Can you explain what the name is behind Example?
Oh, it’s just my initials! EG, it’s on Wikipedia
Was music your first career choice?
No, I wanted to be in film. I just fell into this by accident really.
How did you get into film?
Er, I don’t know. I just wanted to be an actor, when I was a kid and then sort of got bored of acting and wanted to be a director – and then kind of got bored of that and then ended up working at a TV show, MTV, like editing and stuff – and then I just basically, kind of was releasing singles as a sideline, and people started playing them on the radio, and the rest is history. That’s like seven years ago, seven / eight year journey.
So you’ve obviously been in the music industry for a long time, do you have any advice for young musicians starting out?
I don’t know. No one really gave me advice, I just did everything myself, and learnt everything myself. If you know what I mean? I kind of made a point of just, I suppose going places and meeting people and trying to – this is quite hard to explain. I didn’t really know what radio plugging was or how to manufacture stuff or what artwork should look like. So I just kept experimenting doing it myself and meet people, and they would say ‘Don’t do that, do this’ and then it’s just seven years of trial and error basically. Rather than someone just winning a talent show and being thrown in at the deep end. They don’t know the in’s and out’s of the industry.
We were discussing in the car coming over today over ‘Kickstarts’ is one of my going out songs. What is your going out song or do you have to a playlist before you go out?
Anything by Kasabian really, gets me in the mood.
Any particular track?
Em, ‘Fire’.
Have you planned to go to any festivals this year?
I’m playing at like 20 festivals, I played at Rockness the other week. I won’t be at T In The Park, but I can’t do it and Rockness in the same year. But I’ve got like 15 more festivals to do this year, and then UK tour later on this year which is nearly sold out already. It’s mental!
You’ve collaborated with a number of artists, who is going to be next?
I don’t know man, em I like working with a lot of underground MC’s. I’m not really on the whole kind of pop collaboration scene. I’ve done the rap scene, cos he’s my mate and Tinchy, but for me, I’m just going to keep doing Example and just trying to make my brand stronger rather than diluting it with everyone else.
Lastly, who do you think will be Number 1 this week?
Ha, ME!
That’s a good answer!
Well I know I’m going to be Number 1! I’ve seen the figures
Example was speaking to Young Scot at In Demand: Live 2011. You can hear this interview on the July edition of Young Scot: In Tune
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