A Chat with Edward Duvall (27.02.24)
Inspired by artists like Chris Cornell, The Cure and Fleetwood Mac, Irish singer-songwriter Edward Duvall fuses soulful vocals with honest lyricism in soul-stirring melodies. From tumultuous relationships to an optimistic lust for life, he celebrates life in all its gritty glory. We speak with Duvall about his new single ‘You’, musical inspiration, future plans and much more.
OSR: When did you first start making music?
Duvall: I was the only kid in my year with long hair, and a guy there apparently thought I “looked cool” (his words, not mine), and he wanted me to join his band. They needed a bass player. My brother had a bass, so I, who didn’t know which end to hold, became a bass player. I don’t know how I got away with it for so long, but I couldn’t play a note. Thankfully, neither could anyone else in the band, so it all worked out.
OSR: What influences have inspired your sound the most?
Duvall: I think what inspired me to make music was hearing about my Nana Sophie being a violinist and seeing and hearing her really old violin every time I visited her. Her initials scratched onto the back “S.S. 1901” from when she was a little girl. It always made me feel like I had the same potential to play music, like she’d already opened a door for me.
OSR: Is there a constant meaning or message behind your music?
Duvall: Yes, and no. I tend to leave room for interpretation in my lyrics. Also, I try to stay away from love songs that show an unhealthy and unrealistic side of love. You know the type, “I will love you forever, and I’m everything you’ll ever want.” There’s so many types of love, so many ways to show love. Unfortunately, some ways are dark and possessive, and really unhealthy. I’ll always go for the happy/unhappy ending as I think that’s the most interesting and realistic. What I mean by that is that there is no “happy ever after,” but there is “okay now,” and that’s a lot to be thankful for.
OSR: We’ve been really enjoying your latest project, how would you describe the sound behind it?
Duvall: If grunge and 90’s dance music were locked in a tiny room, and the only way to get out was to hurt each other until it felt good.
OSR: Let’s focus on your current release, can you tell us a bit more about the track?
Duvall: ‘You’ would be a small step away from my usual sound as it’s based more on a dance vibe, it would probably be my most pop-type song.
OSR: What is your songwriting process, and what is the most important thing when you’re bringing a song to life?
Duvall: Honestly, I think I’m unconsciously competent at songwriting. I can write, but thankfully, I don’t know how to write. I see a lot of people researching how to write music with all that ‘uncertainty and surprise’ being a major factor in what makes a good song, but I’m not writing music for anyone but myself. Once you start writing for other people and whether other people will like it, that will stop any of that lovely flow you can get when you’re being creative, plus I’m just too lazy to work to order. So my songwriting process comes down to whether I’m enjoying the creation of the current song; if not, I stop and move on to something else.
OSR: What’s next for you as an artist?
Duvall: As an artist, I think what’s next is for me to sit alone in a room doomscrolling through social media and to hyper-focus on why I’m so terrible at this, why no one is listening to my music, and why I should have just quit years ago and become a civil servant like my Mam wanted. Oh wow, look, someone clicked like on my tweet…
But to answer your question, more music and hopefully some great support slots on a tour somewhere warm.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
OSR: A few final questions before you go, what advice would you give to new artists?
Duvall: I know that a lot of artists think that it’s all about the art, but cynically, it’s not. The best artist in the world will get nowhere if their art is sitting in a drawer and no one is listening. So my advice would be to learn how to wear many hats, music being one of them, PR, photography, video editing etc. It’s a sad state of affairs these days that musicians can’t just be musicians. We need to be more and do more just to get a little. It’s all worth it though once you get that finished song, and it’s something you can be proud of, and your Mam says, “That’s nice, but I hear accounting pays well.”
OSR: What has been your best moment as a musician/band so far?
Duvall: The best moment has to be the day I heard one of my kids singing one of my songs to themselves when they thought no one was listening.
OSR: What do you like most about playing music?
Duvall: When you do something for so long and you realise that you never got into it as a kid because you wanted to make money, you can really enjoy just the joy of playing music. I started playing because it was five friends in a shed having fun. No one forced me to pick up an instrument, and no one is counting on me to write a song. So in that way, music is just mine, and it’s mine to enjoy without any stress. There are a lot of things we’re forced to do. A lot of us work jobs we don’t like, listen to bosses who don’t care and partners who don’t listen. Music, on the other hand, is a choice and my choice alone. It’s mine. I wish more people in the world had something they loved doing just for the fun of doing it.
Many thanks to Edward Duvall for speaking with us. For more from Edward Duvall, check out his Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more indie-pop tracks on The Other Side Reviews Indie Pop playlist:
