#MusicalMemories: Mike Watson
Mike Watson is an artist that should be filed alongside Zayn, Justin Timberlake and Robbie Williams. He is a former boyband member who left the fold only to release a credible and interesting single that will propel him on a far more interesting trajectory than he would have had as part of the quintet with whom he topped the Japanese charts. We caught up with Mike to take him on a trip down musical memory lane.
What song reminds you most of your childhood?
Hotel California- The Eagles. My family are massive music fans and in particular Eagles fans. It’s our family theme tune so to speak and every time we’d drive anywhere that’d be blasting out at some point for sure.
Which song inspired you to become a musician/singer?
I think it’s a combination of songs my family played a lot during growing up… ranging from Phil Collins, The Eagles, Santana to Cat Stevens and Paul Simon! But when I was about 5 I was on holiday and sang ‘Born In The USA’ to the whole resort… so that song giving me my first taste of live performing gave me a taste of the bug!
Which song do you wish you had written?
My favourite song of all time is probably ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ by Johnny Nash. It’s the most positive song in the world and if you’re ever down, put it on and you’ll be fine in no time! So for that reason alone it’d have to be that!
Which artist/band has been the most inspirational to you?
There’s so many to mention as growing up I was listening to such an array of bands. But I was fortunate enough to go on tour with Maroon 5, and to see them do their thing on stage every night was a real eye opener to me to see the levels you have to get to in order to be a success. Their album ‘Songs About Jane’ was also a soundtrack to a part of my life so I’d have to say them for sure.
Which song/album currently dominates your attention?
Right now my favourite track has to be Khalids ‘American Teen’. Such a timeless track with feel good vibes. Not only has he a great vocal, he’s a great writer and all round nice guy from what I’ve heard. I was relatively late to the Khalid party but I’m now firmly on board!
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I’d love to collaborate with Ryan Tedder and his band One Republic. I’m such a massive fan of their’s and have been for years! Ryan is one of the best writers of his generation, so I think we’d have a lot of fun working on a record together!
