Nathan Sykes: 'Unfinished Business'
Jan 30, 2015 13:17:46 GMT -5
Post by Live Your Life on Jan 30, 2015 13:17:46 GMT -5
Nathan Sykes, formerly of the British boy band, The Wanted, will be releasing a solo album this year. I'm actually looking forward to this. He has a pretty good voice.
FOR SYKES’ SAKE: Former Wanted Frontman Launches Solo Project
There was a listening session for UK press held this week. All of the reviews are worded pretty similarly, so I don't know if they're all variants of one review, but I'll post them all:
The Wanted's Nathan Sykes Has A Solo Album Coming... But Is It Any Good?
Nathan Sykes off of The Wanted played us some new solo songs and here's what we thought of them
The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes previews new music
FOR SYKES’ SAKE: Former Wanted Frontman Launches Solo Project
Nathan Sykes—former frontman of mega-sellers The Wanted—will unleash his solo debut later this year, with a lead single due in spring. It will be among the first releases from the Randy Phillips-run Global Entertainment; also coming from Global are albums from Anthony Lewis and Lawson.
The set is being exec-produced by Brit producer/tunesmith Harmony Samuels (Ariana Grande, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez), who’s one of several top songwriters collaborating with the 21-year-old vocalist.
The set is being exec-produced by Brit producer/tunesmith Harmony Samuels (Ariana Grande, Ne-Yo, Jennifer Lopez), who’s one of several top songwriters collaborating with the 21-year-old vocalist.
There was a listening session for UK press held this week. All of the reviews are worded pretty similarly, so I don't know if they're all variants of one review, but I'll post them all:
The Wanted's Nathan Sykes Has A Solo Album Coming... But Is It Any Good?
Nathan Sykes may be known as the baby-faced star of The Wanted, but we've heard solid evidence that the singer is making the right moves when it comes to being a star in his own right.
After getting a taste of Nathan’s solo credentials on ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande’s track Almost Is Never Enough, MTV UK we're lucky enough to hear three songs from Sykes' forthcoming solo album, and with much anticipation surrounding his new material on Twitter, we were keen to know... Does it live up to the hype?
The answer is - in a nutshell - yes. Nathan has clearly matured as a singer - even though he joked maybe not in person - and his material is a far cry from the days of Walk Like Rihanna and honestly, we're relieved.
Track Kiss Me Quick is reminiscent of Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience sound, infused with the sass of a Robin Thicke. It is a cheeky, soulful uptempo number that really sees Nathan show off those incredible vocals and silky smooth tones that even the likes of Usher would be proud of.
Describing the song himself as "fun, bouncy and brassy", Sykes spoke openly about his influences from Stevie Wonder to Jamie Cullum, with the tune a confident effort from - in his own words - the youngest member of The Wanted.
Money - which sees Sykes working with the team behind THAT Ariana duet - came next, with Nathan explaining how he came up with the chorus in the shower - revealing that some of his finest work starts with himself getting wet all over, as his mind is "blank".
After trying desperately NOT to picture him in the shower (come on, you were all thinking it!), Money is another bold and cheeky effort from Nathan. It has an obvious 'American' vibe, with Sykes explaining that the idea from the song came from the phrase "that's the money", which is popular across the pond.
This smoothly led on to final teaser track Famous, which is an emotional ballad and sees Sykes really showing off those vocals, with the man himself branding the track "vulnerable".
With lines such as, "I really believe in love that won't die", "Will you call me when I'm famous" and not forgetting, "What's a man gotta do to make you happy all about fortune and fame" - it really struck a chord with Sykes, who spoke openly about the inspiration behind the lyrics.
Explaining that the ballad was "something that needed to be said" and that he "can't be joyous all the time", Nathan explained how the song comes from a very personal place adding that it's "sometimes hard to listen to as it takes me back to that moment".
While many of you may be screaming at your screens is THIS the track inspired his break-up from Grande, Nathan was keen to add that people are "quick to assume what it is about".
However, he did promise more heart-wrenching ballads on the LP, so we're pretty sure Ariana may want to still grab herself a copy!
Kiss Me Quick
Written by Nathan Sykes, Ali Tennant, Greg Bonnick and Hayden Chapman. Produced by LDN Noise.
Money
Written by Nathan Sykes, Harmony Samuels, J.Hart and Carmen Reece. Produced by Harmony Samuels.
Famous
Written by Nathan Sykes, Harmony Samuels, Major and Carmen Reece. Produced by Harmony Samuels.
After getting a taste of Nathan’s solo credentials on ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande’s track Almost Is Never Enough, MTV UK we're lucky enough to hear three songs from Sykes' forthcoming solo album, and with much anticipation surrounding his new material on Twitter, we were keen to know... Does it live up to the hype?
The answer is - in a nutshell - yes. Nathan has clearly matured as a singer - even though he joked maybe not in person - and his material is a far cry from the days of Walk Like Rihanna and honestly, we're relieved.
Track Kiss Me Quick is reminiscent of Justin Timberlake's 20/20 Experience sound, infused with the sass of a Robin Thicke. It is a cheeky, soulful uptempo number that really sees Nathan show off those incredible vocals and silky smooth tones that even the likes of Usher would be proud of.
Describing the song himself as "fun, bouncy and brassy", Sykes spoke openly about his influences from Stevie Wonder to Jamie Cullum, with the tune a confident effort from - in his own words - the youngest member of The Wanted.
Money - which sees Sykes working with the team behind THAT Ariana duet - came next, with Nathan explaining how he came up with the chorus in the shower - revealing that some of his finest work starts with himself getting wet all over, as his mind is "blank".
After trying desperately NOT to picture him in the shower (come on, you were all thinking it!), Money is another bold and cheeky effort from Nathan. It has an obvious 'American' vibe, with Sykes explaining that the idea from the song came from the phrase "that's the money", which is popular across the pond.
This smoothly led on to final teaser track Famous, which is an emotional ballad and sees Sykes really showing off those vocals, with the man himself branding the track "vulnerable".
With lines such as, "I really believe in love that won't die", "Will you call me when I'm famous" and not forgetting, "What's a man gotta do to make you happy all about fortune and fame" - it really struck a chord with Sykes, who spoke openly about the inspiration behind the lyrics.
Explaining that the ballad was "something that needed to be said" and that he "can't be joyous all the time", Nathan explained how the song comes from a very personal place adding that it's "sometimes hard to listen to as it takes me back to that moment".
While many of you may be screaming at your screens is THIS the track inspired his break-up from Grande, Nathan was keen to add that people are "quick to assume what it is about".
However, he did promise more heart-wrenching ballads on the LP, so we're pretty sure Ariana may want to still grab herself a copy!
Kiss Me Quick
Written by Nathan Sykes, Ali Tennant, Greg Bonnick and Hayden Chapman. Produced by LDN Noise.
Money
Written by Nathan Sykes, Harmony Samuels, J.Hart and Carmen Reece. Produced by Harmony Samuels.
Famous
Written by Nathan Sykes, Harmony Samuels, Major and Carmen Reece. Produced by Harmony Samuels.
Nathan Sykes off of The Wanted played us some new solo songs and here's what we thought of them
You know Nathan Sykes off of The Wanted (aka the second best thing to come out of Gloucester after double Gloucester cheese)? Well since the band announced their 'hiatus' just over a year ago he's been locked away in studios between London and LA working on some. Solo stuff that we were lucky enough to get our lugholes yesterday at a funny one-on-one listening session thing.
So what exactly has Nath been doing in this 'musical cave' of his, eh? Can we expect loads of bouncy Glad You Came 'oh oh oh-ohhh' choruses or is the whole thing more Boys II Men-style Almost Is Never Enough balladry? Let's 'ave a listen.
Kiss Me Quick
The first track Nathan played us was Kiss Me Quick; a massive Motown-tinged track that essentially sounds like the result of a rather kinky one night stand involving Justin Timberlake and John Newman. This one's produced by LDN Noise and has that whole 'summer barbecue' kinda vibe goin' on (can you tell we're serious music journos?)
Nath's vocals are on POINT and we basically had to stop ourselves standing up for a spontaneous shimmy given the situation. Dead catchy, very happy-clappy, super slick.
Money
Well what have we here? We never thought we'd hear that fella from The Wanted channeling his inner Usher, but it's happened on this hip-hoppy-poppy (that's a thing) track. Produced by Harmony Samuels - who's worked with everyone from Ariana Grande to Chris Brown - Money comes complete with a killer chorus and what can only be described as a 'drop.' EDGY. Chatting about the track, Nathan admitted he wanted to be as 'ridiculous' as 'ridiculous' as possible with his vocal gymnastics without sounding like, y'know, a bit of a dick.
Also he reckons us comparing his voice Usher is 'the biggest compliment ever,' so we think we got some Brownie points there.
Famous
Y'all already know Nathan's voice is the musical equivalent of having hot salted caramel being poured down your ear canals while a bunny tickles your nose, right? Well WAIT till you hear Famous. Nathan's favourite on the album, this tune shows his vulnerable side ('I was never good enough...'/'Will you love me when I'm famous?') before becoming this BIG ballad. Nath also told us there's a version out there that's properly stripped-down, all strings and little production that he'll 'have to put out there sometime.' Totes emosh.
Moral of the story here? Nathan's vocally stronger than ever, isn't constrained to that properly poppy The Wanted sound and is gonna surprise a lot of people with his solo shiz. There's no first single yet (it's 'between four,' appaz), but chances are it's gonna be bloody amazing.
So what exactly has Nath been doing in this 'musical cave' of his, eh? Can we expect loads of bouncy Glad You Came 'oh oh oh-ohhh' choruses or is the whole thing more Boys II Men-style Almost Is Never Enough balladry? Let's 'ave a listen.
Kiss Me Quick
The first track Nathan played us was Kiss Me Quick; a massive Motown-tinged track that essentially sounds like the result of a rather kinky one night stand involving Justin Timberlake and John Newman. This one's produced by LDN Noise and has that whole 'summer barbecue' kinda vibe goin' on (can you tell we're serious music journos?)
Nath's vocals are on POINT and we basically had to stop ourselves standing up for a spontaneous shimmy given the situation. Dead catchy, very happy-clappy, super slick.
Money
Well what have we here? We never thought we'd hear that fella from The Wanted channeling his inner Usher, but it's happened on this hip-hoppy-poppy (that's a thing) track. Produced by Harmony Samuels - who's worked with everyone from Ariana Grande to Chris Brown - Money comes complete with a killer chorus and what can only be described as a 'drop.' EDGY. Chatting about the track, Nathan admitted he wanted to be as 'ridiculous' as 'ridiculous' as possible with his vocal gymnastics without sounding like, y'know, a bit of a dick.
Also he reckons us comparing his voice Usher is 'the biggest compliment ever,' so we think we got some Brownie points there.
Famous
Y'all already know Nathan's voice is the musical equivalent of having hot salted caramel being poured down your ear canals while a bunny tickles your nose, right? Well WAIT till you hear Famous. Nathan's favourite on the album, this tune shows his vulnerable side ('I was never good enough...'/'Will you love me when I'm famous?') before becoming this BIG ballad. Nath also told us there's a version out there that's properly stripped-down, all strings and little production that he'll 'have to put out there sometime.' Totes emosh.
Moral of the story here? Nathan's vocally stronger than ever, isn't constrained to that properly poppy The Wanted sound and is gonna surprise a lot of people with his solo shiz. There's no first single yet (it's 'between four,' appaz), but chances are it's gonna be bloody amazing.
The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes previews new music
Earlier this week, former The Wanted member Nathan Sykes officially announced his return to the music world, confirming his intentions for the imminent launch of his upcoming solo career.
Fast-forward a couple of days, and this morning we were lucky enough to catch up with the young artist for a chinwag. Aside from sharing a collaborative moan regarding the state of Britain’s transport system (as well as how to score brownie-points with cab companies), the second part of our meeting led us to hearing a preview of Sykes’ forthcoming material.
Now, first-off, we made it clear to both Nathan and his PR agent that we tend to shy away from pop music over here at Stagedoor FM (we leave that to the good folk over at Popjustice who have built a strong audience focusing primarily on that side of the industry), however as a property who still likes to represent emerging talents alongside the latest in specialist music, we were told that this was “an opportunity not to be missed”…. and you know what? They were 100% right! Nathan played us three tracks, including one which could be the lead single from his forthcoming project – all pretty-varied in their approach, yet with one underlying theme – aside from co-writing credits on all three, Nathan Sykes could potentially be the UK’s answer to Justin Timberlake.
Kiss Me Quick
Produced by LDN Noise, Kiss Me Quick is as massively-impactful as a 20/20 Experience inclusion; it’s here where Sykes really comes into his own and ultimately assists in sidelining his pop roots for something far more mature than his years. There’s a huge amount of Motown influences included here, and that’s no bad thing…. we’ve always said that throwing in some brass instruments help to make a track, and Kiss Me Quick definitely benefits from the horns. If anything, the track is where we strongly believe Sykes should be championing when his first single is confirmed.
Money
Admittedly, with something so striking (and catchy) as Kiss Me Quick, we had trouble paying full attention to Money. Produced by Harmony Samuels (who produced
the majority of Nathan’s new project), Money seems more a mid-set number versus anything else, though still impressively-strong to stand on its own right. Whether it’s impactful enough to stand alone as a single remains to be seen, however it’s another impressive stab, and further ignites Nathan’s move to a more mature crowd thanks to the various themes utilised in the song’s production. Some nice vocal distortions assist the Usher-esque R&B undertones on this one.
Famous
As the third-and-final cut, Famous is a strong ballad, swaying between low- and mid-tempo (thanks in part to the light guitar riffs throughout). Building up to a choir-led finale (which, we later found was actually Sykes multi-layering his vocals), this is the song that’ll help shift records to his existing fanbase, the same way as Stay With Me helped Sam Smith.
And in a nutshell, that’s it… We left impressed, and signing praises (particularly toward Kiss Me Quick) – Nathan Sykes’ first single is still yet to be confirmed, but from what we’ve been exposed to, the new collection should be seen as something as quite exciting alongside unexpected.
Fast-forward a couple of days, and this morning we were lucky enough to catch up with the young artist for a chinwag. Aside from sharing a collaborative moan regarding the state of Britain’s transport system (as well as how to score brownie-points with cab companies), the second part of our meeting led us to hearing a preview of Sykes’ forthcoming material.
Now, first-off, we made it clear to both Nathan and his PR agent that we tend to shy away from pop music over here at Stagedoor FM (we leave that to the good folk over at Popjustice who have built a strong audience focusing primarily on that side of the industry), however as a property who still likes to represent emerging talents alongside the latest in specialist music, we were told that this was “an opportunity not to be missed”…. and you know what? They were 100% right! Nathan played us three tracks, including one which could be the lead single from his forthcoming project – all pretty-varied in their approach, yet with one underlying theme – aside from co-writing credits on all three, Nathan Sykes could potentially be the UK’s answer to Justin Timberlake.
Kiss Me Quick
Produced by LDN Noise, Kiss Me Quick is as massively-impactful as a 20/20 Experience inclusion; it’s here where Sykes really comes into his own and ultimately assists in sidelining his pop roots for something far more mature than his years. There’s a huge amount of Motown influences included here, and that’s no bad thing…. we’ve always said that throwing in some brass instruments help to make a track, and Kiss Me Quick definitely benefits from the horns. If anything, the track is where we strongly believe Sykes should be championing when his first single is confirmed.
Money
Admittedly, with something so striking (and catchy) as Kiss Me Quick, we had trouble paying full attention to Money. Produced by Harmony Samuels (who produced
the majority of Nathan’s new project), Money seems more a mid-set number versus anything else, though still impressively-strong to stand on its own right. Whether it’s impactful enough to stand alone as a single remains to be seen, however it’s another impressive stab, and further ignites Nathan’s move to a more mature crowd thanks to the various themes utilised in the song’s production. Some nice vocal distortions assist the Usher-esque R&B undertones on this one.
Famous
As the third-and-final cut, Famous is a strong ballad, swaying between low- and mid-tempo (thanks in part to the light guitar riffs throughout). Building up to a choir-led finale (which, we later found was actually Sykes multi-layering his vocals), this is the song that’ll help shift records to his existing fanbase, the same way as Stay With Me helped Sam Smith.
And in a nutshell, that’s it… We left impressed, and signing praises (particularly toward Kiss Me Quick) – Nathan Sykes’ first single is still yet to be confirmed, but from what we’ve been exposed to, the new collection should be seen as something as quite exciting alongside unexpected.
