On February the 14th, while many were out celebrating Valentine’s Day, I was at Mama Stones with some of my single friends! Despite being in second year, this was the first time I had ever been and I must say I had such a good night. Not only was the venue chilled and fun the talent was unbelievably impressive. Tuesday night saw some great acts take the stage and we caught up with the Encore winner Jamie Beaumont to find out more about him and his amazing talent.
How long have you been performing?
I started performing when I was 18 years old. When I was back stage at a school concert I saw some guy start playing the guitar and a load of people sat round him singing with him (they were a bunch of fit girls, great motivation to perform, although it hasn’t seemed increase my lady luck). At that moment I thought, I want that! From then on I taught myself to play the guitar and sing, never have I had a lesson.
How would you describe your work?
I wouldn’t describe gigs as work at all, it’s the one thing in life I truly love doing. Most of the gigs I do, I do for free. I suppose you could call it the only true love I have; maybe the fact that girls love a musician and you get described as potentially being cool. Whether or not I’m the ‘cool musician’ I don’t know, the jury’s still out on that one…
Who is your musical idol?
I wouldn’t say I have a music idol – I have several. Ed Sheeran has influenced my sound as he has revolutionized music with his mix of rapping; I enjoy adding a similar edge to my music. I went to school with some of the people from the band ‘Will and the People’ and they too have added another dimension to my sound. I guess my idol’s are musicians with true talent (I’m also a lyrics snob – I hate lyrics that don’t make sense). It doesn’t matter who they are, as long as they are not from X-Factor, apart from a secret liking of Olly Murs! (Tell no one!)
What advice do you have for musicians who have not taken to the stages of Exeter yet?
If you haven’t got on stage in Exeter yet I truly think you’re missing out. If you feel embarrassed or you don’t think you’re good enough, it doesn’t matter, everyone should do it at some point, I can’t go through life without the feeling! There are plenty of places to perform, including the Lemmy, Firehouse, the bowling green etc… I auditioned to get my gig at Mama Stones and ever since I’ve wanted to perform again and again. The night you guys came (14th Feb) was the second time I’d done it, and here’s hoping for many more times. Just remember that when you get up on stage, the lights are on you, but the scary part is that it’s really hot and you don’t want to look sweaty in front of all the girls!
What are your plans for furthering your music career?
My music used to just be a hobby, but now I’m thinking seriously about it. I’ve just recently been approached by a producer in Brighton and he wants to produce my music and try to make me into something. Whether or not he can who knows, but my ambition in life is for everyone to be listening to my music, regardless of who they are. It’s not about being famous; it’s about recognition and that feeling that people actually like the music that I make.
What material are you working on right now, and when/where can we next see/hear it?
I’m writing plenty of songs at the moment, trying to find a more upbeat vibe so that when people come listen to me, they find themselves listening to something they can move to. I’ve written some love songs, maybe not love, but I’m not revealing the girl/girls who they are about. I don’t want to be this conventional acoustic artist who writes about how moody he can be I want people to come because they can have fun whilst watching and listening to me. I’m trying to get more gigs at Mama Stones and hopefully if the producing goes well in Brighton, I’ll be touring around the UK doing as many gigs as possible to promote myself. If I ever get famous this will have been my first interview, in which case, I’ll always remember you HCX, just don’t forget me!