Miss Lucy: First of all, Nigel, could you tell us for how long have you been a musician and singer?
Nigel: I've always loved music and I got a guitar when I was about 14 and I've been trying to play ever since. The singing didn't happen til much later, I was never really sure I could sing. My singing and playing seemed to develop together as I started to write songs.
Miss Lucy:
What kind of music do you listen to?
Nigel:
I will listen to anything, as long as it grabs me which usually means it has good melody, lyrics that mean something and as a whole just makes me feel something. Currently my favourite is a band called Cherry Ghost. But my tastes range from Black Sabbath to Simon & Garfunkel. Other favourites would be Elbow, Jeff Buckley, The Stone Roses and The LAs.
Miss Lucy:
What were your musical influences when you were younger?(Even if you're still young, of course!)
Nigel:
My earliest memories are Boney M and also Simon & Garfunkel I suppose. Not sure how much you’ll find of either in my music though. When I first started in band though it was metal Black Sabbath and Metallica.
Miss Lucy:
You’re going to record your very first album quite soon.Can you tell us more about the lyrics?Is it a biographical album? Do you talk about serious problems like politics?
Nigel:
Yeah its going to be really great. To be honest when it comes to songs I stay away from the political. There are artists who can do it and do it well but its not my strength, there are very few Billy Braggs in the world. I write about stuff the people get much more readily like life in general, relationships, love, romance and music. So the lyrics tend to be about those subjects. Some bits are about me but they’re present in a way that means they’re about everyone.
Miss Lucy:
The four tracks we can listen to on your MySpace page are pop and romantic songs. Are you truly a romantic guy or is it a way to reach girls'hearts?
Nigel:
When it comes to songwriting I just am more able to write in this way, it’s natural for me to do this. I find it strange to think of myself as a romantic guy but the ideas for my songs come from somewhere that resonates from within me so maybe yeah. As clichéd as this sounds, I want to reach everyone with my music, not just girls.
Miss Lucy:
Have you ever been told that your voice sounds like Paul McCartney's? Do you like the Beatles?
Nigel:
I’ve never been likened to Paul McCartney but I’ll take that as a compliment. He has done ok for himself! Yeah I like the Beatles, I wouldn’t be a total fanatic but they wrote brilliant songs and there influence on music is huge. If asked the question “The Beatles or The Stones?” I’d have to say Beatles.
Miss Lucy:
Well, Nigel, this is not a formal interview as you can see. I Hope you had some fun doing it. I really like your songs and I wish you an international success! Good Luck for this first album!
Retrouvez Nigel Place sur MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/nigelplace
Et la traduction en français de cette interview ici:
http://www.myspace.com/misslucy75
