UpClose with Caswell

We got to know Caswell a little better ahead of her upcoming big London headline show

The latest artist that CLOUT and our friends at CloseUp have decided to shine a spotlight on is UK singer-songwriter Caswell. The artist has been a steady presence on the UK scene over the past few years and has accumulated a long line of huge tunes and bangers, turning heads with her catchy pop sensibilities and lush vocals.

We had a chat with the artist and found out some more about her and what she has going on in a post-pandemic world, especially with her first big headline show for some time coming soon.

Caswell! It’s great to have a chat. We love your music as you well know. Tell us a bit more about the world of Caswell?

Sick! So Caswell is my solo-artist project I’ve been self-releasing under for a few years now, I wrote my first tune over a Weeknd YouTube beat in my bedroom that went viral back in the Soundcloud days. I try to keep to that same raw honest lyrical vibe that is just writing music for me and hope other people connect with it too. The more I perform the more I wanna write bangers people can jump around to, but the downtimes are what really get me putting pen to paper. 

What part of the musical process do you enjoy most, and why? is it performing live, creating your tracks, or..?

It’s been made even more apparent with the lack of live in lockdowns, but shows are one hundred percent my favourite aspect of being an artist. Which is kind of ironic because in the early stages of my career I really was a terrified performer so that was a massive hurdle! I feel like that is the place where you can connect energetically and emotionally with your fans and audience the most, more so than through them just streaming your tunes. There’s nothing like the vibe of getting a crowd dancing or singing your lyrics back to you.

The last 18 months and the pandemic have been crazy for musicians, how much has it had an affect on your music?

When shows, seeing my band and going to sessions wasn’t an option anymore in lockdown it did throw my confidence sideways and quiet a lot of my inspiration and direction. I kinda need collaboration to keep me sure of myself. I found it very hard to write and as with many others went through a tough time mentally, which left me in a not hugely productive place. Having said that, coming out the other side I feel like I have this build up of songs within me so am now experiencing a really exciting creative period. Being positive about life and it’s possibilities again has helped a lot.

If you could create a ‘Caswell Festival’, which 3 artists would you have headlining? (Fri, Sat, Sun)

 Billie Eilish, Radiohead, Erykah Badu. 

Your London show this October (22/10 @ The Grace) is your first big headline in some time, we can’t wait for it. Tell us what to expect from your live set?

Me and the two guys I play with, George Kerridge and Fabian Marshall-Tierney, really love to bring one hell of an energy. I absolutely love performing with them, it’s one of the best things being able to share those electric moments on stage with people you absolutely rate musically and love as mates. It’s a thick electronic sound, big cinematic scapes, a fair bit of bop involved and a lot of vocal-centric moments. There may even be some new tunes in the set too, so make sure to get down!