Perdita
30-01-2009, 08:10
He sang on Mark Ronson's hit cover of The Smiths' 'Stop Me' back in 2007, slotted in between Adele and Amy Winehouse on the memorable Ronson medley at last year's Brit Awards, and guested on Wiley's 'Cash In My Pocket' in December. Now Daniel Merriweather is finally ready to release his debut album. Keen to find out more, we hooked up with the Aussie soul singer for a natter.
'Stop Me' was released almost two years ago now. Have you been working on your album ever since?
"Yeah, but I've been working on the album on and off. I was touring a lot with Ronson so I'd spend a month or so on tour, and then come back and do a month or so in the studio. It wasn't the most focused two years because of all the going back and forth, but the last four months before I finished the album were pretty much lockdown in the recording studio."
You developed a growth on your vocal cords while you were recording the album. What happened exactly?
"Yeah, it was really scary because I was on tour and I developed a blister on my vocal cords. Notes just weren't coming out of my voice. The doctor said to me, 'You can either not sing and not talk for three months or we can just slice it off'. I opted for the surgery and for three weeks afterwards I wasn't allowed to talk at all. No word of a lie, I had to write everything down."
That can't have been fun.
"No, but actually I became so much closer to all my friends because I wasn't talking all the time - I was actually listening for a change!"
Is your voice fully recovered now?
"It's 100% fine now. The good thing about the operation is that the scar tissue made by the incision will actually prevent another blister from forming there. I know this sounds weird, but what happened has actually made me a lot more carefree. When you nearly lose something, you value its full power more. I used to under-sing before whereas now I'm more willing to go all out."
What's your new single, 'Change', about?
"The song's pretty much about self-discovery. It's about looking at yourself and thinking, 'How can I improve myself? How can I look at the world in a way that betters everyone?' I think it's a good indication of what's on the album actually. It has a lot of different shades but if you play any song from the album next to another it kind of makes sense."
Your album was produced by Mark Ronson - and you've been collaborating with him since 2001. Why do you think you work so well together?
"I think it's because we're really good friends and we have a lot of common music interests. We're both focused on making what we consider to be good music, so I think through that common goal we really see eye to eye in the studio."
Is he still the same guy you met back in 2001?
"He is. It's kinda amazing how the guy really hasn't changed at all since I first met him. He's still as passionate about music as he ever was and he hasn't compromised at all on who he works with or the quality of what he's doing."
Is he as smooth as he looks?
"Haha! Man, I don't know what's happened, but lately I swear the guy sleeps in a suit! I'll meet him for coffee at ten in the morning and he'll be wearing a three-piece suit and Versace hard-bottomed shoes. What can I say, he's just a well-dressed guy."
You've recorded a duet with Adele for the album. How was she to work with?
"I've known Adele for a couple of years and we're good friends now. The thing about Adele is she's just such a bloody sweetheart. You forget that she's actually one of the most talented singer-songwriters of recent years because when you're sitting and chatting with her she's just so humble. The sounds that come out of her voice are beautiful. The song we've done together is called 'Water In A Flame' and it's a duet. Duets can go either way and we were both very aware of that when we recorded it, but I really love this song and it's largely because of her."
Could you see yourself recording a duet with another of Mark Ronson's mates - Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen?
"They're also good friends of mine, but not everyone kinda 'fits' together in that way. Even though we're friends, that might not mean we have to work together. Me and Amy talked about going into the studio together about a year ago, but it just depends on schedules and timing and everything working out. I've finished my album now, but who knows for the future."
Daniel Merriweather releases 'Change' on Monday.
'Stop Me' was released almost two years ago now. Have you been working on your album ever since?
"Yeah, but I've been working on the album on and off. I was touring a lot with Ronson so I'd spend a month or so on tour, and then come back and do a month or so in the studio. It wasn't the most focused two years because of all the going back and forth, but the last four months before I finished the album were pretty much lockdown in the recording studio."
You developed a growth on your vocal cords while you were recording the album. What happened exactly?
"Yeah, it was really scary because I was on tour and I developed a blister on my vocal cords. Notes just weren't coming out of my voice. The doctor said to me, 'You can either not sing and not talk for three months or we can just slice it off'. I opted for the surgery and for three weeks afterwards I wasn't allowed to talk at all. No word of a lie, I had to write everything down."
That can't have been fun.
"No, but actually I became so much closer to all my friends because I wasn't talking all the time - I was actually listening for a change!"
Is your voice fully recovered now?
"It's 100% fine now. The good thing about the operation is that the scar tissue made by the incision will actually prevent another blister from forming there. I know this sounds weird, but what happened has actually made me a lot more carefree. When you nearly lose something, you value its full power more. I used to under-sing before whereas now I'm more willing to go all out."
What's your new single, 'Change', about?
"The song's pretty much about self-discovery. It's about looking at yourself and thinking, 'How can I improve myself? How can I look at the world in a way that betters everyone?' I think it's a good indication of what's on the album actually. It has a lot of different shades but if you play any song from the album next to another it kind of makes sense."
Your album was produced by Mark Ronson - and you've been collaborating with him since 2001. Why do you think you work so well together?
"I think it's because we're really good friends and we have a lot of common music interests. We're both focused on making what we consider to be good music, so I think through that common goal we really see eye to eye in the studio."
Is he still the same guy you met back in 2001?
"He is. It's kinda amazing how the guy really hasn't changed at all since I first met him. He's still as passionate about music as he ever was and he hasn't compromised at all on who he works with or the quality of what he's doing."
Is he as smooth as he looks?
"Haha! Man, I don't know what's happened, but lately I swear the guy sleeps in a suit! I'll meet him for coffee at ten in the morning and he'll be wearing a three-piece suit and Versace hard-bottomed shoes. What can I say, he's just a well-dressed guy."
You've recorded a duet with Adele for the album. How was she to work with?
"I've known Adele for a couple of years and we're good friends now. The thing about Adele is she's just such a bloody sweetheart. You forget that she's actually one of the most talented singer-songwriters of recent years because when you're sitting and chatting with her she's just so humble. The sounds that come out of her voice are beautiful. The song we've done together is called 'Water In A Flame' and it's a duet. Duets can go either way and we were both very aware of that when we recorded it, but I really love this song and it's largely because of her."
Could you see yourself recording a duet with another of Mark Ronson's mates - Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen?
"They're also good friends of mine, but not everyone kinda 'fits' together in that way. Even though we're friends, that might not mean we have to work together. Me and Amy talked about going into the studio together about a year ago, but it just depends on schedules and timing and everything working out. I've finished my album now, but who knows for the future."
Daniel Merriweather releases 'Change' on Monday.