Meet the ‘Belles and Gals’ Team – #2 Liam
Belles and Gals has a fast growing team of enthusiastic and passionate individuals, all wanting to spread the word about the music we all love. Today is the second in a series where you get to meet the team – we’ll be interviewing each team member and they’ll be telling us all about the artists they love! Today we interview Liam!
Hi Liam! To start, tell us a little bit about yourself?!
Hi! I’m currently a Chemistry with Forensic Science (a wannabe Sherlock Holmes in training) student living in the East Midlands. I’m originally from the South Wales valleys and my accent is sure to tell you that! I can be found quite often crossing the border into Wales and traipsing the country making my way to concerts. If I can’t be seen at a concert, then it’s mostly likely I’m in the lab or pub.
What was it that got you interested in country music in the first place?
I had an unconventional introduction into the world of country music. I have always been a fan of artists such as Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood but during this time I hadn’t really considered myself a fan of the genre. It wasn’t until a few years ago when the twin duo Megan & Liz began their transition from pop to country did I really invest some time in the genre. I was introduced to artists such as Keith Urban and Dierks Bentley through Spotify recommendations; however I was not truly a fan yet. One day, an accidental discovery of Ward Thomas’ ‘A Town Called Ugley’ music video on Youtube really sparked my fascination with the genre. I spent countless hours listening to new artists and scouring the internet to populate playlists with some great new artist from my newfound, and soon to be, favourite genre.
If you had to pick three favourite artists, who would you choose?
If I had to choose just three (It’s incredibly difficult to choose 10 let alone 3!!) I would probably say Maren Morris, Ward Thomas and Catherine McGrath! Maren for her song writing, Ward Thomas for their ability to convey a story in their lyrics, for making country music appealing to a wide audience in the UK and for attracting me to the genre, and Catherine McGrath for her incredible vocals and song-writing ability. She’s the same age as me and it’s amazing what she has achieved in such a short space of time!
And if you could only listen to one album ever again, which one would it be?
This is painfully difficult question! Surely nobody is able to choose just one album to listen to?! If I had to attempt to make the decision though it would probably be Brandy Clark’s ‘Big day in a small town.’ It is such a great album and I love Brandy’s ability to tell a story. Her personality shines through on the album, and I could listen to it on repeat without ever worrying about becoming sick of it. I highly recommend it!
What has been your personal highlight in country music?
I don’t have just one highlight as there have been so many awesome moments. One of the defining moments for me though is definitely meeting Maren Morris. I had been waiting for so long to meet her and the night was incredible. Alongside this, I have been able to join the awesome Belles & Gals team. Being able to give people my views on great music and talk to the team who share the same passion as me, added the cherry onto the top of an awesome year of country music. Being able to meet Ward Thomas is also a defining moment of mine! It was my first country concert and being able to talk them was incredible.
If you had to pick an artist to watch, who would it be?
Once again it is difficult to pick just one so I’m going to pick 2! From the UK scene, I’d have to choose Catherine McGrath. She is a country superstar in the making and is sure to continue to succeed over here. Soon she’ll be taking the country music world by storm. From a US standpoint my artist to watch is Carly Pearce. What an incredible year she has had! She’s slowly making a name for herself in the US and is dominating both the charts and radio. Hopefully, she’ll make her way across the pond soon so I can see her live.
What is the most embarrassing record you have ever bought?!
I have made many embarrassing life choices, and this definitely doesn’t stop at my music purchasing habits. The most embarrassing record I have bought to date is James Blunt’s ‘Back to bedlam’, just because ‘You’re beautiful’ was on there. It was a terrible (but catchy) song and I thought that I could repeatedly play the tune out of mind. Turns out I was wrong and my terrible decision haunts me to this day. (I am cringing as I write this!).
To finish, tell us the last gig you went to, the last album you played and the last song you played on your phone!
This last gig I went to was Maren Morris at Bristol Student’s union. The last album I played was Miranda Lambert’s ‘Weight of These Wings’. (What an amazing album!) and the last song I played on my phone was Catherine McGrath’s ‘Talk of this town.’
