Next Wave #600: Luke Sital-Singh

Pensive, melancholic singer-songwriter music...

“I’m having a kind of day off today,” explains emerging singer-songwriter Luke Sital-Singh, speaking to Clash from his London home, preparing to play a set before a cinematic Romeo And Juliet screening, having just released his ‘Film Songs’ EP.

“It just seemed like an interesting thing to do and I’m quite into my films, and I was re-watching a bunch of Wes Anderson films and I was just noticing the great music and thinking, ‘Oh, there’s some pretty cool songs on these, perhaps I should do some covers.’ It was just a project that I had no real aspirations for, it was just for me, really, and it just ended up sounding quite good so I put it out there.”

His plans to play a selection of intimate cinema shows surrounding the release of his debut album ‘The Fire Inside’ will provide a fitting setting for the artist’s emotionally intense live shows.

“If someone was to say to me, ‘I’m either going to buy your album or come to a gig,’ I’d say come to the gig. I just think it’s a lot rawer, more intimate, and more emotive live. However, if people want to come and have a good time, have a dance, smile and laugh, I’m not the one to come to. But if you want to come and drink some red wine and think about sad times, then my songs are the perfect thing that you might need,” he admits, conveying a sense of brutal honesty that’s often lost within the promotion of most of the country’s fast-rising acts.

Swiftly moving on to the topic of his new album, a serene collection of delicate folk-driven recordings that showcase his strong songwriting talents, he reveals: “I think there’s a good balance between new songs and ones that have already been released. I’ve done three EPs now and 12 songs, so I didn’t want to just put the best of the three onto one album and release an album of stuff that everyone’s already heard. I definitely wanted there to be a lot of new stuff. I don’t think it will disappoint any fans as it’s all in the same vibe as the EPs. I’m proud of it, I just want people to be able to hear it.” 

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WHERE: London

WHAT: Pensive, melancholy singer-songwriter music.

GET 3 SONGS: ‘I Have Been A Fire’, ‘The Wrestler’, ‘Tornado Town’

FACT: Luke has a massive coffee obsession – he can’t go on tour without his set-up of his grinder, beans, kettle and special filter systems.

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Words: Jonathan Hatchman
Photography: Alastair Strong
Fashion: Ian Luka

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