Oscar Speed
How would you describe your music?
My new song In The Night is a combination of pop, soul and disco, inspired by Mayer Hawthorne, Marvin Gaye and of course MJ’s Off The Wall era. I really wanted to do something that everybody could have fun with, a happy, forget-everything-and-dance sorta song. But overall my music is always going to be diverse; a while back I did some Motown inspired songs and back in college I did some Foo Fighters covers. It's exciting thinking the future is unknown but right now I love the current set so we will take it from there I guess.
What was your reaction to the news that you’d be playing the FSN final?
It was such a good feeling, I know I’m very lucky to have this opportunity. The idea of playing at Rock City and potentially then opening Splendour is amazing. Growing up in Sneinton, I’ve always loved music but never knew where it would lead, so I’m really thankful to everyone’s support and want to achieve as much as I can, and the Rock City final will be a big step.
What can the Rock City crowd expect from your performance?
A whole lotta fun. This will be my biggest show yet, I have got a great live band together with some of my best friends/musicians and we really want to make it a great night. It gonna be really exciting and fun for everyone there and we want to get everyone grooving by the end of the set. Especially the people who don’t yet know me, they are going to be converted in three songs and will never look back. I hope.
Why did you enter FSN?
I have just finished uni down in Brighton so I’m throwing myself into music and seeing where it takes me. I was already aware of Nusic and FSN so it made sense to get involved straight away when I got back to Notts. It’s so cool that Nusic have created this fantastic opportunity, it has made me really motivated. I gave in my last piece of uni work a week early to come back to Notts and start work on the band, so it’s great to have something to work towards.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
It was actually The Beatles and The Kooks who made me want to learn guitar back in school, but my music has taken a different direction. Mayer Hawthorne is a big influence, I loved his first album which had a soulful Motown sound that managed to sound current and catchy, since then he has been so prolific and diverse, recently working with Kendrick Lamar and Pharrell Williams, who is also a genius. Pharrell and Mayer are both great producers and songwriters as well as singers. It was great working on In The Night, playing, writing and recording everything myself to capture that feeling I wanted. But then again its always exciting working with other people, and finding new artists so who knows what will happen next.
What are your biggest non-musical influences?
I really love Russell Brand, he’s always been so funny, Ponderland always had me crying with laughter. But I also find it really inspirational that he is speaking up and standing up for people, like on Newsnight. He had cracked Hollywood and could’ve just gone on living a life of luxury and being in films like Arthur but he has chosen to take a stand to try and make the world a better place. It would be nice to see more celebrities trying to use their position to do something positive instead of just promoting Muller Fruit Corners. (Nicole Scherzinger, really?)
What other Nottingham artists do you love at the moment?
Ben James who taught me guitar back in school is doing really well, he has had a lot of involvement with the success of Harleighblu. I wanted him in my band for the FSN gigs but he’s on tour in Switzerland (a good enough excuse). I was also blown away by Robyn Hughes-Jones with her song J’adore, which I can’t believe didn’t get her a spot at Rock City. But she is definitely a huge talent for the future. There is such a great diversity of music in Nottingham and people involved in one way or another, not just the artists themselves, so its really fantastic to be back and hopefully I will bring more success to Notts.
What's been the highlight of your career so far?
Last November Dean Jackson at BBC Nottingham chose me to perform at Children In Need which got me on TV for the first time which was really exciting. The day after I did an interview for his show The Beat and he played my song Wait For More. It was a great weekend because as well as being a lot of fun, it really increased my confidence and made me think more about taking music seriously as a career so I will always be thankful to Dean for believing in me. But I think shortly I will have a new career highlight because playing Rock City, with a big hometown crowd and full band will be incredible and we will kick on from there.
How can people find out more about you?
The best way to keep up to date with me is by Facebook, because I will always share new songs, upcoming gigs and news on there, as well as having a laugh so its always cool for new people to get involved.
Any last words for LeftLion?
Keep up the good work, stay positive and come have a fun time with me and some great other bands at Rock City on the 22nd!
The Future Sound of Nottingham final takes place at Rock City on 22 June, free.
Future Sound of Nottingham 2014 Final Facebook event
Nusic website
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