Charlie Cunningham, interview in Mondo sonoro (2023)

“Frame” (BMG, 23) is the third studio album by Charlie Cunningham. The British artist returns after three years with a most melancholic reference. We talked to him about his new album and his special relationship with Spain.

We will be able to see him in concert in Barcelona (May 12, Razzmatazz 2), Valencia (May 13, Sala Jerusalem) and Madrid (May 14, Teatro Eslava).

“Frame” is already your third studio album. A work in which your sensitivity to create music and also your totally autobiographical lyrics stand out once again. What is your concept?
Good question. The “frame” in the title refers to the time period in which I created it, almost mainly in 2020, which is when most of the album was written. A very strange time for all of us, for the whole world, you know. A particularly introverted moment, both personally and collectively. So I think the album has to do with me trying to make sense of conflicting emotions and feelings that I had at the time. The whole feeling of the record is very intimate and, yes, hopefully it will resonate with some people.

“I keep saying that, as people, we are the sum, we are the total of our conflicting aspects, of our personalities”

It is also a very different album in terms of themes, in which you manage to mix more personal themes such as love and spirituality, with completely different ones such as climatic anxiety. Aren’t you afraid to make a mix like that?
Yeah, I didn’t start out thinking “okay, I’m going to put this, this, and this”, but it just happened. And I think I was left with a lot of melancholy because it was a very strange and quite scary time, and also a sad time, we were all collectively dealing with confusing emotions. There was a lot of sadness, you know, we were all separated from our loved ones, we were having this kind of existential crisis. I keep saying that, as people, we are the sum, we are the total of our conflictive aspects, of our personalities. And I think this album is a conversation between my personalities.

For this album you have relied almost entirely on Sam Hudson Scott as main producer, after previously working with him on several tracks. What do you value most about his work?
That I trust your ears and your judgement. I trust him, I feel very safe with Sam, and I feel that he understands me. He understands my process and that is the most important thing. It is something very personal to make a record or a song. So it’s really important that you feel like you’re working with people who you feel understand you. He does, he’s a really, really special guy and I feel so grateful to have him in this process.

From the beginning of your career we see that there is a close link between you and Spain, but where did all this start?
Mainly through the guitar. I have always been interested in Spain and flamenco music. Particularly and mainly, in the way it is played on the guitar. I find the whole dynamic range of flamenco music very interesting, instrumentally speaking. I think she is capable of being very sincere, tender and close, but also very powerful and impulsive. And I think it’s one of the most special ways to play the guitar. So I was always very interested in that. And when I have worked in bars as a bartender or as a waiter, I have always been with many Spaniards and I love their warmth. I moved to Seville when I was twenty-six years old, and there I spent two and a half years, almost three, trying to understand flamenco music. And I saw a lot of flamenco, I listened to a lot of flamenco and I tried to immerse myself a bit in that music. I’m not a flamenco guitarist, but I’ve been very influenced by some of the techniques of those guys.

Was it hard for you to learn to play the guitar in a more flamenco way?
It was extremely difficult [risas]. Originally I thought I would be in Spain for about two months to try to understand music a bit. But, when I got there, I realized very quickly that it was going to take me a long time to understand and learn these things. And I’m not quite there yet, but I’m getting close,

Given this very special situation with the guitar, how would you describe your own musical style?
It’s really hard to do that [risas] and I’ve been trying to do it for many years, but I think it’s a combination of many things. I grew up listening to a lot of music from different kinds of genres and I think my musical style is just the result of a lifetime of listening, but also learning, learning to express myself and my feelings, by listening to music. What is my style? I think it’s a bit melancholic, pop, indie-pop, atmospheric? [risas]. With many influences, as you can see. I really can’t describe it [risas]but I will keep trying to improve and explain it.

“I’m going to do my best to be as present and engaged as possible with the music and the audience”

At the moment of creating a song, when do you feel that it is totally valid to include it in the project?
When I’m just trying to be authentic, really, only when I’m trying to be honest, I think that’s the main thing. You have to try and feel that what you are doing is valid, you know? And that it comes from a very authentic place. And that’s something I always try to do. If I feel that the lyrics are similar to something that I would say, and that I am saying things that are important to me, then it is valid. So it’s quite difficult.

And what have been your references when creating music?
I love all kinds of things, all kinds of music. I grew up listening to bands like The Beatles and Radiohead, and I used to listen to Stevie Wonder or Nina Simone a lot. But I think what all these people have in common is the truth. Although, when I was writing this record, I was listening to a lot of late-’50s jazz music, something I’d never done before. I’m not a jazz musician at all, but I am very inspired by some of that stuff.

And do you have any Spanish artist or group that has influenced you a lot?
Oh my God. The Spanish artist who has influenced me the most would obviously be a flamenco artist. My favorite guitarist was a guy named Moraíto Chico and his son, Diego del Morao, is amazing. And obviously, Paco de Lucía. I could say so many incredible Spanish musicians from that world! They are very inspiring.

Six years have passed since your debut album, and after it have come several epés, one more album and now “Frame”, as well as a long list of concerts. But what has been the most memorable moment of your musical career so far?
Maybe the first time I heard myself on the radio, and I don’t get much radio play, huh. When I had only been in music for a year and a half, I was on the radio and I discovered that this was crazy. I also opened for a guy at the Royal Albert Hall in London, a great venue, and that was crazy. But there are surprises all the time, so I’m very lucky. [risas].

In just a few days you will embark on a European tour with more than twenty-two dates. What are we going to be able to find in your new live shows?
The band I’m with is really amazing. They’re the same guys that played on the record and they’re very special. I play the piano a little more at these shows. And I’m going to do my best to be as present and engaged as possible with the music and the audience.

Among those dates, we find three in Spain: Barcelona, ​​Madrid and Valencia. How do you feel that the Spanish public treats you?
They’re great. I mean, the Spanish are so vibrant and warm and welcoming that it’s always wonderful concerts. I really want to go to Valencia because I’ve never been there before, I’m very excited about it. I have been to Madrid and Barcelona many times, and every time I come back it is a great experience. So I’m very excited, because it’s also the last dates of the tour, so having the Spanish warmth is a good way to end the tour.

The question is obligatory Charlie… will we have to wait another four years to have a new album of yours or are you already starting to prepare the next one?
I hope you don’t have to wait that long. It was too long, but there was a global pandemic, so I have a little excuse. [risas]. But I have a lot of new songs that I’ve already written, so I think it won’t be too long, but who knows. But I hope it’s not three or four years, because that’s a long time.

Concert tickets: