Indie-folk singer-songwriter Joe Ramsey returns with an upbeat and inspired new offering. Boasting a singalong chorus and a sea of acoustic drum sounds and euphoric piano, Joe’s meaningful, questioning lyrics about good feelings in a time of hardship and candid approach to songwriting creates an intriguing insight into his world. Fresh off the back of the joyous, ‘Another Day’ release, Joe Ramsey sits down with the Purple Melon crew to tell us a bit more about his journey so far.

Hey Joe, thanks so much for agreeing to chat with us today. Could you describe your sound & style for any of our readers who may not have heard of you before? 

I would now say an upbeat indie folk/pop sound, whereas my older stuff is a bit more dark and slightly sadder too. So a mixture really!

Give us a fun fact about yourself we can’t find from Google/social media!

Oh my. I recently moved to a new city in Newcastle on my own – I guess that’s not very fun but that’s what’s dominated my life in the past months!

Your newest single, ‘Another Day’ has just been released, what inspired you to write this track? It’s very fitting for current times!

Another Day was inspired by how much I loved my life in lockdown last year, amongst all the chaos. It was a strange sensation, waking up every day not having to worry about going into a job which I didn’t resent completely, but being away from it through furlough made me realise how much I didn’t want to be there. This song poured out of me in a few hours and is just pure happiness from start to finish. I wanted that to come through and show people that not everyone struggles during these times, in fact, it was the complete opposite – it was the first time in my life where I felt like I thrived.

As an instrumentalist, lyricist and vocalist, which of your many talents do you find the easiest & the hardest to do? 

I love all aspects of it! I love singing, writing and playing, so being to do all three is an absolute joy. Sometimes you can have breaks in writing, which I know is natural and happens to most, so that is where you can probably find some difficulty. 

Please tell us a bit about your creative process when it comes to songwriting. 

It changes a lot. I’m currently in a stage where I find a tuning to resonate with on my guitar and a chord progression, pop my phone on record and sing a melody until I find one that sticks. I listen back and ogo through the motions and then start to focus on what the song will mean and what is surrounding my life and others at the moment. 

Who or what influences the sounds in ‘Another Day’? 

The joy of my life in lockdown completely and utterly inspires this song, nothing more!

What do you like best about your newest single? 

I guess just the pure fact that it’s a HAPPY song, I’ve struggled to write those in the past, so it’s been very refreshing to write with positive chords and a positive outlook on life as a whole. Also having the opportunity to work with so many amazing people on it, including producer James Kenosha who really brought it to life.

& Lastly, what can fans expect from your upcoming EP, Making Notes?

Oh wow! Making Notes felt like the right title as it was a reflection on my life last year and this. Expect more upbeat, happy tunes and a pure burden of positivity and hope. That’s what I wanted this EP to do, spread some joy on what has been a torrential period of time. I haven’t had it all good, believe me, and this collection of songs have helped me piece together my feelings towards the world we live in and what impacted me personally. I can’t wait to get it out there.

JOE RAMSEY – ‘ANOTHER DAY’

 

Follow Joe Ramsey on: Instagram