Kyle Toolan has announced that he is releasing a new single titled “Did you know ?”
“Did you know?” follows Kyle’s journey from when he moved to Manchester and started to play open mics to the current day. This song was written as Kyle was letting go of a variety of destructive habits and forming healthier ones. When you listen to the lyrics of “Did you know?” you can hear Kyle reassuring himself in the verses with lyrics such as “If I go down, I’ll save myself”. You can also hear him reflecting on what it was like when he was walking
home from whatever open mic/gig he had been attending that night with lyrics such as “Did you know, it gets lonely walking home”.
1. For someone that is yet to discover ‘Kyle Toolan’, in 5 words how would you describe the band. Ambitious, authentic, raw, unique, sincere .
2. when did you decide you wanted to do music? I think from at least the age of 14 I’ve been set on having a career in the music industry and as I’ve got older I think that feeling has only intensified.
3. Because Of your age, are you not worried that when you get signed, the record company will try and turn you into a clean cut pop ideal ? I think that if I ever decided to sign to a record label then one of the conditions would have to be that I have full creative control over the creative process. I don’t think that I could sign to record label if I wasn’t completely in control over the music being put out so I wouldn’t be worried about that.
4. Where do you feel you fit into the music landscape? I think that there’s a really strong indie music scene in Manchester so I see myself in that landscape but I also feel like the songs I’m creating are unique enough that they could hopefully fetch wider appeal.
5. What other artists or bands do you draw inspiration from? I draw a lot of inspiration from bands like, Nirvana, Oasis and The smashing pumpkins. I also I take a lot of inspiration from artists like Tayler Swift, Sam Fender , Ed Sheeran, David Bowie, and Harry styles . I love how authentic bands like Nirvana sound and I love how catchy songs from pop artists like Tayler Swift are. My goal is to create songs that are somewhere in the middle of that space.
6. What’s currently in the pipeline for you? I’m currently recording and producing my next single.
7. If you had to boil down what you each bring to the band, what would your answer be? I feel like my songwriting would be the biggest thing that I bring to the process.
8. How do you differ from most other artists/bands? Because I produce most of the tracks myself I think that it gives me much more creative control and allows me to release tracks quicker and cheaper than if I was working with another producer. For me producing is a big part of the songwriting process and more than anything I feel like my songwriting is where I stand out from other bands.
9. What can fans expect from your new Single? “Did you know?” is one of the more vulnerable songs I’ve written. It reflects on a time in my life where I was really struggling but it also reflects on the mentality that It took to get me out of it. I would hope that people find the new single catchy but it also makes people feel that if they are in a bad place that they can do something about it.
10. Who would you most like to collaborate with artistically? In all honesty I would love to collaborate with Tayler Swift. I thinks she’s an incredible songwriter and I’d love to see what we could create.
11. What was your worst performance? My worst performance was probably “Battle of the bands” when I was about 16. I forgot the words to the first song I played and absolutely massacred the second song. It taught me an important lesson about being prepared.
12: What was the most difficult obstacle you has ever faced and how did you overcome it? One the biggest obstacles for me was self-doubt. When I was younger and not as good at making music as I am now people used to make fun of me at school. Although that’s a long time ago now, I still carry around a lot of the insecurities from when I was a kid. I think that learning to reassure myself and tell myself that I’m good at what I do was one of the biggest obstacles I’ve had to overcome.
13: How does your creative process work with you regarding songwriter? It can very a lot from song to song. Normally I grab my acoustic guitar and just start playing random chords. Sooner or later a melody and lyrics start to form in my mind almost simultaneously. After this I’ll record it on my computer and then starting coming up with the drums, bass and lead guitar parts. After this and sometimes recording some other instruments I’ll normally send the song to Michael Webster for him to mix and master it.
14: Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music? There is with some of my songs but for the most part I try and keep the lyrics as honest and as to the point as I can. Personally it’s how I prefer to write.
15: Who would you like to see Live past or present and why? I would love to see either The Beatles, Nirvana or Oasis live. I think all of these bands put on great shows and I would love to have been able to see anyone them live.
