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SINGAPORE : They've called him the new Jeff Buckley, and compared his work to Paul Simon, James Blunt, and just about every other acoustic guitar-toting singer. But Brit folk singer Jamie Scott brushes those comparisons off like fluff from his sleeve.
“People see a guy walk onstage with an acoustic and straight away they’ll classify him,” he told TODAY over the phone from his home just outside London. “That’s what people like to do — they like to compare. It’s human nature. (I hope that) someone who has my album listened to it over and over again and heard the story of what’s on the album ... because then it’s going to sound completely different from anyone else. I’d like to think that the album will take on its own life.”
The album, "Park Bench Theories", took off with a bang when it was released last year, and in slightly more than a month, Jamie Scott and The Town will take off for our sunny shores when they perform at SINGfest in August.
“I’m very excited about it,” said the 26-year-old singer-songwriter about the gig. “We were just saying how excited we are to come over to Singapore, because none of us have ever been there, so it’s going to be a bit of a treat. I’ve had a lot of lovely messages on our website from people living in Singapore, though!”
And he said that audiences here will get a treat too, because this time his backing band The Town will be reduced to a pair from the usual five. “I’m going there with a double bass player and a cellist, so it’s going to be very acoustic, but at the same time, I think it’s going to seem like there are more people onstage. It should be interesting!”
“Interesting” appropriately sums up Scott’s life so far. He started playing the guitar and piano at seven, listening to his parents’ music - Cat Stevens, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Carole King. “I think I’m still influenced by a lot of old music, such as Dylan, Pink Floyd and James Taylor,” he said. “But I also like Amy Winehouse, The Killers, Razorlight and Jeff Buckley.”
When Scott was 19, he was on top of the world. He was in love and had landed a recording contract with Sony. But the deal fell through when Sony merged with BMG, and Scott found himself in record label limbo. Not surprisingly, he parted ways with them. He also parted ways with his girlfriend and these incidents would later form the backbone of content for his debut album, Park Bench Theories.
But while Scott said recording the album was an “amazing” experience, live shows give him a “rush”. “Playing onstage is a feeling that I can’t really explain. I get a rush, I get excitement from the people with the music. I’ll never get bored by it. I don’t know what I would do without music. It’d be something dodgy, probably!”
Jamie Scott and The Town will perform at SINGfest on August 3. Log on to http://singfest.sg for more information. - TODAY/ra
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