Alex Burey is a songwriter and producer from London. His latest EP, Family Stone, was release June 13, 2015.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I’m 20, from a small place called Sanderstead (bordering Vroydon, which borders on London). I have an older sister and a younger brother. I write, produce, play & sing music. Haha, a very safe overview!
What are you listening to right now? I haven’t really been listening to much new music at the moment. More just skipping between my favourite artists. I’ve been listening to Vashti Bunyan’s album ‘heartleap’ allot. Noah Georgeson’s album ‘Find Shelter’. Also an old friend and complete magician, Flo Morrissey. Her debut album ‘Tomorrow will be beautiful’ (also produced by Noah Georgeson) is so special.
If you hadn’t become a musician, what do you think you’d be doing? I often ask myself this question too. It’s hard to know as I got into music at such a young age so it’s all I’ve really known! But I also had an interest for game programming. Perhaps that! Something that is creative definitely.
Can you share one of the best or worst reactions you have gotten as a result of your music? Luckily I’ve never directly had a bad reaction to my music (in person at least!), but it’s rewarding and touching when you can see a friend or family member being moved by your music.
What is one of the bigger challenges you and/or other musicians are struggling with these days and how do you see it developing? I find that doing something which requires creativity and your imagination can all become a bit too raw and close sometimes. It’s important to allow myself to get lost in it, but equally to be able to step back from it. I guess that answer isn’t particularly relevant to ‘these days’ but I find that my biggest challenge. Another obvious one which I guess is getting harder ‘these days’ is of course making a living from music. Money is very tempting but I think you have to make a pact and be true with yourself about why you really do it.
What do you do when you’re not working on music? Not a lot to be honest. I make music 90% of the time, and if I’m not doing that I’m probably going for a walk listening to music haha. I like spending time with my family and friends, and going out occasionally. I find as I’ve got ‘older’ I’m happier in quieter situations/places. I sound like a right old man!
What is your snack/beverage of choice when recording? Well it’s quite bad actually I often forget to eat when I’m doing music. It’s usually a big meal at 4 o’clock in the morning haha. But If I record vocals I always have a tea or coffee. Most singers find that drinking milk is bad for recording, but it’s the opposite with me.
What was the last show you went to that stuck out to you? I recently supported a girl called SOAK on a small UK tour. She has mastered her performance. There were lots of silences and you could feel her honesty in them. A lot of people feel pressure on stage to come across as an extremely confident and witty person, which isn’t always the case. So I took a lot from her performance.
How has living in Sanderstead affected your music? As I get older I’ve realised that my area has had a big impact on me. It’s all quite rural and green here. Every few hours I take a break from music and have a walk around my area. And I’ve noticed that the theme of the music I make is influenced a lot by the feelings and thoughts I have on those walks.
There’s a roundabout that me and my friend go and sit on each time we do music and he said “it feels like we’re bang in the middle of the world here”, which I liked. I get that feeling also from my area. I’m probably biased though, I’m sure most people feel the same about their area. I think for me it’s that the houses are quite small, almost like cottages (just not so pretty) and so it’s very open/there’s a lot of sky to see.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? There’s so much! Most important to me is my album which I’m working towards this year. I feel like the past ten years boil down to that so I’m spending every day on that. I also have my ‘Family Stone’ EP that just came out which is also special to me.
I have recently helped to produce my friend Max Pope’s EP, which is sounding beautiful! Some songs with the magical Shivum Sharma. And also some bits and bobs with my brother.