We proudly present the Q&A with the artist behind the "Sentimental Song". Here is Diego Philips, thanks a lot for your time.
Diego Philips is...?
I’m a singer-songwriter, originally from Belgium but I have moved to London about 7 years ago to pursue music.
Who inspired you to make music in general?
If I trim everything I think Bob Dylan & The Beatles are the reason I have started to make music when I was a teenager, in my room. Singing and playing song by myself. Over the years, lots to other artists added their influence over my music, but I guess those two are the most anchored ones.
...and especially to the song "Sentimental Song" ?
I guess that because of the pandemic, I found myself in a situation similar to when I started to make music. Just me and my guitar, in my room, writing sentimental songs. That’s the reason why this song is fully-acoustic which is quite different to what I normally release, it usually involves more musicians. At some point, we were seven on stage playing my songs, but the pandemic put a stop to all of that (for the moment).
Could we expect more songs like this one in the future?
I don’t know, maybe. I have really enjoyed the simplicity of making that song, and people are receiving it very well when at first I thought they would be underwhelmed by the simplicity of it. I guess the emotions really translates into the simple arrangement. It is also a good lesson for me, sometimes less is more.
When do you decide that a song is ready for a release?
Previously, it has been a long process of writing, rehearsing, playing, recording, mixing etc. which is thrilling but sometimes very overwhelming considering that I’m an unsigned artist with a very small following. Again, this song has been quite cathartic. We recorded with my friend David Flahou as a demo but ended up being very happy with the authenticity that came out of the recording. So I thought that it would be good to just release it and see what it does. Done is better than perfect.
What is your creative process like?
Nothing is set in stone, It always start by writing a song on the guitar. I don’t have any particular process, I just write as it comes. Sometimes I don’t write anything for a long time and then suddenly a song appears.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Over the years, I have been lucky enough to work with very talented people and I’m incredibly grateful for that. I guess the ultimate fantasy would be to work with someone like Rick Rubin and just spend a lot of time in studio to get all the creative juices and really focus on the music without the compromises that comes with being an independent artist.
What is the most useful talent you have?
Absolutely none.
How do you feel the Internet (especially Social Media platforms) has impacted the music business?
Tremendously, especially for small artists, it gives them a chance to be heard out of the conventional channels such as TV or radio. But over the years, it has become too much of a game for independent artists and somehow sincerity and authenticity don’t always cut through the noise. There is a lot of people out there doing music, and as we’re doing everything on our own it can be hard or overwhelming to deal with that.
What’s next for you?
I have had my next album sitting on my hard drive for about two years, so I guess it’s time to release it. It’s a concept album around the bombings of Hiroshima. I’m incredibly proud of this project and I just wanted to have a sense of normality to be back before releasing it. My previous album « Tides » was released mid-pandemic and I’m not sure it's something I want to do again.
Photo credits:
Amir Mahdavi
