Singer. Songwriter. Impressively colourful hat-wearer. Is there nothing that Hugo Valentine can't do?
Hugo Valentine - make a note of the name. Described by Essentially Pop as being somewhere between Kodaline and Lewis Capaldi, this London based singer-songwriter seems poised to set the music world on fire with his impressive pop repertoire. His talent emerged as a youngster - Hugo was admitted into the Royal College of Music junior department, trained in classical music and particularly the piano, which plays a major role in all of his songs to date. He cites his musical influences as ranging from Elton John to Coldplay, Tom O'Dell to Arctic Monkeys.
The self-taught multi-instrumentalist today releases his new single "All I Want" - a mighty tune, soulful and bluesy which flowers into a beautiful pop song. “This is the closest thing to a love song I’ve written to date, but rather than being about any one person in particular, this song is simply a call to and for love," Hugo says, "The lyrics harbour a slightly deeper meaning, nodding towards the loneliness among today's youth as a result of isolation through technology and social media."
Led, of course, by the trusty piano (in this case, a beautiful upright!) laying down a simple chord and drum track, allowing Hugo to introduce THAT voice! It's apparent emptiness compliments the theme of isolation and underlying frustration, before the chorus delivers a powerful uplift, a reminder that there is a whole world of people out there, all in the same situation. It's an outstretched hand, a search for something real to believe in.
Hugo Valentine has only released four songs to date but his sound is one that has been missing for so long. We are promised a whole series of new songs over the coming months and 2020 looks like it is going to be a busy one for him.
If you want to hear genuine musical talent, genuine, heartfelt lyrics and genuinely great, soulful vocals, you need look no further. To emphasise the absolute potential His last song, "Memories", was released in December and has already racked up over 170,000 streams. Impressive numbers, which can only be matched by the impressive hat wearing, of which I find myself increasingly jealous!
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