Adam Duffill

"It's all about trying to capture how you feel about the world around you and how different people react differently to situations that exist within it'... well, thats the philosophical (and extremely long-winded!) way of explaining what I do!" This is how Adam Duffill describes his songwriting. The 21-year-old has been a singer/songwriter for 7 years having spent hours in his room teaching himself guitar and as his profile picture suggests, he is no stereotype: "I like to try and recreate a rock sound through my songs - think Oasis, Goo Goo Dolls, Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty and you will start to get my drift - I like to move around the stage and get to know my audience throughout my shows, and to try to create an upbeat atmosphere. I want my music to move people, to lift them up on down days, and to slow them down when they feel things are too going too fast. But most importantly, I want people to take their own meanings from the songs, to feel something from listening and to enjoy it" It would certainly be fair to say that Duffill has a clear and ambitious vision for his music. At the age of just 14, Adam fronted and formed local three piece band This, That and Half The Other, with whom he first got the opportunity to see his songs come from his bedroom to large audiences: "I had written loads of songs. Probably somewhere between 100-150. They were essentially catchy 60's pop/rock songs, and were simple - nothing complicated. I used to bring new songs to the practise room every week and show the bassist what I was playing and I let the drummer have free-lance and play whatever he wanted as I'm useless on drums (laughs)!" But despite being popular amongst teens in the Southend area, after three years and a new gained experience of recording studios, live shows at various halls, theatres and even schools, it was time for a new direction: "I think because we were quite a simple, pop-rock band people liked us because they could sing along to the songs, and I really enjoyed people singing along to the songs I'd written just to let off a bit of steam in my room! But I think all three of us wanted a different type of band and after a while there was only so much compromise we could make, and we got another guitarist in to try and add some new ideas but eventually we decided to go off and do different things." "I was really protective over the musical direction of the songs, because I'd written them and knew how I wanted them to sound, so I qucikly realised that I'd enjoy my music more going it alone as a solo artist rather than joining another band when This, That and Half The Other disbanded." That gave Adam a chance to write more songs with the added benefit of making all of the decisions, which lead to a surge of new songs, including live favourites 'Sinking' and 'Who I Am' : "I liked the creative freedom of writing a song and having complete control over how it sounded. I think that inspired me to write songs with much more depth, I think it tested me to try new things and improved me as a songwriter. My style of writing changed so I only play 'Magic' in my setlists from the songs I wrote for This, That and Half The Other, just because I think I'm writing better songs now than I was then." The newly inspired solo artist then stumbled accross an advertisement whilst watching his beloved Southend United that proved to be a pivotal moment: "There was an advert in the matchday programme for a competition called 'blues idol'. X factor and all of that isn't really my thing because they dont promote singing your own songs, but I knew If I could get through I'd get to play at Roots Hall in front of thousands of people. I did the audition and never really considered the possibility of actually making it through, but somehow made it to the final and got to sing in front of 10,000 people prior to a big game against Brighton. I ended up finishing runner-up to Josh Dubovie who ended up singing for GB in Eurovision". Since then Adam has won a host of other competitions, including Southend's Got Talent as well as progressing well in national contests such as reaching the Live and Unsigned Regional Finals in two consecutive years, playing various bars, theatres and stadia in the process and has worked tirelessly to try and spread his music to as many ears as possible. Whilst times have been tough trying to balance completing a degree, working as well as buidling a career in music, it is all worth it as far as Adam is concerned: "Even if you're the only person in the crowd that listens to the songs and they make you ask yourself the questions, then that makes the songs 100% better than I could ever write them. So, if you've got an evening free once in a while, you've had a hard day at work, fancy a drink and a chance to chill out and be cheered up, come and have a listen. You never know, you could be that one person in the crowd!" Right now Adam believes that he is writing songs that are emotionally as 'close to the fire than ever before' in his own words. The 21-year-old has finished his degree, and now the focus has shifted to 'chasing the dream' and becoming a successful solo artist by playing live shows, promotion, recording, social networking non-stop in order to acheive the dream: "I just want people to hear the music and form their own interpretations of it. If people hear it and don't like it, thats fine. At least they know its there and they've heard what I've got to say. You know, the thing that excites me is just being to play my songs and for people to be able to relate and feel something. This is an exciting time for me. I've finally got a chance to try and fulfil my ambitions and the more people that will come on the journey with me the more enjoyable it'll be." Many questions have been asked from the solo artists fan's as to when the long-awaited debut album 'Torch To Light The Universe' will be released: "People always ask when it'll be done, but financially and time-wise it hasn't been possible to get a solid stint of recording until now, what with studying and working. I'm a bit of a perfectionist with the recording process, so that makes things take longer, but hopefully the record will really portray exactly how I was feeling when I wrote the songs, and so I can take a step back and say 'you know what? thats as good as I could have got it'". Confirmed tracks include 'Magic', and 'Sinking' as well as 'Never Did Need You' and Can't Be Done'. 'Sinking' is a song full of rhetorical questions asking whether, when it really counts and when all is said and done, the person closest to you can help you to turn things around or whether they will shy away. 'Never Did Need You' deals with putting traumatic exeriences behind you, whilst the powerful ballad 'Can't Be Done' is a particular favourite of Adam's: "The song came out of nowhere. I met a girl when I was away and we just really clicked and everything was comfortable right from the word go. But as time went on, I felt sad at the realisation that she lived in the north and we lived so far away from each other that things, no matter how rosy they seemed, were never going to last. I was trying to capture that moment of realisation in the song." Adam is supported by a loyal bunch of fans who attend every live show without fail, and is something the Rochford-born singer is hugely grateful for: "I'm so grateful to everyone that comes to watch me play live, and I appear to have built up a really brilliant small bunch of supporters who are just fantastically loyal. They promote my music wherever they can, travel all over the place, often at short notice and sing along with the songs at every opportunity. They really make it special for me, and when they sing along particularly because the songs obviously have a lot of meaning to me". "I find it inspiring that people would give up their time and money just to come and watch me play, and the more people that feel that way the more it makes me feel as though I really do have something to offer through my music." Here's hoping that there is plenty more on offer from Adam Duffill for some time yet! "Take it easy, and hopefully I'll see you soon!" - Adam D Singer/Songwriter with a Rock Edge: www.youtube.com/aduffillmusic www.twitter.com/adam_duffill www.soundcloud.com/adam-duffill