Art & Design blog

Singer-songwriter Connor Roff combines West Coast Canada with London’s urban sprawl, cleverly blurring the lines between indie folk – pop and gritty realism. His 2016 EP “Chasing Dreams” won him a place in the Roundhouse Rising Sounds Program and this year he’s been long listed for the Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition as well as touring the UK.

Roff is also one of the front men for leading alternative choir London Contemporary Voices and will be singing at their third annual show at Union Chapel on Saturday 10th June. Special guests include Reeps One, Amber Run and Martin Grech. Tickets are available on the venue’s website.

XETH: At what age did you start to take an interest in the field you work in?

Connor Roff: I was 19 years old and had just left university after finishing my first year to take take time off school, while working and living in Vancouver. I was creating, performing and singing more and more until it got to a point when I thought to myself “this is what I want to do. I want to be an artist, I want to make that my career.”

X: What’s your proudest achievement so far?

C: I think moving to London by myself without knowing a single soul in the city, finding my feet, and setting myself up as an artist in this transient town. At times I was terrified, but I’ve managed to make it work, for the most part haha.

X: What’s the most challenging aspect of your work?

C: Managing daily life including affording to live in such an expensive city while staying motivated towards my passion and career.

X: What are your top three favourite songs?

C: That is impossible to answer! Some nostalgic ones are Dreams by Fleetwood Mac, Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley and A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

X: What is your favourite London music venue and why?

C: London Bridge’s latest venue addition Omeara is a great new and exciting place to watch live shows. Plus it’s run by the lovely Ben Lovett from Communion Records!

X: Name three creatives who have inspired you over the past 10 years?

C: Fleetwood Mac, Ben Howard and James Vincent McMorrow

X: Have you got any exciting projects coming up in the near future?

C: Yes! I’ve started a little side project with a good friend of mine called Becky CJ, it’s a male/female duo called ‘Little Water’. Both singer-songwriters in our own right, we’ve been doing some writing together over the past few months and are excited to get something fresh off the ground. I’m also writing as much as I can right now for my solo stuff with the hopes of embarking on the recording of my debut album. Then there’s all the work I do with the fantastic London Contemporary Voices choir which is always ongoing and exciting.

X: If you weren’t a musician what other career would you have chosen?

C: God another hard one, at this point probably something else just as creative and unpredictable. An actor or yoga instructor.

X: What advice would you give to younger people who want to work in the creative industry?

C: Have a vision. Work hard. Make mistakes and learn from them. Don’t give up. Be prepared to make sacrifices for your art. Write prolifically.

 

https://soundcloud.com/connorroff/brother