EOIN BUTLER'S Q&A:Singer-songwriter Simon Fagan...
Most singer-songwriters cut their teeth busking, but you actually started out with an orchestra . . .Well, I had always played in rock bands growing up, but as a teenager, I got a scholarship to St Finian's College in Mullingar and fell into playing classical trumpet there. I later studied at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin and the Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. Only a small percentage of classical musicians manage to find full time employment though. So when I came home at 22, I was at a bit of a loose end.
You auditioned for the Army Brass Band at this pointYeah, that was something of a low point in my career. I had no money. I'd just moved home. Someone suggested I should give the army a try. It would be a regular wage at least. So I went in and auditioned and was accepted. The day before I was supposed to start though, I had a reality check. I couldn't do it. The whole thing was just too regimented for me . . .
You hadn't really done your homework on the army beforehand, had you?Exactly! I hadn't given it any thought at all. For me it's always been about my own creativity. Everything else was only just a means to an end. Now I don't suffer from depression, thank God. But those were dark days for me. I'd been writing songs since I was 13 and now I had a decision to make. Would I go back to college and study something new from scratch? Or would I put in the time and hard work required to seriously learn my craft? I chose the latter.
Where did you rehearse?I practiced in the front room of my parents' house every day. I played the guitar and wrote songs. Some of them, I quickly discarded. Others I recorded, but they will never see the light of day. All the while, I was getting closer and closer to the sound I was looking for. Things began to take off from there.
You've toured Ireland and the UK. Tell us how you came to play in Egypt though. It's not a country that crops up on too many rock itineraries . . . I have a friend over there and she told me I had to come and visit. She said that if I brought the band, she'd act as my tour manager. I've always believed in doing things for myself instead of waiting for them to happen. So we secured a grant from Culture Ireland and Meath Co Council and we made it happen.
What kind of audiences did you play to? Is there even a gig circuit in Egypt?When we started in Sharm El Sheikh, we were playing mostly to English ex-pats and tourists. But by the time we got to Cairo, we played the Jazz Club – which is one of the premiere venues in the city – to an all-Egyptian crowd.
One of the country’s best-known television presenters happened to catch our set. She has an afternoon show that goes out to 15 million people and she invited us to appear the following day. We played two songs for her and I was interviewed. Our gig that night was packed out. We played for three hours and the crowd were going wild!
Is that the most exciting place music has taken you so far?Well, either that or recording my album [ Outside Looking In] in AM Studios on the Jim Henson lot in Hollywood, California last year.
One day I went for coffee between takes. I was just reading a magazine when someone came into the room and sat down opposite me. It was Prince. I didn’t know if I should address him as “Prince” or “The Artist Formerly Known As”. So I just said hello.
He asked if I was Irish and said he’d heard my music walking past the studio. He said it sounded good. When he got up to leave, I stood up to shake his hand. It was only then I realised how tiny he is.
Finally, it is a very crowded field for singer-songwriters these days. Why do you think you'll be able to leave your mark here?My first priority was to make a record that was strong from start to finish, that would make an impact with audiences, but was also true to myself. I think we've achieved that. The next step is to make waves abroad. Ireland is a very small market on its own. If we work hard on the road, eventually – it might not be this album, it might be two records down the line . . . but we will make that breakthrough.
Simon Fagan's debut album Outside Looking Inis released May 14th.