Bruno Major is a London singer/songwriter making waves with his soulful new debut LP, A Song For Every Moon. Partnered with his piano late into the evening for the past year plus, Bruno's developed a collection of late night, intimate tracks sure to swoon over. We caught up with Bruno, talked jazz music, being an independent artist, and how Spotify changes the game.
[ Vinylmnky ]: Can you talk about the development of 'Bruno Major' over time?
[ Bruno Major ]: I was a jazz musician before I became a songwriter, I would spend all day learning music by Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Pass and Miles Davis. When I moved to London I got heavy into songwriting and artists like Bob Dylan, Randy Newman and Billy Joel. I’ve always been a fan of D’Angelo, Radiohead and I love Todd Terje and James Blake. I think my music is a natural product of all my influences.
Can you discuss your creative process when you sit in front of the piano and diving into that mindset?
[ Bruno Major ]: There really isn’t a consistent creative process. Sometimes songs come like emails into my head, nearly fully formed, and all I have to do is write them down. Sometimes I can try for hours and nothing will happen. Sometimes I write the same song three times before I get it right. You just have to be ready when an idea comes and try to capture it the best you can.
As a solo artist, you operate in a different space - can you talk about that independence?
[ Bruno Major ]: In terms of my music itself, I try to be honest, and not to worry too much about anything else. In terms of being an ‘independent artist’ it gives me the creative freedom to release whatever I want whenever I want – that’s something really important to me.
Your sound has evolved over time, can you talk about this decision? Was it conscious and what are you aiming for now?
[ Bruno Major ]: I listened to A Song for Every Moon all the way through for the first time today. My sound has evolved a lot from Wouldn't Mean A Thing to Cold Blood, I think something happened as a result of recording a song each month rather than recording it as an album all at once in a more traditional way. The sound itself is very much something I have built with Phairo, he has co-produced nearly the whole collection. We learnt a lot in a year and each song is a snap shot of it’s own moment in time. It is very much a collection of songs rather than an album, a journey to listen to from start to finish.
You've been featured prominently via Spotify. From being on their Alternative R&B playlist (and being on their cover photo), to other R&B playlist adds. What are your thoughts about it and what kind of impact has that made?
[ Bruno Major ]: Spotify have been very supportive from the beginning - we’ve had nearly 30 million streams since Wouldn't Mean A Thing was released. Each song has had its own little journey whether it’s Easily on the R&B playlists or Home on the acoustic playlists, all different types of music fans have been introduced to my songs. Spotify also enables independent artists like myself to make a living without the need for record labels and lots of traditional radio play. It’s an amazing thing.
What new music are you listening to now, and what other London artists should we all be paying more attention to?
[ Bruno Major ]: It has been out a year but I love Noname. Her album Telefone is amazing. Col3trane is special, he’s been working with my friend SGLewis. Also Phairo, who I’ve been lucky enough to co-produce A Song for Every Moon with, drops some beautiful music.
Your debut LP, A Song For Every Moon, is coming out soon! What should we all be expecting?
[ Bruno Major ]: Well, by virtue of the way I have chosen to release it, you have already heard 11/12 of the songs. The final song goes up on release day, and it will be available to purchase on vinyl. I’m really proud of it as a body of work, and I hope people like it.
A Song For Every Moon is to be featured as a Breakthrough Record of the Month for October. Any thoughts about reaching these new listeners and being selected?
[ Bruno Major ]: I’m honored to have been selected especially amongst such esteemed company. It’s a wonderful idea that I’m grateful to be a part of, so thank you.
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