an independent artist 🙂
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
It’s hard to say for sure, but probably my dad playing 2000’s indie songs in the car.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
I think subconsciously, songwriting always attracted me as a form of therapy. I always loved music, long before I understood my role in creating it.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
I released my first EP in October, and it’s mainly about my relationships with people and substances in my early days of adulthood. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th songs were written with the same person in mind, so having that chronological story felt fitting for me as someone that writes lyrics first from an autobiographical point of view.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
This EP is an ode to the UK 2000’s post-punk indie rock that I grew up on. I wanted to pay homage to my roots as a lad from Hull, and I think you see that in the acoustic sections too; my start as a performer was playing in small venues in and around Hull with a microphone and an acoustic guitar.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
When I realised that at any moment you feel inspired, your job is to maximise the expression of who you are in that moment as much as possible. That alone keeps artists original, authentic, and human.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Any tool that conveniently allows me to write or type my feelings and ideas, a guitar or a keyboard, and… I suppose that’s pretty much all it ever is.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
There’s a band from back home called The Avenues that I always thought were great, they have a fantastic song called Part Of The Problem.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I went to my first Glastonbury when I was eight years old, and I think that was a pivotal moment in my musical journey. I try to express my strongest feelings when I write, so stuff like love, drugs and mental health have played a big part in my music.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I think lyrically and musically, my work is a representation of who I am and what I’ve been through, so I hope that the people that do resonate with it can express what they are feeling through my music, and it can be as therapeutic as writing it was for me.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
I think music is essential to life, it can have all sorts of effects on us physically and mentally, and people use it and/or are affected by it constantly in their day to day lives. People use it to be happy, sad, calm, energetic and everything in between. To me, it makes life worth living.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
Glastonbury. I have performed once at a Thursday morning open mic on a small stage called the Croissant Neuf Bandstand, but to be invited to play would be even better. The dream of dreams is to headline the Pyramid Stage.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I suppose it’s technically four artists, but it has to be The Beatles. I think the technological restrictions of the time period actually allowed for more creativity, and I think The Beatles are the greatest band of all time. Watching Paul McCartney headline Glastonbury in 2022 was the best moment of my life, and I’d have loved to be in the room during the filming of the Get Back documentary.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
https://www.instagram.com/seanmorrellmusic
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
This year the goal was to find my footing as an independent artist in Manchester, having moved here just a year ago. Next year, you’ll see a progression of my sound as I release lots more music, and I want to be able to effectively put into practice what I’ve learned on social media this year to expand my audience. I would really love to feature on BBC Introducing, and a festival lineup or two.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I think the nature of my lyrics will reveal a lot about me along the way, as will the increasing amount of social media posts. By nature I’m quite a private person, so it feels odd to me sometimes, but I’m enjoying the journey and prioritising my creativity. I suppose my only hope is that listeners enjoy my music enough to join me on this journey.
I would also just like to add my thanks for this interview. The European Indie Music organisation was the first to ever give me radio play, so I’m very grateful for the work you do.
If you want here you can add a representative Youtube video to insert below the interview 🙂
