OPTIONS: Stevie thinks he will be a success in the music business but isn’t turning back on his career as a fireman. “I’m realistic enough to know how tough it is to remain popular for any great length of time so I want to keep my options open.”
By Geoffrey Rowlands
The Falkirk fire service is one man short at the moment. Fireman Stevie McCrorie has gone off to become a pop star after winning series four of BBC Television’s The Voice and seeing his debut single, Lost Stars, shoot straight to number six on the UK chart.
“I’m not sure if I’ve totally left the fire service,” admitted 29-year-old Stevie. “I think I’ll be a success in the music business. But I’m realistic enough to know how tough it is to remain popular for any great length of time so I want to keep my options open.
“This kind of thing has never happened before. I’ll talk with the fire service to see what we could do. I don’t know if I have to leave or if I can remain part of the firefighting family to perhaps provide publicity for the service with the possibility of returning to duty if things don’t work out in the pop world.”
Stevie has become the first winner of The Voice to achieve significant singles chart success. Series two champion, Andrea Begley, reached seventh spot on the album chart with “The Message” but her highest charting single, My Immortal, stalled at number 30.
Only Leah McFall, runner-up to Andrea, has enjoyed a top ten single in her own right. Her performance on The Voice of the Chantay Savage ballad version of Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic, I Will Survive, was released after the show in 2013 and peaked at number eight.
Series one semi-finalist, Becky Hill, actually topped the UK chart as the featured vocalist on Oliver Heldens’ 2014 track, Gecko (Overdrive). She also reached number eight as the uncredited singer on Wilkinson’s Afterglow. But Becky’s only chart placing as lead artist was the number 56 spot achieved by her single, Losing.
“I had people tell me The Voice was jinxed,” Stevie smiled. “They said no-one who won the show has ever gone on to achieve very much.
“There is a massive difference between artists on The Voice and those who win or just do well on X Factor. But I’ve always wanted my music to be real rather than manufactured. I’m not sure if I’d been able to have this if I’d won X Factor.”
Stevie got into music when he was 14.
“That’s when I first had the ambition to be a pop star. My parents made a wee space for me in the loft at our house where I could sing, play and write songs. I had various attempts to make it in music. The best was with my band Stevie and the Moon. We did okay, released a single and album but eventually split up three years ago.
“I basically gave up on my music ambitions for a while but then found a much greater determination to succeed than I’d ever had before. I developed myself as a solo artist and saw The Voice as probably my best route to pop success. It’s such a real show in that the judges don’t see you before you are chosen. They only hear the reality of your vocal ability.”
Stevie’s single, Lost Stars, was written for the 2013 movie, Begin Again. Performed by Maroon 5 vocalist Adam Levine, it received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
“I know how lucky I am to be given such a fantastic song. But my subsequent releases will determine how successful I might become. I’ll give everything I have to make it in the business. But if it does all come to nought, I enjoyed my time as a fireman and it’s a far more important job than being a pop star.”
IN BRIEF
Rosenblume
Daniel Ross has performed his brand of acoustic pop, blues and folk for little more than two years. But the Liverpool-born guitarist, singer and songwriter has already attracted the kind of critical acclaim which bodes well for a successful career on the UK music scene.
“I’ve been singing and playing guitar since I was a very young child and started writing songs when I wasn’t much older. I played in loads of covers bands around Liverpool but finally decided to concentrate on my own music.”
Not that Daniel’s work appears under his real name. Like many other individual performers, he has chosen to use a group name.
“I don’t often perform alone. Most of my songs are more than just me and my guitar so I need the help of musician friends to accurately reproduce the recorded sound on stage. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want to be credited under my own name.”
Daniel’s debut EP, “All Through The Fire, All Through The Rain,” will be released next week. The title track is already available as the lead single. It can be heard at (no www.) soundcloud.com/rosenblume
Also posted here is an older song, Knight In Shining Armour. A video for this track can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjT6WlCy0sM
Safaree
Rapper Safaree Samuels recently released his debut solo mixtape, “It Is What It Is.”
The long-time, but now former, boyfriend of Nicki Minaj received scant respect for his contributions to her songs. Little was expected of his own material but Safaree’s haters have been proved wrong.
Those who listened only to condemn have been forced to write at least generally positive reviews. Judge for yourself by listening at www.datpiff.com/Safaree-It-Is-What-It-Is-mixtape.700392.html
If you enjoy the mixtape, it can be downloaded for free.
Charlotte Carpenter
A female George Ezra is a recent description of Northampton-born singer/songwriter Charlotte Carpenter. Unlike George though, whose singles and albums chart success has made him a star, large numbers of British music fans have yet to discover Charlotte’s songs.
“I started out playing small venues around my home town. But things started to happen while I was studying music at the University of Derby. I created an Internet fan page promoting my gigs and open mic performances. A lot of my fellow students would come to see and support me.”
Her fan base has continued to grow but not in such numbers as Charlotte would hope. See what you think of her work by checking out the songs posted at (no www.) soundcloud.com/charlottecarpentermusic
Several videos can also be found on YouTube. Type her name in the website search box to gain access.
Charlotte Campbell
Not to be confused with Charlotte Carpenter is another British female singer/songwriter with identical initials and the same given name.
London-born Charlotte Campbell has been writing and performing her own music since she was 15. A graduate of the prestigious BRIT School and the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, Charlotte took her songs to the streets where she earned a decent living as a busker.
“I played a mix of my own songs and reworkings of chart hits. Busking was good fun, though not so much on cold winter days.”
Fan contributions have also funded Charlotte’s recorded output. She recently used the money raised from 191 backers on a Kickstarter campaign to create her “Making Waves” album.
Nothing is available to hear as yet from the new album. But Charlotte’s debut LP, “Blue Eyed Soul,” can be heard in full at (no www.) charlottecampbell.bandcamp.com/album/blue-eyed-soul
There are links on this webpage to her three-song EP, “3P,” the free track, Streets of London and her five-song EP, “Stay.”
Numerous performance videos are posted on YouTube. Access them by typing Charlotte’s name in the website search box.
