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On a cold winter morning, I travelled to the IMI head offices to meet up and coming indie sensation Sean Dickinson. He was  in a hurry, but more than happy to stay and have this interview, his “first official interview” as he put it. He was grateful for the opportunity to have the interview, and said it was nice to catch up with me, an old friend from his brief spell at my school. The speculated album, currently untitled, is said to be a big one, with a few exiting features. We spoke life, helping you the reader to understand Sean, and what he has gone through and what made him turn to music.

 

What made you want to become a musician?

I’ve always been interested in music, and as I’ve grown older I have gotten to see how music can have such an impact on people’s lives. I wanted to have that same impact on people, so I became a musician. I have always enjoyed singing and writing my own songs, so I pursued it further and have ended up where I am today. It has not been easy, growing up all over the place, never really settling down. But now, being fortunate enough to have gotten my life back, being happy writing and recording music. Its also a massive pleasure that people I met growing up, such as yourself, have remembered me and are now able to contact me, its amazing. Music isn’t just about the money; it’s about the experiences, helping other people achieve their dreams. Wanting to become a musician and becoming one are two different realities, and it’s not for everyone. You will fail; you will make mistakes, but its all part of the journey. But if you believe you want to become a musician, go for it. There is nothing wrong with deciding it’s not for you.

 

Lets talk albums, what is this I have heard about a “speculated” album?

With this being my first interview, I would like to confirm this is true. It is currently unnamed, the songs are still being written and recorded, and there is no release date confirmed. My first album will be all about my life growing up, I didn’t have the easiest childhood, and getting where I am wasn’t handed to me like a lot of artists, I had to work and earn the respect of others. I know this is a cocky thing to say, but I feel like I am the Eminem of the indie genre. Although our lives were different, I didn’t suffer as much as he did, I can still connect with him. My work has the same passion as his, and I feel like I can become as successful as he has.

 

You say you are the Eminem of indie? What do you mean by that?

Well I grew up without a father, and my mum never had a job. We were always moving about, never being able to settle in one place. Eminem said something about his life I will never forget, and it will stick with me just because of how much I relate to it. He said, "We just kept moving back and forth because my mother never had a job. We kept getting kicked out of every house we were in. I believe six months was the longest we ever lived in a house." This is just so powerful, and I feel like I become closer to him every time I hear this, just because of how real it is. I never had a proper education from all the moving around, and therefore turned to song writing to vent my frustration and anger. I constantly fought with my mum, and ended up running away to live with my cousins when I was 14. This was when I got my first guitar. I taught myself to play, and then started to sing the songs that I had written. At 16 I started busking to earn myself some money. This was hard, as people would just walk straight past me, but I kept telling myself it would pay off. By the time I was 18 someone approached be, asking to sign me to their record label. At first I thought it was a joke, so turned them away. But they kept coming back so I decided to see what they were about. They took me to their offices, and this was when I realised they were a big record label. I’ve been working with them ever since, and I'm releasing my first album soon.

 

How do you go about writing your songs? Is it easy?

I tend to write one song a week, and no, it is not easy. The hardest part is coming up with lyrics that make sense. First, I write down what I want the song to be about, typically its life experiences, well that’s what my first album is about anyway. Then I write down any ideas I’ve had for what to include, or sometimes what not to include. Then I go away for a day or two, and then come back to write the lyrics. I tend to write verse by verse, and take a break every time I go blank or my lyrics stop making sense.

 

After you release your first album, what are the plans?

My plans all depend on how well the album does. It could fail completely, if it does, I do not know what will happen. That depends entirely on what the label decides. If the album does well, I’ll continue to release albums and then possibly start touring, if that’s what the fans want.. Obviously, at the moment I'm not very well known so I am only doing small gigs, in pubs and clubs. It’s a start though, and I'm hoping to be selling out arenas to tens of thousands of fans. I also want to open up my own music shop, helping out the less fortunate and people in similar situations to those I grew up in.  This will be a way of lesser-known artists to record music, to help them

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It was great to have Sean in the studio, and amazing to see where he is now despite what he has gone through. His journey is amazing and inspiring to everyone, especially those who may have been in a similar situation to him. For updates on Sean’s journey, be sure to follow him on twitter: @TheSeanD