Phil Plested can’t help himself: get him started on the topic of songwriting and the cheerful musician will tell you all the myriad ways in which he’s a tried-and-true believer in the power of a well-crafted song. “That’s natural to me. That’s what I know,” the singer-songwriter says of that almost-surreal way in which a particular set of chords and words can pair with the right melody and then just when the entire world feels in total disarray suddenly it all makes complete sense. “I write songs for those moments,” the artist who performs as Plested offers with a smile. “Regardless of what I’m doing on any given day I’m going to go to the studio and write songs. That’s how I get my emotions out. That’s what’s always there for me.”


He’s spent the past several years penning songs for some of pop music’s biggest names, including Little Mix (the UK Top 5 single "Touch"), ZAYN and Kygo. But Plested says he has his own story to tell. Of his decision to launch his solo career and release his forthcoming debut album due later this year, the winsome-voiced singer says, “When you have songs that you really care about and you know you love them there’s nothing to lose. Why give your song away to another artist who is not going to care as much for it? If you can write beautiful songs and you can sing them then why not do it yourself?”


“I write songs for those moments when people are like “This is helping me. I really needed this.” That’s the most important thing for me.”