A Chat with Blair Dunlop (03.06.24)
For over a decade, 12 years to be exact, singer-songwriter Blair Dunlop has cast a spell over audiences with natural talent, masterful musicality and pure charm. Reaching far beyond his UK borders, his music turns heads across Europe, North America and Australia featuring on international radio stations, various publications, and winning the BBC Folk Music award with his debut album Blight & Blossom. We speak with Dunlop about his recent album Out of the Rain, what music means to him, the effect of the Covid pandemic, and much more!
OSR: What made you decide to become a musician? What drew you to music?
Dunlop: It was never a conscious decision until I got to the point where I could make money from gigs. I guess it was something I always wanted to do, so as soon as I was 18 and it seemed viable, I started investing all my time into it. I was fortunate in that I come from a musical background so it always seemed like a legitimate career. So that… and not being good enough at football.
OSR: You’ve been out of the music scene for about five years now. If you don’t mind me asking, why the hiatus? Also, how does it feel to be back?
Dunlop: I’ve definitely been cracking on with various things behind the scenes, producing various albums, writing for various projects and learning new instruments and new ways of expressing myself artistically. I guess it’s just the fact that the pandemic set the music industry (and of course so many industries) back many years. Obviously, we weren’t able to play live for the best part of two years – and then so many venues and organisations closed, so it’s taken a lot of people a while to get back on the horse. It’s great to be doing it again though.
OSR: You recently released your new album Out of the Rain. What can you tell us about it?
Dunlop: I can tell you it was a pleasure working with the producer Jim Moray, and it’s my best album yet.
OSR: What was the most exciting thing about creating the new album?
Dunlop: Being better and more comfortable than ever as an artist, and feeling that freedom and confidence from inside the studio.
OSR: What about the most challenging thing, and how did you deal with it?
Dunlop: There are always little challenges to overcome, but thankfully I think we avoided some of the bigger ones. I guess balance is always hard to strike, both sonically and lyrically. I had too many songs, so cutting them down and deciding on the tracklist was hard. Harder than normal. It’s a good problem to have, though.
OSR: Do you think Out of the Rain is a good representation of you and your sound at the moment?
Dunlop: Yes, perfect. I don’t feel compromised in any way, maybe for the first time. It’s got a perfect balance of the transatlantic sonic influences that have shaped my musicality.
OSR: Out of the Rain is the first post-pandemic album from you. It’s a couple of years on but how do you feel the pandemic affected people, musicians in particular? Not necessarily the shutdown of venues and financial loss but on a more emotional basis. How do you think it affected songwriting, if at all?
Dunlop: Well, personally, I lost all the will to write. I got more involved in the technical side of recording and producing, but I had totally underestimated the effect of being in social situations clearly had on my artistic output. I know a lot of people found that it really helped them write, but it stunted me massively. The flipside of that is that I think I emerged from that time as a better artist, particularly with regard to live shows.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Dunlop: Different things on different days. It’s definitely a way of life, and I think it suits me. The perfect song has never been written, so there’s always another mountain to conquer, and that’s awesome. I guess it often feels like folly compared to some of the incredible things people do in science, medicine, aid etc. – but every now and then I get to make someone’s day a bit better; and music will often make my day a bit better, whether playing or listening. That does for me nicely.
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener to your music, which song would you recommend?
Dunlop: From the new album, probably ‘I Wanna Be Running’. I think it’s a really solid track, sonically (props to the musicians and to Jim). From my previous work, and in terms of songwriting, I’d go with a song called ‘Spices From the East’.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Dunlop: Hard to say! Hopefully more music like this. Hopefully more music different to this! This summer I’ll be indulging in writing for some different projects now this album is out. I’ll get cracking on my next album soon, I definitely want to be releasing frequently again now that the pandemic is over.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Dunlop: Much love to you all, I hope you all have a great summer. Whether you’re at home or on the road, open the window and blast some bangers.
Many thanks to Blair Dunlop for speaking with us! For more from Blair Dunlop, check out his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
