A Quick Chat With Freddie Bailey

He’s captivated the nation and Keith Urban himself, Freddie Bailey, hailing from Tamworth NSW is fresh of The Voice 2022 with a new single ‘Want You To Want Me’. At the ripe age of 18, Freddie has been kicking goals everywhere and is not slowing down with this newest dream pop single. We caught up with him to find out more about the track, his influences and so much more.

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Can you tell us what this track means to you and what you want people to take away from it?

This song is very much the start of a new sound and new chapter for me. It’s very much a double edged sword; being about the desire to have someone in your life, whether it was before or after a relationship. But I’ve seen so many people interpret songs and their meanings in completely different ways, so I’m excited to see how it makes people feel and how they can relate to it.

Who are some of your influences and why?

Haha I like this one! Most people that know me already know who they are. Probably because I don’t stop talking about how incredible and inspiring they are.

My main influence is Patrick Droney. I remember scrolling through Instagram a few years back and this video came up of Patrick playing live. It was the first anniversary of “The Wire”.  About two seconds into the video, I immediately hit the follow button. 

Patrick’s music really speaks to me in a way a lot of others doesn’t. There’s something so nostalgic about every track, even if you’ve never heard it before. His lyrics really get your brain working and make you view things from other perspectives. And the music behind it all is just amazing. It’s like it’s alive, like some sort of organism. And oh man can he make a guitar sing!

hopefully before the end of the year I can go watch him play live. That’s definitely on the bucket list.

Keith urban is another big influence of mine. Growing up I always knew who Keith urban was. It wasn’t until I started playing guitar that I really paid attention to him. I was totally blown away. Being just a guitar player at the time, I really focused on what he was playing and how he was playing it, and I feel like a lot of what I do on the guitar is based off of what he does.

Having the opportunity to perform with him on The Voice last year was such a surreal moment. Even just being in his presence. Parts of it are a bit of a blur just because of how fast everything happened, but I’ll never forget that feeling when he asked to join me on the stage.

I always obsessed over the different styles he infused into his music, especially in the Graffiti U album. That album really inspired me to not stick to just one genre, but to be experimental with different sounds and create something totally new.

A new influence for me has gotta be H.E.R. I watched a few videos of her fender sessions on YouTube, and even if you aren’t a player or a musician, I guarantee you’ll get something out of it. And seeing those Grammy performances, (especially the one with Lenny Kravitz), is insane! I love watching artists collaborate live! But watching H.E.R playing that many instruments back to back, and actually being really good at them is just the best!

There’s so many more artists that I’m drawn to and constantly feel inspired by, and I could go on for days about them (if you couldn’t tell haha!)

But onto the next question

What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?

it’s always different. A lot of the time I’ll have an idea at the most inconvenient time or place. And I feel like that’s the same for a lot of people. 

I’ll be shopping or even just walking down the street, and an idea will pop in my head. Whether it be a melody or lyric. Sometimes I have whole soundscape ideas, which gets very frustrating! So people have probably seen me walking through town with my phone at my mouth, humming something really quietly and looking like a total weirdo. But hey, if it ends up being a good idea, it’s totally worth it.

What do you think makes a great song?

I feel like the answer would vary from person to person, depending on what they personally like. For me, I really want to feel everything the artist is feeling. If it gives me goosebumps, or makes my eyes look glassy, or makes me hum it everywhere I go, then it’s a great song. 

If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?

it’s probably pretty obvious now! Definitely Patrick Droney. He’s such a sophisticated person and I love those kind of people. And he’s got such a great ear for creating sounds, and so much soul in what he has to say. I think he’d be a very interesting person to collaborate with.

When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?

I love seeing things being put together from nothing. Or from the bare bones of something. I know this is technically music related, but I love modifying guitars, or amps, or anything like that. It’s so cathartic for me, and it keeps my brain busy. Even making something to eat, writing a post, editing a video etc is something I love doing.

Who are some local bands we should check out?

It’s funny you should ask that! I don’t really see much of that where I live, probably because I’m always being creative with music. There is one that I really dig. They’re called The Re-Mains, and they are LOUD! It’s awesome. 

You could never fall asleep at one of their shows, so much is going on all at once. 

Winter or summer and why?

Both have their ups and downs. I love winter because you can always put more clothes on if you’re cold. In summer you can only take off so much before it starts getting weird. But I think winter is probably the winner for me. I always look forward there being rain, or it getting dark early. There are so many good memories that I have from the colder parts of the year, and winter always brings that feeling back. And how nice is it walking into a warm shopping centre after not feeling your face for most of the day!

What else do you have planned for 2023?

I’ve got quite a few festivals lined up which I can’t wait for. Whether it’s my show or someone else’s. Want You To Want Me is very much the start of something totally new, and this year is going to be full of that new sound. I’d love to get some live shows happening, where it’s just me, my band and my music. But my main focus is doing as much as I can, getting myself out there and getting my music into the world.

Thank you so much for having me

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