Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
Although his stage name might sound funny to you at first, in actuality, Man with a Corduroy Heart is an ordinary guy who decided to pursue a music career after the birth of his child.
After releasing “The Wailers” and “The Joy of Giving Up” earlier this year, his latest single “Suella De Vil,” a pun on the infamous Disney villain Cruella De Vil, sounds like a lullaby he would sing to his son before going to bed. Halfway between Soul and R&B, his voice is soft and soothing as the instrumentation adds texture to the final product.
To see where this journey will take the artist, read our interview below!
Introduce yourself: Who is Man with a Corduroy Heart? How and when was the project born?
Man With A Corduroy Heart is me! I'm 34 and have been in various musical projects over the years but this one started at the beginning of 2023 after the birth of my son. I'd had a little break from things but found myself writing again after my boy was born because I'm a man and I can't really express real feelings so I put them into songs instead :)
How has your music changed in the past few years?
Hopefully for the better! I think the key difference now is that I really don't give two hoots and I just write stuff that I like, even if it sounds a bit pants. I know it's a bit boring and obvious to say "I writ for myself blah blah" but I think I kind of forgot that. It's not necessarily a conscious thing. Being in bands before I found myself looking over my shoulder a bit or listening to music trends and seeing if I should incorporate a bit of what other artists are doing that seems to be working for them. But in doing that, before you know it you've got a synth lute duo, mullets and you're swapping the U's in your name for V's, and it's fucking dreadful. Now I really don't care. I wrote a lullaby recently in a song that will be in my upcoming album and it contains the word "fart" in it. This is very true to me because I often say the word "fart" (and I often just fart too).
Who inspired your music? Who are your biggest influences?
At the moment I'm very much inspired by the driver who cut me up on the A505 while I was heading to Wickes. But I'm mostly inspired by the constant noise of life. That sounds very profound, doesn't it? What I mean is, there is so much noise and things craving your attention in your life every minute. From YouTube videos with red arrows saying "You won't believe how she survived without a head! Watch now!" to a constant bombardment of Black Friday emails. I wish everything would shut up! So I tend to write music in spite of or to escape from that. It might be a sweet lullaby or it might be a romantic ditty - either way it tends to be stuff that you can put your headphones in and forget all the nonsense. Musically speaking, I’d say I think I’m quite influenced by Cat Stevens, Roy Orbison and Chet Baker.
Could you introduce your favorite singles you've released so far?
Well I've only had three singles, so let me pick one! I'll pick The Joy of Giving Up. It's a fun song about giving up on your dreams. I thought there were too many songs about chasing your dreams but not enough about the bloody admin and effort involved in doing so. I don't know if you've seen that disturbing video of Jake Humphrey (you know, former children's TV presenter now Dalai Lama apparently) telling everyone to "get up out of the comfy chair" - Well what if I just want to sit and watch a bit of Poirot on tele? Not everybody seeks optimal high performance you silly sausage.
How did you develop this style? Will you experiment with other genres in the future?
The style is a lo-fi production with folk, jazz and rock elements. I wanted it to sound like a cozy, warm blanket among the backdrop of noisy life! I record and mix at home which has its own obstacles. But rather than strive for a pristine mix I thought it'd be best to embrace the shitness of it, so any pops, bum notes etc are just all part of the fun. If, in future, I can afford some better equipment then it will sound less lo-fi but Spotify will need to start showing a moral compass when it comes to royalty payments.
Let's talk about "Suella De Vil:" What inspired it and how did it come to life?
It was inspired by a certain prominent plonker in the UK whose first name is Suella. I had no interest in writing a political song because I don't want to divide people any further what with everything being so polarized - I'd rather write songs that hit on some common ground like love (or farting) and bring us together. Having said that, I had to make a special case for that plonker. But I didn't want to write a hate song - I just wanted to tickle the monster, poke it with a stick and laugh at the nonsense they came out with.
Who produces your tracks? How do you choose which producers to work with?
I produce my tracks. It's cheaper! But I'm also a mixing engineer by day, so I roughly know what I'm doing but it's also surprisingly difficult to mix yourself because you're just too close to it.
Is music your main occupation at the moment? If not, how are you conciliating your day job with your music career?
Music is part of my main occupation because I'm a mixing engineer (hire me at rcdaudio.co.uk!). It's great because I get to work with so many wonderful musicians who might be struggling to get a good sound out of what they've recorded at home or in the studio. I mix a range of stuff - from folk to pop to rock but weirdly my strongest might be house music! But being just a musician I don't think will ever be a main source of income ever again.
Have you ever been on tour? If not, would you like to embark on one? If yes, tell us about it.
I'm currently trying to book a tour for next year - whether or not I'll have the organisational skills to put it together is another question. But it would be wonderful because for my merch I'd sell sandwiches. I'm not even joking, how many times have you been to a gig and thought "I could do with a sandwich"? I'd make so many dollars.
Where do you see yourself in one year as a musician?
Enjoying writing and releasing more music from my home studio and if others like it too then it's a bonus! I'll try and play some festivals and apply to like 100 and maybe hear back from 1 who will put me on midday on a Sunday just after the children's entertainment. I'll also keep sending my music to bloggers who will then reject it and I'll then cry a bit but then realise it doesn't really matter because of who they are really anyway, so I'll just eat some doughnuts.
Discovered via https://app.musosoup.com #sustainablecurator