AW №9: Meet the winners Archie Baker & Chloë Beth Rogers

[osornios]

Welcome to the end of edition No. 9 of the Artists Wanted series, where we, the Community Music Chat Team, invite Spotify's upcoming artists to share their newest releases and a bit about themselves.

This time around, let's welcome, from Sheffield, England, our current winners:

@yeahitsarchie and Chloë Beth Rogers

They play together, share their passion for Soul, Jazz, Blues, and showcase their multiple talents by making collaborations. What else is there to say?

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Can you tell us how did the track come to be?

'Missing You' was written by Chloë and me during the Covid-19 lockdown. We were house-sharing at the time and we had been recording her debut single (Yours) in my bedroom.

I had this acoustic guitar chord progression that I really liked, so I played it to her. Chloë improvised the melody to the first verse and then together we penned the chorus. We eventually wrote the rest of the lyrics and then set about recording the track with my 8-piece band, Archie Baker & The Blue Meanies.

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Both tracks are so different! How do you decide which route to take when you have a song idea?

Chloë and I both share an interest in soul and blues music, so we’re driven toward it easily.

Although ‘Yours’ and ‘Missing You’ have a very different energy, I think they actually come from a similar place. Typically Chloë comes up with softer, melodic ideas though, and I might come up with groovier, energetic ideas.

I was going to say that Love looks like a recurring theme in your songs, from your Jazzy tracks all the way to more Souly stuff. Where do you find so much inspiration?

Hmm, I’m not too sure. It’s definitely not always a reflection of how I’m feeling at the moment. I guess love is quite an evocative topic, so it’s easy to draw from previous experiences and write about it. It’s also universally relatable and there's a massive catalog of examples and precedents from musicians around the world who sing about love to influence my writing.

I don’t intend to write about it forever though.

It certainly feels intimate. Is that something you tap into when playing your music to live audiences?

Not really actually. My gigs are pretty lively and energetic, rather than intimate.

My band is an eight-piece and we perform live as ‘Archie Baker & The Blue Meanies’. The live shows focus on improvisation, energy and musicianship, so there are lots of solos, breakdowns and energetic choruses.

Sounds like my kind of gig. What was it like to participate in our Community's Artists Wanted celebration?

It’s been great. It’s really nice to have the support of the Community - particularly one that is so influential in music. I didn’t expect the song to be received as well as it has been and I’m very grateful to everyone who gave the song a chance. Thank you.

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Thank you @yeahitsarchie for submitting your music collaboration for us to listen, and answering our questions. Remember, Artists Wanted continues, so feel free to send us your music!