Sie kennen sich von der Uni und machen zusammen Musik. Da hieß die Band noch nicht „Stargroves“ und Teddy Watson wollte einfach nur mit ein paar Freunden seine selbst geschriebenen Songs live spielen.
Warum das Jahr 2012 der Wendepunkt war und für den Studenten aus New York ausgerechnet ein Aufenthalt in Reykjavik den kreativen Schub brachte, erzählt Teddy Watson im Interview mit Feuilletonscout.
Feuilletonscout: At what age did you start making music?
Teddy Watson: My parents put me in piano lessons from a very young age, and I began writing my own songs when I was 12 or 13.
Feuilletonscout: And when did you decide to turn music into your profession?
Teddy Watson: Music was always something I did for fun, whenever I had free time. After I moved to New York I really started putting a lot of time and energy into the band, I’d say that’s when it really became my full time commitment
Feuilletonscout: How and when did you start Stargroves?
Teddy Watson: Stargroves evolved over several years. It began when I put together a group of guys to play some of my songs at live shows (it wasn’t even called Stargroves yet). As the project grew and developed we changed up the members over time and worked on new material. Stargroves today is a just a refined and developed version of that original group.
Feuilletonscout: Stargroves is your „baby“. You started the band, you’re the lead singer, you write the songs and gain the most publicity. How important is the rest of the team for you?
Teddy Watson: Really important, especially to our new material. I write the songs, but everyone adds they’re own style to the instrumentation, and Stargroves wouldn’t be the same without the rest of the band.
Feuilletonscout: Though, normally, you live in New York, you spent three months in Reykjavik in 2012. Tell me more about that, why the time-out?
Teddy Watson: I went to Iceland in 2012. At the time I wasn’t crazy about New York and I wanted to see another city, but not just for a 2 week vacation. I decided to hunker down in Reykjavík and write songs for a bit. Most of our first album came out of that trip.
Feuilletonscout: Was life in Iceland not suddenly very quiet and boring?
Teddy Watson: At times it was quiet and boring, but not always. Icelanders like to go out on the weekends, and Reykjavík is actually quite lively on Saturday and Sunday.
Feuilletonscout: After you returned from Iceland, you released „Stargroves“, your debut album. Teddy Watson: When and where were the songs on it written?
Most of them were written in Iceland, towards the end of my trip.
Feuilletonscout: For parts of the album, you worked together with Abigail Breslin, who became very well-known for her role in „Little Miss Sunshine“.Where do you know her from and how was it working with her?
Teddy Watson: I met Abbie at an after party for one of her films. We had the same vocal coach and the time, and he introduced us. We became friends, and I played banjo and harmonica on some of her songs (she’s also an accomplished singer/songwriter in her own right). When it came time for us to record our first album, I asked her if she’d sing on it, and she accepted.
Feuilletonscout: What is your greatest dream in regards to music?
Teddy Watson: In my teens I would go to Glastonbury every summer, and once I sneaked onto one of the bigger stages and watched the bands from there. Its always been a dream of mine to play at that festival.
Feuilletonscout: What in particular do you want people to remember about you and your art?
Teddy Watson: I guess I feel my best quality is being able to write memorable melodies, so I suppose I’d like to be remembered for that.
Feuilletonscout: What would you do now, if you hadn’t become a singer?
Teddy Watson: Probably something in the tech world. I’m currently getting my degree in computer science from NYU.
Thanks, Teddy, for the interview!
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