He’s going straight to the top with theese hitsingles and an amazing debut album. It’s DAVIDRUSSELL. This chart topping boy wonder is aeighteen yeat old from north yorkshire whodoes his entire album himself by recording allthe different parts himself, he’s the singer,drummer, bass guitarist and lead guitarist. Themusic he performs is great and completley newbut with a classic twist to it. so listen out forDAVID RUSSELL.When people ask me what was my inspiration for amusical career. I honestly don’t know, but I’m glad Ichoose it. I had many times when i was younger andenjoyed playing music and performing to an audi-ence. No, idea that I’d be headlining Glastonbury in2015. It’s just incredible! But i suppose there wassome inspiration behind playing music as both myparent s enjoyed live music and played instrumentsand i grew up listening to artists like ‘The Who’ and‘Status Quo’. So when i was able to hold a guitar andstrum I was. I remember getting frustrated when firstdoing chords and thinking that i should just give up.But because of all the enjoyment i got out of it whenit was right. So when i was in my second year of highschool and a talent contest came up i jumped at theopportunity and performed one of my own composi-tions, ‘The Night Sky’ i didn’t win but came second tosome dance group but none the less it gave me myfirst thrill of performing live. That week Mrs Smith themusic teacher came up to me and invited me to jointhe schools Jazz and Swing band. This lead to meplaying a new kind of music. It was great. What was your first solo concert like?When I first performed as an official act it was in a so-cial club 20 miles away from home, I’ve never beenso nervous than i was during that journey there, mydad said i barely spoke a word. But then i arrived atthe club and set up my speakers and looked out a au-dience of 12 people sat round. I played my first song

and all the nerves went and my confidence grew.Amazingly the audience also grew and grew andended up with about 35 people who enjoyed the nightand said how good the live music was and i even gota second booking. It was great, then on the wayhome it was the complete opposite as i barely couldkeep quiet about the night and how good it was.Whats it like doing the entire album yourself?Its great as it means i can just get on and do what ido best also it works round by busy life. I also likeplaying guitar, drums, bass and singing so by record-ing on seperate layers before putting it together workswell for me as it gives me that chance to play all ofthem. However i never expected this to happen to meand suddenly wake up one day after all my hard work

David Russell singing his HIT SINGLE in the studio.

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and to have a number one single. i must be the firstchart topping one man band and its great. But it is abit quite and lonley at time hence why im looking atgeetting a band to accompony me so i can do a fewllive gigs in the United Kingdom next year, but theirsstill lots to be discussed before that can happen. Buti’d love it too. The album though has truely shockedme as a debut album as its had so much sucess andi had no real great expectation for sucess as i wasn’tsure what people would think of my music. Howeverall this a side i don’t know what i’d do with my life if ididn’t follow my passion for music and performing ei-ther live or in a studio.How did you go about writing this debut hit?Well i had some original pieces i’d written over thepast few years but only for one section like piano orguitar usually with vocal tune on the top. I then beganthinking about the idea of a band and i began writingand recording extra parts be played along with myoriginal songs. This allowed the music to keep ongrowing as the depth to the music developed. It waswhen i was about to post an advert in the paper ask-ing if anybody who was musically talented wanted tojoin a band to record a live album to try and sell atgigs. It was then that my dad suggested i recorded itall myself on a multi-track recorder. So i did! This was the beginning of my one man band. Littledid i know what a rollercoaster it would be. No ideaof the remarkable sucess i would have. The first tracki recorded on my multi-track recorder in my first studio(also known as my bedroom) was ‘One’ which is ac-tually the first track on my debut album. The mainproblem i discovered when recording in the housewas i’d have so many that were just rubbish as halfway through i’d have my mum calling for tea or mydad barge in saying ‘i’m home’ and ‘Don’t you havehomework to be doing’. But i got through after all mymum and my dad were also my manager and helpedme out at the few gigs i got. But a few years laterwhen i got a record deal this became so much easieras i could record all the different parts in a studio withno interuptions and the microphones picking up thesounds were much more sensitive and better. Butwhen i heard it was number one I was just shockedand asked my manager, ‘What do you mean my al-bums at number one!! ’Where do you get influence for your songs?Well all the songs are really written about personalexperiences and feelings and living in the YorkshireDales countryside with such beautiful surroundinggives me plenty of influence. But also my other musicintrests and listening to the radio inspire me to writemore and more. But not all i right goes on the albumbecause a lot i think is great and then i’ll play it to my

producer at the label and he usually asks if im drunk?But then i play a couple of other ideas and we changebits. But other music i’ll listen too and that and wherei live are my greatest influences. I also have a dognamed Oliver who goes all over with me and makesme laugh, we even joke that one day he’s going toplay the drums for me when I become a band thattours.Are you wanting to tour?Yeah, i’d love to do some live gigs and tour, doingsome dates in the UK. But i need to look at getting aband and decide how i’m going to do it as still wantto perform on piano and guitar whilst singing. So i’min the process of looking at a band. But it is definitelygoing to be happening,

‘I never thoughtthis would happen to me’

David Russell recording backing for his new HIT SINGLE!