Hamilton Hound On the Making Of “Flames”
What inspired you to write the lyrics/music for "Flames?"
I am a Father of two young adults and James has two young daughters and we just felt that we have not really left things in a good place for them. Our leaders and politicians only benefit from the situation around the world at the minute whilst the real people suffer. I think that change has to come and it may need to be from our young ones standing up for what's right and their future.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for "Flames?"
Yes, we had some difficulties as the male hook on the song is a cover of Charles Bradley's "This world". We wanted to use the original sample and music but the record company would not release it which is a shame. We felt we gave the song a modern twist and feeling that was right for the time and current climate. We had to then get AP Wilson to re-record the line and to be fair he did a great job. Bringing in Rhianna Jackson for the female vocal was also a good shout, she graduated this year from Brit School and has an amazing voice, she is also a lot younger than James and I so getting the right vibe was really important.
What impact do you hope this single will have on your audience?
I think the track resonates with a lot of people and the way they feel, hopefully it will express what they are thinking almost like a voice for them, the track has already had plenty of likes and shares on various media platforms which shows people like it.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
To be honest, I already have a professional career outside of music, music for me is a way expressing my creative side and alongside the other half of Hamilton Hound James Mason we have a huge love of music. James is a full-time sound designer writing scores for short films and commercial reels so he is living music every day. Music for me is a therapy and we love telling true and authentic stories/observations.
Can you walk us through your creative process when writing and composing music?
James and I usually have an idea and if you look at our other tracks we don't stick to one genre. I generally write the lyrics with a type of style of music in mind that I think fits and then James and I set about building. James is a very talented musician and fantastic and interpreting the sounds we want to create. We have found along the way that normally the first take is always the one that we come back to as it captures the rawness and isn't too overproduced.
