On…Paul Freeman

The Artist: Paul Freeman
The Sound: Sincere alt-rock in the vein of Gavin DeGraw or Howie Day  
The Album: That’s How It Is
Where you can hear them next: Crossing the pond to criss-cross America with his
brand new band
 
How does it feel to be part of the major-label hype machine? Are you jaded yet?
 
The label has been very hands-off. They gave me a lot of artistic control and have been very trusting of me. They know I’m a musician and kind of leave me alone to do my thing.
 
You taught yourself to play while you were working at Great Linford Manor in London. Did you get a job there because you wanted to be a musician?
 
I worked in a studio for a while and always felt more of a connection with musicians than the engineers. A colleague finally said, “I think you ought to be on the other side of the glass, mate.”
 
You also worked there when a lot of your idols were recording. How did that change your view of them?
 
It was interesting. I got to work with all of these bands I had admired. It was the twilight of Britpop, but you still had labels throwing loads of money at these bands. They were very jaded and doing loads of drugs. It was disheartening.
 
You seem to feel a kinship with many of those bands, though.
 
I always admired Oasis for their ability to root a song around a strong melody. It is much more about a memorable melody than any special production or soundscape. I love pop songs more than anything, like [Pink Floyd’s] Dark Side of the Moon or [Radiohead’s] OK Computer, and I write in melodies. The songs that made my record were all my most immediate melodies.
 
Your demo crossed the desks of some top A&R scouts. Did this all feel very predetermined, or accidental?
 
Well, I consider myself a musician. There was no doubt that this was what I wanted to do. I hadn’t meant for those tapes to be heard. It was more of a bedroom recording thing at the time, so yes, it was very surprising.
 
You drew your record from a pool of 200 songs. How are you so incredibly prolific?
 
I write a lot. I’m flying to New York tomorrow, and I will definitely get a few lyrical ideas on that flight. I had a large catalogue to choose from for this record, and some of the longer tracks will probably make the next album. In the age of iTunes, a young singer needs to grab people right away. That’s why these songs were included.
 
You were signed by legendary producer Clive Davis. Was it intimidating to perform for him?
 
I knew of Clive but didn’t know his whole history before meeting with him. That is probably for the best, because I would have been much too nervous to perform. The Sony office has a huge marble conference table. I was at one end and Clive and the executives were at the other. I started singing, and halfway through the first verse, I kicked a chair out of the way, jumped up on the table and walked down it like a catwalk. I was thrusting my crotch right in front of their faces.
 
That sounds like it could have gone really well or been a complete disaster.
 
When I finished, Clive asked, ‘What do I need to do to sign you?’ I guess it worked. I also bought some new shoes while in New York, so I suppose I jumped on the table to show those off. Well, you know that us Brits are quite into fashion.
 
It helps you maintain the rock star image.
 
I know a few British bands like that. The music is nothing spectacular, but damn they look good playing it [laughs]. I have two friends who were signed based on their fashion alone, it seems. They wanted to do some vague, electronic music but had not recorded a song yet. They got a record deal, though.
 
And what became of them?
 
They were signed three years ago and they are still trying to finish their debut [laughs].
 
What are your plans to tour behind the record?
 
Our live show is going to be something else. We are adding intros, outros, instrumental passages. We have some horns for that E Street Band vibe. Have you heard Arcade Fire? We want it to be very much like that, very bombastic.
 
And what are your plans for the coming year and your career in general?
 
I’m under no illusions. I know this isn’t an easy thing to break into, but I love what I do. I’m just very grateful to be doing it for a living and hoping it works out well.