Jamie Eldridge exclusive interview

MarkMeets sits down with our current featured artist of the month for January 2014 Jamie Eldridge where he discusses music, touring and hitting the studio.

When did your love of music start? And what bands and artists were you listening to as you were growing up? Weird as it may sound, my love of music began when I was 7 years old, when I went to my local theatre to see a performance of Oklahoma. I absolutely loved the catchy songs and kept singing them constantly for weeks after. From that moment, I knew I wanted to be part of that kind of lifestyle – up on stage singing. A few months later I joined a stage school and a children’s pop academy (called E Minor). I performed with E Minor for 10 years and also took part in many stage musicals. It’s during the 10 years in the academy where my love of music, especially pop songs, grew and grew – until it almost became an obsession. As I was growing up I always tended to like what was in the trend, there was the obvious Busted & McFly phase and then all the cheesy pop songs! But I mainly just listened to the current chart music!

What kind of music are you listening to at the moment? I don’t really have a favourite genre of music to listen to because to be honest I like nearly every genre that’s out there! Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of soft rock and quite a bit of rap but my musical taste varies vastly, I rarely ever just listen to the same sort of music for long periods of time… I want to experience it all!

What one item of could you never live without? Without a doubt that has to be my phone, followed closely by my MacBook Pro. Without my phone I feel disconnected from the world. I need my phone to keep me connected to family, friends and my fans. My Mac is an ingenious masterpiece of machinery that enables me to indulge in every aspect of my love of music! I couldn’t function without either of them!

Have you got a name for your fans? This is a question I have been asked many times, and still have no definite answer! I have thrown ideas around but it’s so hard to come up with a clever fan name involving my name, as there aren’t any words similar! However, one I came up with recently was ‘Eldrites’ but I’m not sure if it’s going to catch on. I’m open to suggestions!

Can you recall for us the first time you recorded a track in the studio? The first time I stepped foot into a studio was when I was 9. My parents paid for me to have a day in a recording studio to record a cover. At the time there was one song that I was obsessed with and would sing it everywhere I went, so it was only fitting that ‘Let Me Entertain You’ was the song for me to record! It was a bizarre experience because I’d never heard my voice played back to me before. At the time I was really impressed with how it sounded but now the CD is hidden in the bottom of a drawer and only resurrected by my ‘proud parents’ at ‘cringe moments’ in my life. My first experience in the studio never left me though and from then on I caught the recording bug! The studio is my second home and there’s nothing quite like the buzz I get from listening to the finely tuned finished product.

JAMIE ELDRIDGE featured artist for January 2014 at MarkMeets.com

What was the first single you ever bought? Ah wow that was a long long time ago! I honestly can’t remember! But knowing me back in those days, the first CD I ever bought was probably one of the old NOW Compilation CD’s, I always liked the current music and loved nearly every song on those CD’s! Still do! I do recall though that I was also the proud owner of Busted and McFly CD’s.

Who is your celeb crush? There are a lot of good looking female artists out there but I wouldn’t really say I have a celebrity crush on anyone particular! However, there are quite a few female artists who I enjoy listening to. I really love Beyoncé’s music, especially her new album! I also like Ellie Goulding’s music. Her current album is spectacular.

Is your fan mail piling up from teens? Unfortunately I haven’t got a P.O box yet so my fans haven’t been able to send me anything. When my finances improve it’s definitely something I’d like to get. My fans have always been a massive support and they mean the world to me so I would love to have this facility. We mainly communicate through social media but to receive real mail would personalise the great bond we have.

You gigged with our pals The Luminites earlier this year, what did you learn from this experience? Yes I did! It was one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life! I was lucky to have been one of two people to be selected to be their support act during their UK mini tour! It was such an amazing opportunity! The Luminites are some of the nicest, most down to earth people I have ever met. They really enjoy performing and have an obvious close bond. It’s such an inspiration seeing how happy music makes them! The audience were amazing, giving me tons of love and support. From this amazing experience I have also gained some very loyal fans.

What about live shows in 2014? 2014 is going to be an exciting year! News hot off the press: – I have just been asked to play again at the next Soccer Six event on 21st February at The London Soccerdome.

There are some great gigs, which are still at the planning stage for this year, so I am not able to divulge fully until everything has been 100% confirmed. Although I can’t confirm exact dates yet, I can tell you that I am doing a tour across the country with several other upcoming artists in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust. Me and the other guys involved in this tour are doing a meet up in Trafalgar Square on 25th January at 1PM. If anyone is interested in looking us up or attending any of these gigs, please follow @LadsOnTour_2014. I am excited to say I have lots of awesome events in the pipeline so please check my social media to keep up to date with my announcements!

It was great chatting with you Jamie! And you! Thanks for talking with me!

Interview by Mark Boardman