Image credit: Ashley Graham
Emerging New Zealand singer Louis Baker has been noted as one of the country’s promising talents with over 25 million Spotify streams to date. The singer shared his first album Open in 2019 and since then, has seen an array of noteworthy support from the likes of BBC 6 Music, Clash Magazine and Earmilk to name a few. His latest EP offering Love Leviates pays homage to his friend circle, love and his Buddhist views on life. One will feel a wave of calm and rejuvenation after listening to this EP without a doubt.
We chatted with singer Louis Baker below.
Please describe your sound for us.
The way I would describe my music is modern soul or soul singer-songwriter.
How did it all start for you?
I started playing the guitar when I was about 11 years old. I was obsessed with it within the first few months and couldn’t put it down. I would stay up late in my teens after school recording myself on cassette, listening back, and transcribing other peoples guitar solos. Then I got into writing lyrics and songs when I was 17 and haven’t looked back.
Which three artists would you say made you want to create your own music?
Jeff Buckley, D’Angelo, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
What is your go-to gear/equipment when creating?
For me I do most of my writing on guitar, so that’s always my first pick of choice for an instrument. I have a love for the sonic warmth of the 60’s era, so anything that sounds a little bit vintage and characterful I tend to lean-to. Being able to scratch record your ideas, and manipulate sounds whilst you’re in the writing phase of a song can help to inspire you in different ways. At the end of the day, it’s all about serving the song and serving the music. I think it’s also good to remember that music comes from within, not from the kind of gear you use.
What are some of your key influences in your music? Whether it be the sound created by others, imagery, films or any kind of art form.
D’Angelo, Anderson Paak, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Nick Hakim, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Rabindranath Tagore, Lao Tzu, T.S Eliot.
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
I have just released my new record Love Levitates, and we are touring New Zealand through July! I’m super excited to get back on the road after not being able to travel to Europe last year because of Covid. After that, I’ll be releasing some new singles and am looking forward to playing over the summer too!
Stream it here – Buy ‘Love Levitates’ from Bandcamp here
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