A Chat with Gideon Foster (27.03.23)
Bringing a contemporary flair to nostalgic pop sounds, singer-songwriter Gideon Foster adds a slant to The Beatles with his original music. We speak with Foster about his debut album, musical inspiration, discovering music and more!
OSR: What inspired you to make music?
Foster: It was never really planned, around 8 years ago I had a spiritual awakening which led to changes in my life and I think really I was searching for meaning. I’d always played a bit and not too long before this time I’d recorded a cover of ‘Lucky’ by Radiohead with someone who had a home studio. When the dust settled I found myself looking for things to do, so I got back in contact to see if I could do another song. By this time she was running a studio just working with original artists, so I said ok what if I try writing my own songs and it really started from there.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Foster: I think music takes over when words are not enough, it’s really an expression of everything you are going through at the time.
OSR: You began writing songs later than most people. What do you think are the benefits and drawbacks of entering the music scene later in life?
Foster: I think you become more philosophical as you get older, more inclined to just enjoy things without hanging on for an outcome and that’s the way I try to play it really. That being said convention and the fact that the majority of artists start a lot earlier in life is a big obstacle to overcome, not necessarily an obstacle in the outside world it’s as much within yourself.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Prophecy?
Foster: Prophecy is really an inner journey, primarily from the awakening but also reminiscent of my younger days. It really came about as a result of the lockdowns and having already released songs I’d written. I’d never really dealt with the elephant in the room which was what I had gone through with the awakening, which was deeply personal and had actually resulted in me writing songs. The title track is a dream I have had since I was young about being on a cliff, it never really made sense to me until I started the album, and then thought: ahh it’s a song!
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Foster: I hope people take comfort from it. I think there are more and more people going through things and searching for something more than this material world we live in, but also I hope it inspires others, you’re never really too old to try something, although I might be cutting it a bit fine with an Olympic gold medal.
OSR: Which is more difficult: melody or lyrics?
Foster: I’m sure everyone is different, but for me, it seems that the melody appears when I’ve got the lyrics, so I’d have to say lyrics.
OSR: Describe your music in three words.
Foster: Happy, sad, philosophical.
OSR: What do you think is the best way to discover new music?
Foster: Online, there’s so much out there and technology has made it accessible. Streaming has its benefits too in so far as you can listen to virtually anything you want, whereas when I was a lad you had to go buy the record.
OSR: What is the best and worst piece of advice you have ever received?
Foster: This goes for everything really not just music. The best advice is to be yourself, the worst is to be what others want you to be.
OSR: Do you have future plans as a musician?
Foster: I’m recording some new songs at the moment and other than that I’d really like to just get out and play music to people more.
Many thanks to Gideon Foster for speaking with us! For more from Gideon Foster, check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
