Edinburgh Reporter chats – Ewan Petrie

After leaving Banchory Academy in 2008, Ewan Petrie, 20, went to Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh to study Acting and Performance. With a passion for music as well as acting, he has now released 2 self-penned singles on MySpace, the first to be added to (what is hopefully going to be) a large portfolio. ‘Feel’ is an incredibly reflective piece with the title word emphasised well in the chorus. ‘Over and Out’ develops intricately into an upbeat song with a memorable chorus and a good range of tones throughout. George Ward asks the up-and-coming artist about his work.

What was your inspiration for each of your songs ‘Feel’ and ‘Over and Out’?

My inspiration for the song ‘Feel’ came from moving to different places but having to leave a special person behind. Moving around the world has happened a lot in my life and it can be hard. It’s a feeling that I can relate too and so I thought I would write a song about it!

‘Over and Out’ was actually inspired by a news article I read about addiction. The article really interested me and showed how people can get addicted to anything so easily and it can affect everything and everyone in their life. The song is about the how the addiction seems the only option and the struggle to deal with it. Quite random but sometimes you find inspiration in the most unusual places!

How would you sum-up your sound in one sentence?

I would say mellow acoustic sounds mixed with a funk twist.

Where did you record the songs and how did you enjoy the recording process?

I recorded the songs with Offbeat recordings in Edinburgh with a producer called Iain McKinna. The whole process was fascinating for me. I had never recorded professionally before and it was so exciting to be in the studio seeing the songs develop into what there are now. Iain was amazing and was great at putting his own input into the songs. I’m also very lucky to have very talented friends who helped me with the tracks.  Ryan Paterson played the drums and James Howe did lead guitar. The songs wouldn’t sound half as good if it wasn’t for them.

How has your univeristy course developed your musical talent?

The course I did at Queen Margaret University focuses on Acting but they do teach singing as part of the course and they were great at developing my singing skills. We got weekly one-on-one singing lessons and these really helped develop the technical side of my singing. However the course doesn’t cover musical instruments so I did my entire guitar playing in my spare time. I found playing an instrument a great release from the pressure of the course.

If you had to choose between a career in acting or a career in singing, what would you choose?

Wow, that’s hard one!  Becoming an actor has always been my ambition from a young age and I love the feeling of being on stage. With music I love the creative side and the process of writing a song. To be honest I would love to be lucky enough to have a career in either. Acting and Singing often go together so hopefully I will be able to do both in the future!

Have you done much promotion aside from through Facebook and what do you think of Myspace as a platform for musicians?

Not really, I’m not sure where to start. The songs started as a hobby and I just wanted to see what my friends and family thought. The feedback has been great and I’m going to try and send them out to local radio stations. I also have a few contacts in the recording industry from acting work I’ve done, so I am planning on contacting them as well.  Myspace has been great as an initial platform and very easy to use. It’s great to have a website which is so easily accessible for everyone to listen to my music.

Have you written other songs and do you plan to record them?

Yeah, I have loads of other songs that I’m desperate to record and I hope I get time soon to do that. Watch this space!

Do you plan to eventually sell your music and tour or are you playing things by ear?

That would be amazing and I would love to one day but it’s a long shot at the moment. But who knows what the future holds?

What are your musical aims for the future?

Just keep writing and performing as much as possible to get my face and name out there!