“Not everything has to end so bitterly,” Etham declares as he speaks on his latest single ‘Guilty.’ For years, Etham let this idea brew and evolve to its final form once it felt ready. With the timing in place, ‘Guilty’ emerged and landed as a perfect follow-up to Etham’s previous single ‘I Won’t.’
With the unbeatable current of new releases, Etham sticks to his guns and continues to unravel his emotional stance. Recalling his first school concert, Etham was certain he tapped into what he was meant o do.
From a brief catch-up, Etham appears level-headed, authentic, and mature for his age. His response regarding social media’s role in rising artists’ careers is profound and respectable compared to his pers.
- What have you been up in the last Couple of weeks?
I’ve just been getting the final bits done for my new EP and also a lot writing getting songs and projects finished. I’ve also been planning shows for later this year which I can’t wait for.
- Congratulations on your latest release ‘Guilty,’ do you remember when the single began to take shape?
Yeah it wasn’t until the final mix when I felt like ok it’s now in a good place. It’s always a little stressful trying to get a record right because when it’s in demo form you take it for what it is knowing the final version will sound better but getting it to that point can sometimes be a bumpy road but eventually you finally get there.
- Is it inspired by a real-life experience, if so, could you tell us more?
I’ve had the idea for a while and it’s to do with a break up I had years ago but it didn’t end badly and I’ve always wanted to write a song about how not everything has end so bitterly.
- Your lyrics are mainly introspective, how do you handle the line between sharing your emotions with the world, and keeping stuff private?
I think some concepts I have written about I always simplify it a little because if went into more detail I feel some concepts would go to far so I hold back some information but word it in a way that can relate to people and also keeping the deep personal details private.
- Were you always good at expressing your feelings?
Not really. I think that’s why music spoke to me because you could express it in a song.
- What is your favourite song at the moment?
At the moment I’d have to say End & Begins by Labrinth
- Looking back, was there a moment that solidified your decision to pursue music as a carer?
I think when I did my first school concert I just went into overload and knew that’s what I wanted to do either writing songs/producing/singing I just really wanted to see how far I could take it.
- Living in this day and age of Instagram, TikTok and streaming services, how do you navigate this landscape as a rising artist? Is online presence important for you?
I do find it difficult, I find being on my phone difficult. I always forget to film or take pictures because I get so distracted with what’s going on in front of me so to become someone that instantly thinks “I need a video of this” or ‘a picture of that’ I miss out a lot on giving people content and an insight to the things that people want to see cause I’m not wired that way but I also like to be private with a lot of things so it is a little bit of a battle but I do really appreciate what the platforms offer you in the sense of getting your music out there and connecting with fans which is so important. I’m just still trying to find what works with me.
- What else do you have planned for Summer and the rest of the year?
So I have shows coming up in September & October. I’m dropping my 7 track EP in November and then I also just have a few writing trips planned over the summer and also starting on my next EP.