TLG

Meet Norwich-born UK Open Mic performer TLG:

TLG

Hi TLG, thanks for joining us! Let’s get into it:

Do you play solo only, or also in a group?

Solo

How old are you?

Where were you born?

Norwich

Where did you grow up?

Norwich

How did that place influence your music? (if at all!)

It gave me a lot of life experience and a love for stories.

Where are you based now, and why?

London, to allow me the chance to express myself and love my life to its max.

What got you into making music in the first place?

I’ve always loved making people feel something and the highs of being on stage really allow me to do that.

What instrument/s do you play?

Singing
Rapping
Guitar
Piano
Music Producer

Who would be in your top 10 musical influences, and why?

Mcfly – They have been consistent in delivering something new and exciting to there audience everyone for the last 20 years.

The Flaming Lips – if you know you know.

The Killers – great showmanship matched with music mastery.

Queen – they paved their own way and created there own genre.

Taylor Swift – she’s come along a stolen the scene and she deserves it for the hard work she’s out in. An inspiring work ethic.

Busted – they got me into music when I was 8!

Do you write your own songs?

Yes

How many years have you been writing songs for?

What process, or processes, do you often find yourself using when you write songs?

I like to start with a message or a story to tell and then find what works with that. I have been known to produce a backing track and sing over it randomly until the story finds me but all my music comes down to what I’m trying to say.

How long have you been playing open mic nights?

Why did you get into playing them in the first place?

When I was at University in Cambridge I played my first one and it went down so well I was hooked by the fact an unknown audience could respond to what I was singing. I love that you can try things out and offer something different every time or share some of your tried and tested material.

What advice would you give new performers who are just starting out playing their first open mics?

Go for it and be true to yourself.

What’s the hardest thing, for you, about playing open mics?

It can be difficult knowing what to play when you’ve got a back catalogue. You get to know how to read a room but it takes practise and you’ve got to be prepared for the occasional awkward silence if you make the wrong call some nights early on.

What’s the most bizarre, or fun, open mic, or gig, you’ve ever played, and why?

I was singing my own songs and a drunk guy who had his own amp and telecaster set up in the corner in the first song and then joined in with a sick solo in my second song. It was so good we recorded it for the rerelease on Spotify.

If it’s not already, are you hoping to make music your full-time career?

Yes

What do you currently find the hardest and biggest obstacles to moving your music career forward?

Time while balancing the B plan is tricky but I hope that it’ll find its way soon!

What’s the one truth about you that people often find surprising?

I never had a music teacher I’ve learned through open mics and experience with theatre shows and my own tours over the years.

What’s the most exciting project you’re working on at the moment?

I’m making a musical film series at the moment while producing an album and they are both very exciting, I hope 2024 will see them both released and finished. I can’t wait to play the new album at open mics!

We’re done! Anything else you want to share before we go?

No thanks!