Chay Snowdon is a Plymouth based singer songwriter who describes himself as a mix of Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon and Elvis Presley. He helped to switch on the Plymouth Christmas lights, has supported a slew of talent in the Westcountry and is currently gigging the hell out of his latest single 'Shower and Scream'.

We asked Chay if he'd be up for an interview for our 'Introducing' feature and he agreed! We took a trip to sunny Plymouth and met up with him at West Hoe Park (so I could have a go on the train and the bouncy castle). Being the down to earth guy that he is, he agreed to join me in the yellow train where we got comfy and had a chat about failed New Years resolutions, signing CD's with lipstick and always eating his greens, here's how we got on....

 

 

You moved to Spain when you were 5, returning to the UK when you were 9, are you now bi-lingual and if so, have you considered performing any songs in Spanish to widen your fanbase?

Yes, I am bi-lingual however I don’t have much opportunity to use Spanish at the moment. I currently have no plans to write any songs in Spanish as I am working hard to increase my UK fan base, however I wouldn’t rule it out for the future.

 

Did you make any New Years resolutions? can you share them with us?  

I’m not really big on New Years resolutions, I think that’s because I know I can never keep them! But if I was to have one it would be to cut down on my Pizza intake…

 

Apart from yourself, who else do you think are going to be doing really well in 2015? 

At the moment there are some great acts in the area, such as: Retro Gents, Alice Gullick, Russ Sinclair and the Smokin’ Locos, Sound of Sirens who I can see continuing to do well in 2015.

 

Tell me about your favourite act/band that you discovered in 2014? 

Definitely the best act for me of 2014 has to be James Bay, who I first discovered when he supported Tom Odell at Plymouth Pavilions; and I can’t wait to go and see him again at the O2 Academy in Bristol.

 

‘Shower and Scream’ is a great track, how did it come about and is there a ‘meaning’ behind it?  

Cheers, I love performing “Shower and Scream” as well, it is about the stereotypes that young adults are labelled with today. It takes the view of someone who is responsible for the brandishing of the younger generation, told with a sarcastic edge to help show that one persons actions should not be reflective of everyone - But hey, what do I know?

 

What has been the best gig that you have played to date? Why this gig?

Well that’s an easy one seeing as it was only a couple of weeks ago, I supported Joker at The Hub in Plymouth for their Christmas Party. There was around 400 people there and they were a great crowd that really got into the music. I even ended up signing some CD’s with lipstick (not my lipstick by the way).

 

What music are you currently listening to?

Well definitely James Bay but also lots of: Arctic Monkeys, Royal Blood, Kings of Leon, Jake Bugg and have started listening to quite a bit of the Slaves as well. But as always, got to get my Rock n Roll fix from Elvis!

 

Which social media channels do you use and which is/are your favourites?

I use Facebook and Twitter the most to promote my music, but I also use Snapchat and Instagram with my mates. My Facebook page is Chay Snowdon Music and my Twitter is @snowdon_chay. Sorry for the blatant plugging!

 

I see you played at the Christmas light turning on event in Plymouth, how did this come about? 

I was approached by Emma Scott of Pluggin’ Baby, a Radio Plugging company after performing on BBC Introducing in Devon. They promoted Shower and Scream nationally and internationally via radio play. Emma went even further and reached out to her Heart fm contacts to get me the Christmas Lights Switch on gig. It was a great night, and a big thank you to Emma Scott.

 

What was the last movie you saw?  

The Unbroken was the last movie I saw at the cinema. It was a great film and would recommend it to everyone!

 

You have supported some well known acts, which has been the biggest name so far?

Once again I have to say Joker, they have a massive fan base around the South West and really know how to get a crowd going.

 

What has been the best advice that you have heard and who gave it to you?

It has to be from my mam and dad “Always eat your greens” mind you they are vegetarians…

 

What was the last book you read, what was it about?

The last book I read was Russell Brand “My Booky Wook”, his first autobiography. A hard one to put down, you just never knew what he was going to get up to next.

 

If you could only own 3 things, what would they be and why?  

My guitar has to be number one, secondly would have to be my hairspray how else would I achieve the quiff? And finally I couldn’t survive without my music collection.

 

Are you a solo performer or have you/would you consider playing with a full band?

At the moment I am a solo artist, however I have recorded three tracks with session musicians and am currently working towards having a full band for gigs and festivals. Can’t wait to get the show on the road!

 

Elvis is a big influence on you, what was it about him that appealed to you so much?  

I’m not really sure, but having listened to him from such a young age I never get bored of his music, and still find myself learning from his styles all the time. Not sure that his movies are such a big influence though…

 

When you take a shower, do you sing your own songs or someone else’s?

I’ve not really found myself singing in the shower, it tends to be the place for new song ideas.

 

Are you planning on continuing music as your full time career or are you currently at college/thinking of heading to university?

I am currently studying Music and Drama in sixth form, and I am hoping  to go to BIMM Bristol this year to do a degree in song writing. But my long term goal is to have a career in the music industry. 

 

What advice would you give to a budding youngster just starting out in the music industry?

I think the best thing I could say to a young musician is to get out and take advantage of all the great open mics in the area, and develop confidence and stage presence as well as meeting some like minded people.

 

I see that you have already added Volksfest and Looe Music Festival to the list of shows for 2015, are you planning more local festivals?

That is my big aim for this year, to get on as many festivals as possible and play some of the great venues that I have not yet played. Beautiful Days festival is one that I would really love to play also.

 

 

 

The train ride was over before we knew it, I'm sure you used to get 5 laps for 50p, clearly they've clamped down. We headed over to the bouncy castle to kick the kids off so we could have a go, whilst waiting for the attendant to clear the area, I dropped a load of quickfire questions Chay's way....

 

The Hub or The Underground?

The Hub

 

Coke or Pepsi?

Water

 

Tea or Coffee?  

Water

 

Jake Bugg or Ed Sheeran?

Jake Bugg

  

Christmas Eve or New Years Eve?

New Years Eve

 

Glastonbury or Reading/Leeds?

Reading/Leeds

 

Acoustic or Electric?

Acoustic

 

CD or Vinyl?

CD

 

Karaoke or Open Mic?

Open Mic

 

Blue Suede Shoes or Hound Dog?

Hound Dog

 

Mac or PC?

PC

 

Summer or Winter?

Summer

 

Ozzy or Lemmy?  

Ozzy

 

Robert de Niro or Al Pacino?

Robert de Niro

 

Ghostbusters or Back to the Future?

Back to the Future

 

God or Google?

Google

 

We'd like to thank Chay for sparing his time to run through our questions and wish him every success for 2015 with both his live shows and any future releases he has up his sleeve.

Please spare a few minutes and have a dig though his social media channels, they're all listed below, all you need to do is click....simples!

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook

Twitter
 
SoundCloud
 
Reverbnation
 
iTunes