As many people can probably appreciate, Gavin is a busy man. As well as trying to promote himself as an artist, he also runs his own business. But his heart still lies with music, and he assured me of this when he took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions I had. This is an exclusive inside look at what makes Gavin tick, and what drives him onwards in such a demanding business.
A little birdie told me that you have a large back catalogue of songs that you've written. Roughly, how many songs do you think you have written? And where do you get your inspiration from?
"As an estimate I'd have to put the figure at about 250 songs. I've been writing for about 4 years now, and I think I wrote about 95 - 100 songs in the first year alone. I'm mainly a ballad song writer, so most of my inspiration comes from personal experiences of love and sorrow. To begin with, my material was completely about two particular people who meant the world to me. They stood by me no matter what, and would always be there for me. So a lot of the songs I wrote at the beginning spawned from friendship. But as I matured as a person, so did my writing style. I suddenly gained the ability to find a subject that would tug at your heart-strings, something that would really make you think about a certain someone or event in your life. But as time has gone on, my writing speed has slightly slowed down. And I am now writing material for or with other artists. I have recently finished a project with a close friend, who was ecstatic with the outcome. And I was amazed to find someone who shared my passion for music."
"There has always been one cause that has been dear to me, and that is trying to raise money for cancer research. Over the last 3 years I have staged 3 concerts, all organised by myself, to raise money for Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Care. My Nan died of cancer when I was only young, but the care that was given to her was outstanding. I want other patients and families to have the same treatment in their long battle. As a whole, everyone who took part in the concerts managed to raise just over £700 for the two charities. The other artists and myself give our time for free, with all proceeds going directly to the charities. It's something that I will carry on with to raise as much money as possible. Concert attendance is usually capacity, and people tend to give generously...for a limited size crowd. I would love to do it on a bigger scale, but trying to arrange deals with venues is proving difficult. But I'm not a quitter, so I just move on to the next until I find somewhere that will let us use their facilities for free.
.jpg)
I've heard many people compare you to famous artists recently. Artists such as Tony Hadley, Daniel Bedingfield, Elton John and Lionel Richie. Why do you think this is?
"To be totally honest I have no idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered to be compared to such artists, but I wouldn't put myself in a league along side any of them. Most of them are my idols, people I look up to. I only discovered I had the vocal ability of Daniel Bedingfield after I decided to have a laugh one evening at a karaoke session. I think I was as shocked as everyone else. As for the writing skills of Elton and Lionel...I wouldn't even put myself close. But I did scare myself on one occasion when I decided to cover Spandau Ballet's hit 'Through The Barricades'. Many people have said that I sound a lot like Tony Hadley, and they believe that the song is 'my song'. But as a comparison between myself and all the named artists...I still see myself as a street busker with a BIG dream. It may still be a dream at present, but you never know what tomorrow will bring. That's why I keep working hard all my projects, in hope that one day one of them will be recognised."
For more information on Gavin's drive to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and Breast Cancer Care, check out the 'My Projects' page.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer my questions. If I could, I'd like to start back at the beginning. What first inspired you to become a singer/musician?
"It's a pleasure to be able to give the public a more intimate look at the real me. I suppose what inspire me initially was actually my form tutor when I was in primary school. She was the school's pianist, and I guess I was mesmerised by her talent. I suppose I wanted to be just like her. As for singing... well that came much later. In fact, my band (Still Untitled) split up at the end of 2003 and I suddenly got the urge to stand up in front of a crowd on my own. But bare in mind that I had originally been a bassist and pianist for the band. I've just built on a hidden talent since then."
