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Keeping it real... I've been writing and performing songs for over 30 years. I wrote my first song when I was three years old. My Mom says I was a child prodigy. My Rick Ashley impersonation got a standing ovation in our school nativity play. I have always been naturally talented. However, the main thing I have learned since trying to make the most of my natural musical talents is that success and prosperity in the music business have nothing to do with talent or musical ability. The likelihood of making it big as a performing and recording artist is down to your ability to be scheming and ruthless. It means you must be ready to step over anybody and anything that stands in the way of you and your dreams of success. Yes, it's a vicious and brutal dog-eat-dog world where you have to stay on point 24/7. And trust me, if there were an ounce of justice in the world, someone with my talent would receive the accolades, awards, fanbase, and income that Ed Sherrin has no shortage of. What matters in music today is how much you can sell. Yes, it's all about selling and selling by the truckload by any means possible. Too many so-called artists are giving in to the money-obsessed, soulless corporate bureaucrats manipulating and squeezing out all integrity and originality, replacing it with AI-inspired derivative trite. Or it's the 'famous for five minutes' TikTok pop stars swamping every music platform with their banal bullshit versions of songwriting and composition, where no musical instruments are being used at all. But that's not me. The best way to describe my music is Bruce Springsteen's energy, Elvis Presley's attitude, and Lionel Richie's sensitivities, which act as a counterweight. My songs are about life, the things that matter to real people, like the price of a pint or what to do when experiencing the early onset of a mid-life crisis. I'm not selling out. I don't care about the product freebies, endorsements, large houses, cars, zillions of online followers, and a big fat bank account; who wants that? I like keeping it real because I am a 'real artist.' I'm okay where I am today. My Val Doonagan set at the Care Home usually goes down a treat. Yes, Kid's Birthday Parties don't pay that much (there's only so much you can charge for singing songs from Disney films), But you always get a Party Bag, and you'd be surprised the stuff parents put in them these days; some of them are worth over ten quid. Like everyone else, COVID obliterated what would have been an unstoppable career for me. In February 2020, I released my 17th and latest album 'Get Up, Get Out'. The single was streaming at number 4 in Moldova. I was in talks about a 19-day tour of Sheep Farms in and around Kraslava, the southern region of Latvia. Then Lockdown turned it all to dust. But I was back on stage two weeks ago after four gig-free years. It was the open mic at the Hare & Hound. I smashed it! It was like I had never been away. I've got the campervan now. Not only does that save me from paying out on rent, but when the gigs start coming in, I'll save a fortune on hotels and accommodation. I have to make sure I keep on top of the MOT and insurance. It took a couple of months to save up to get it back after they towed it away from in front of the Library. The next thing career-wise for me is the 6-day busker slot by the Bus Station, which is quite a converted spot. I'm using this as a springboard. The footfall is over 300 people every day. I'm pressing 5,000 CDs to sell a couple hundred a day. That will help pay the MOT and, with the rest, bring my band back together to get Arts Council Funding for a new Album and National Tour. The new album? It's going to be mega. What will it be called? 'Keeping it Real'. Naturally.