Back with his latest anthem ‘Really Don’t Like You‘, I sat down with Bristol icon Conal Kelly to chat about the new single, his uncle being in legendary band Marillion and what his writing process is like.

Introduce yourself (yourselves) and your hidden talent!

So my name is Conal Kelly, I’m an artist and producer from Bristol and my hidden talent USED to be my ability to solve a Rubik’s cube quickly, but I’m a bit rusty on that one now… so I’d probably have to say cooking. If you ever want a tasty/fancy dinner, hit me up.

What made you decide that music is the right path for you?

So my uncle is in a band called Marillion and I remember seeing them as my first ever gig aged 5 or 6? Seeing my uncle on stage made me decide music was what I wanted to do with my life, no question! It’s also a massive part of my family on both sides too, so I feel like it was probably inevitable!

What’s your writing process like? Do you write the music or lyrics first?

I pretty much always write the music first and fill the lyrics in later, but I’m not solidly fixed to that order! I feel like part of the fun of writing is trying new things; new angles and methods yield new results, so maybe I should try writing lyrics first more often, see what happens!

Do you prefer performing live or recording, and why?

As much as I enjoy playing live, I love recording more than anything else. I’m a producer mainly, so being in the studio getting ideas down is where I feel my happiest. It’s addictive and I am very much a self-confessed addict to writing/recording.

Tell MoggBlog viewers about your latest release! What’s the inspiration behind that?

This last release was actually the first of a new batch of songs I wrote at the start of the year, after a long period of writers block. I was getting very frustrated for a couple of months, not really liking anything I was writing, then Really Don’t Like You just kind of popped up out of nowhere! I started it and finished it in 48 hours, and it opened the floodgates for the next 5 songs I wrote and recorded (all in the space of about 3/4 weeks). So it felt right to start with this one. It’s about disliking someone for no reason… probably a relatable subject for most people!

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