Alex Spinney Shares Heart-breaking Message With ‘I Remember’

South London, UK based, Alex Spinney is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist to immerse yourself in.

A musical journey that began at just 4 years old, after pleading with his parents for piano lessons has weaved it’s way to the highly emotional, soul touching music that you hear from Alex today.

Alex has spent many recent years exploring and soul searching.. He has combined much of what he has discovered with his own blend of ‘piano-based pop’, which has derived much of its sound from influences of folk, classical, soul and blues music.

Alex Spinney’s latest single, ‘I Remember’ is a track that morphs the classic piano style ballad with a pop anthem, sadness with joy.. and ties it all together into a song that will have you hanging onto every note.

Recorded at Iguana Studios, in London, UK, ‘I Remember’ is a song reflecting on the heart-break after a breakup.. both the downs and the celebrations of the good.

‘To me, the song has a simple but heart-breaking message, that I’d like to think we can all relate to. Essentially, that
feeling of looking back at a relationship that was once thriving, but has now broken down. It is a feeling so universal to the human experience, and this is my own musical take on it’

You can listen to ‘I Remember’ below:

Would you like to start by telling us a little about yourself?

I’m a singer-songwriter from South London, and am a huge fan of pop music.

I play the piano and the saxophone, although it’s trickier getting the latter to fit into one of my songs!

After years of musical soul-searching, I feel like I’ve really found my own individual sound and style, and have been working on my debut EP for the past two years, recording with the team at Iguana Records in Brixton, London.

What was it that first inspired you to begin a career in music?

Well, I’ve been playing piano and singing since the age of about 4, and then writing music since the age of about 14 or 15.

However, I never took songwriting particularly seriously, and if I’m honest, didn’t think that the world of commercial music was the right place for me.

I spent a number of years doing a different kind of performing, but always felt like there was another way I wanted to be expressing myself.

A few years ago, I had a big injury that took me out of the performing world for quite a while.

During that time, I began to write properly, and it just felt so much more authentic to me, both as a singer and as an individual.

So about three years ago, I decided to fully commit to it, and properly invest in and work on my own music.

Since then, I’ve been fully dedicated to writing, and preparing my music for release.

How would you describe the feel of your music?

So I’d brand my music as ‘piano-based pop’, and within that I like to add splashes of different musical worlds, including folk, classical, soul and blues.

I’m a big lover of emotive melodies and classic pop choruses, so I’d like to think I write music that leans into that, whilst adding harmonic texture and distinctive lyrics.

You have recently released your single, ‘I Remember’.. what was the inspiration behind the creation of this track?

Musically, the song starts out as a piano ballad, and then gradually grows until it’s morphed into this celebratory, gospel-like anthem.

I love pop music, and also love the vocal freedom that gospel and soul music give you, so pairing the two together
was quite exciting for me!

Also, I find it really interesting when sad songs are treated with optimism, and so I’ve tried to create a sense of an optimistic ending here.

What does ‘I Remember’ mean to you?

To me, the song has a simple but heart-breaking message – that feeling of looking back at a relationship that was once thriving, but has now broken down.

Also, I like to keep my songs slightly vague in terms of the specifics, and I hope that allows the listener to find their own meaning within the song.

With this song, pairing this poignant story with a sense of musical optimism could mean a few things, perhaps finding closure, or even hopeful for some sort of reunion.

Within the song you share a lot of vulnerability and emotion, which is one of the aspects that really draws us into the song.. How does it feel to share so much vulnerability with the world?

I mean, it doesn’t feel that strange really, especially when it’s in musical form.

I’m mostly just excited to finally get my music out there!

Also, I think writing your own music (and promoting it yourself online) teaches you to care less about what people
think of you.

That’s definitely something that writing more has done for me..

What did the creative process look like for ‘I Remember’?

Well, I originally wrote the basis of this song about 4 years ago in a tiny room in North London, with just the chords and the melody mapped out.

About 2 years and a lot of life later, I finally came back to it. I managed to fish out the recording of it on my old phone, added lyrics and fleshed out the structure, before finally getting into the studio to record it earlier this year.

Where do you find your inspiration for your music?

Other music inspires me to write!

Especially if I’m jealous of a song that I hear and wish I had written it – I’m like, let me have a go! I do find it pretty tricky to write a song if I don’t have a connection to the material, so my own life experiences definitely inspire me to write.

Definitely films and TV.

I was watching the Before Trilogy (a set of Richard Linklater films) with my housemates in lockdown, and at one point Julie Delpy’s character plays her own waltz-like song on the guitar.

The next day, I had written (half of) a waltz song!

That’s quite a literal influence haha, often it’s the actual plot and cinematography that might give me an idea instead.

What would you like to see happen for you in your music from here?

This is a cruel question!

I mean, I’d love to be able to make music that people respond to, and to continue to do that for a long time.

And to work with people that really inspire me.

And to write for other artists!

That would be pretty cool.

What is one message you would like to share with your fans?

Well, thank you?!

To be honest, it would mean so much to me if people connected with this song, in whatever way.

From here I’m just excited to share more, I’ve got a nice amount of variety on the EP, so please just get in touch and get ready for more music!

Where can people find your music?

Well I’m on Spotify and all of the other streaming platforms, and then am also on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok (had to join the party) – either as Alex Spinney or @alexspinneymusic.