Summer Heart Interview

Ahead of his Dublin gig, we caught up with David Alexander aka Summer Heart.

Shannon: Hi David! Have you ever been to Ireland before?
David: No I haven’t actually. I am really looking forward to going there!

Shannon: How would you describe yourself in a few words?
David: Creative, outgoing and friendly but at the same time a bit mysterious. Haha

Shannon: For those who may not be familiar with your work, what would you say they can expect at Whelan’s on the 3rd of October?
David: They can expect to see a band that loves to be on stage.

Shannon: What drew you to the dream-pop genre?
David: Well I don’t know to be honest. I just wrote and recorded music that I liked and it ended up sounding the way it did. I wasn’t really sure about what I was doing when I started this project. It was just for fun.

Shannon: Did you ever see yourself as anything other than a musician?
David: Maybe a writer. Hmm. But no, not really.

Shannon: You’ve mentioned previously that your parents were both musicians; which explains your musical passion. What genre of music did they fit into?
David: I guess they were into lots of different genres. But a lot of the stuff was just simple pop music, which of course isn’t so simple all the time.

Shannon: What with your flare for poetry, do you have a song that, in terms of lyrics, you are most proud of?
David: I’ve always loved to write. And I really love languages. I am actually proud of all my lyrics. I am trying to write lyrics that look as simple and straightforward as possible but that can still be interpreted in several ways.

Shannon: Currently you’re running your own record label, Sommarhjärta, through which you release your songs. How did you come to that decision to set up the label?
David: Yeah I am. For me it was important to be able to do exactly what I wanted with my music and that’s why I decided to set up my own label. A very easy decision in other words.

Shannon: As busy as you are, are you currently working on any new material?
David: Yes. There’s a new single coming up pretty soon. And I am also in the process of finishing my new album at the moment.

Shannon: What is your creative process like?
David: It’s completely based on inspiration and play. When I am inspired I just pick up pen and paper, or a guitar and start playing around. I try to write down ideas or record a couple of riffs that I come up with. Then I just play around with whatever I’ve come up with and it just happens. Time flies when I am in a creative mode and I don’t know exactly what I am doing.

Summer Heart is playing Whelan’s on October 3rd.

By Shannon Welby