IF YOU’RE not familiar with the artist Louis Berry, allow me to introduce you to your new favourite singer-songwriter.
Louis is a Liverpudlian lad with the potential to be the next big thing – and for all the right reasons.
His current track, She Wants Me, is an absolute joy and the biggest compliment I can pay it is that it sounds like nothing else around at the moment.
You’ll hear echoes of blues, rockabilly, Merseybeat, pop, country and just about everything else you can think of, but She Wants Me winds up being a stunning one off work of art .
Louis tells me though that the song actually has its origins in the Belfast traditional Irish scene.
"You know it’s funny how the sound for She Wants Me actually came about," Louis reflects.
"I was over in Belfast staying with a couple of friends and we went out to a few pubs in the town and there were traditional Irish musicians playing and the sound was amazing.
"I mean, growing up in Liverpool I was no stranger to Irish music but to experience it like that had a really big effect on me.
I decided I wanted to write a song that echoed that sound, with very quick chord changes and that type of energy. I went back to my friends’ apartment that night and tried to write that sort of song but just couldn’t quite get it.
"So I went back home and tried it with a distorted electric guitar instead and this whole huge Rockabilly type sound just accidentally happened. It was a great moment!"
It was that musical alchemy or accidental clash that resulted in She Wants Me sounding as if it’s from a different planet compared to every other song on the radio right now.
While the track may have been born somewhat unintentionally, Louis had a very clear vision of one thing.
"I knew I wanted to put out music that didn’t sound like anything else out there. That was really important to me when I was writing any of my songs. There’s a lot of stuff around that is hard to tell apart from one artist to the next, so if people think She Wants Me for example sounds fresh or different then I’m extremely happy with that."
She Wants Me is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Berry’s music.
The excellent Restless is a stunning piece of work as is the groove-laden Nicole. 25 Reasons is another front-runner and Louis’ live shows are creating a real buzz from London to Amsterdam.
Louis is starting to feel the love.
"I’ve noticed that there is a buzz and it’s great. It’s really something to walk down the street and have people stop you to tell you that they really like your music.
"Another one I can’t get my head round is that moment when you walk into a shop and hear your song on the radio. So it’s all positive and exciting at the moment and I really am very grateful for it all."
