It’s a tough time to be an independent musician.
For every major label artist who makes it onto the Radio 1 A List, there are literally hundreds of others who would happily step over their own mothers for one humble play from Jack Saunders, Clara Amfo or Annie Mac.
While some acts traverse the toilet circuits, others are afforded million-pound marketing budgets, giant billboards in Time Square, and a guaranteed slot on whichever Norton/Ross/Carr-fronted televisual extravaganza takes their fancy.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. After all, without major labels, we wouldn’t have Billie Eilish, Biffy Clyro, or this clip of Lady Gaga becoming BFFs with Dot Cotton on The Graham Norton Show.
Still, the fact is that most independent artists just can’t compete with that level of investment.
Not only do they have to spend years honing their craft as a writer and performer, but they’re then forced to rely on little more than their own income and some serious hours of grafting to market their musical fruits to the world.
That doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to break through, though. Take Jeremy Loops, for example. The South African folk-pop maestro has spent the last few years independently building a name for himself as one of the best live acts in the scene.
It seems to have worked out pretty well for him, too. His single Down South has racked up 20 million streams on Spotify; he’s collaborated with Ed Sheeran; and he sold out a headline show at London’s cavernous Brixton Academy last November.
Not bad, eh?
Well, if you like what you’re hearing, then we’ve got some good news for you.
Not only has Jeremy just signed to Universal (!!!), but he’s also just released a brand new single.
It’s called By The Way and it’s a mellow acoustic pop track with a chorus that’s guaranteed to get stuck in your head. As Jeremy explains, “the song chooses to see the hopeful side of things. It is not a question of whether we are better than this, I believe we are all trying to be better, we are all trying to tap into that potential to change”.
Spoiler alert: we think it’s great. So great, in fact, that we couldn’t resist asking Jeremy to perform an exclusive acoustic version of the track for our Selfie Sessions.
So, what are you waiting for? Check out Jeremy Loops performing his new single By The Way for One on One’s Selfie Sessions. 👇