Charlie Simpson is a 26 year old singer-songwriter. He sprang to fame in 2002 as part of teen pop-punk trio Busted, who won two Brit Awards and enjoyed three No 1 singles before splitting up in 2005. Simpson then founded Fightstar, who overcame initial skepticism regarding Simpson’s pop roots to establish themselves a credible and critically acclaimed post-hardcore outfit. His debut solo album Young Pilgrim is released on 15 August.
How would you describe the sound on the new album?
Acoustic-driven but kind of folky, with an Americana edge. One of the focal points is the vocal harmonies. It’s a harmony-based record.
What kind of artists inspired the sound?
I listened to loads of different stuff. Things like Jackson Browne, Beach Boys – a lot of seventies Americana stuff like The Eagles.
Is it nerve-racking going solo?
Yes, it is nerve-racking. It’s a very daunting experience to begin with, because you’re not part of a group – it’s you on your own. But it is something that’s really rewarding, when people come up to you and say they like your record. So yes, it is daunting but it has its rewards.
Danton Supple, the producer of Young Pilgrim, has worked with the likes of The Cure, Elbow and Coldplay. Was it intimidating to work with someone who has produced so many legends?
I was just really excited at the time. He was on the top of my wish list. I remember I sent the songs to him, I emailed him saying I’d really like him to try my record. He emailed back in a couple of days and said I really like the demos, and I met him for lunch and talked about the kind of sound we wanted to create. He was such an easy guy to get on with, so enthusiastic. I wasn’t really nervous because I was so excited to be working with him. The perfect guy for the job.
How collaborative is the process when you work with someone like that?
Basically I did all the demos for the songs in my home studio, and then gave him the demos as a kind of template so he would have an idea of the sound I was going for from the demos I’d made, and he was very instrumental in bringing those sounds to life – he’d be able to get sounds in an instant that I was talking about. He brought so much to the table with regards to how it sounds.
Do you regret entering music so young?
With regards to the Busted stuff? [Rumbled… – Ed.] I don’t really think it has anything to do with age. I mean, I kind of like the fact that I got into music so young, because it means I’m starting out on my solo stuff and I’ve had two different experiences, and I’m only 26. It means I have the majority of my career ahead of me, and I’ve had two different experiences – so, I think that’s a good thing, to be honest.
You’ve recorded a lot of acoustic stuff recently. Do you prefer working acoustically?
I think this record is very much a representation of me on my own… With Fightstar it’s very much a collaboration of all four of us and that’s the sound we create. With this record it’s just me on my own, so in a way I’ve almost felt more comfortable with this record just doing stuff completely by myself.
Are Fightstar planning to reunite any time soon?
We’re on hiatus. At some point we will all come back and work together again but I want all my focus to be on this at the moment, because it’s something I want to get right – something I want to focus all of my energy on for the immediate future. But at some point Fightstar will get back together again.
What are your plans over the next year?
Tour as much as possible. We’re planning to take it round Europe then Canada, America, Japan. When a record comes out I just want to get it to as many people as possible so, yeah, a lot of touring.
Do you have any big career ambition?
My two brothers are in bands and I’d quite like to do a project with them. Also one of my big ambitions is to do some film scores. I’ve got a real passion for film and I think that would be something I’d enjoy doing.
