Introducing #121 - Jared Alto
Let us introduce you to East London based queer singer and songwriter Jared Alto, who has just released his magical debut single ‘Open’ - a vulnerable track about appreciating the smaller moments in life. He took a moment to talk to us about his music.
Hey there Jared, how are you? So your debut track ‘Open’ is out now, can you tell us what it is about?
Hello hello. I’m excited to finally be sharing this music, I’ve waited far too long but it’s great to finally be at this point. As you mentioned ‘Open’ is my debut track and it’s about stopping to appreciate little moments that you often take for granted with someone. Think of those everyday interactions that never make it to your social media feed. We only really stop to remember the tiny details once it’s too late. And when that happens we’re haunted by regret.
As a chronic overthinker, for me this song is like living through that moment where you’re dissecting what’s happening or what’s happened. It’s saying you love all these tiny moments, but you’re worrying you’re about to lose them too.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the process?
I co-wrote this track with my friend and producer Olly Shelton back in his old studio in Tottenham Hale, North London. We recorded this song towards the end of 2019, so it’s been waiting patiently to rear its head since then.
Olly is an amazing pianist so he came up with the Piano for this track pretty quickly. His Piano is a beautiful upright and he removed part of the case and stuck a scarf between the hammers and the strings. The slightly muted sound was absolutely amazing so that’s what’s in the final track.
Where are you from? What’s your favourite thing about living there? Where do you go for adventures?
I’m originally from Kent but I live in East London now. My favourite thing about this area is the density and variety of things going on, including witnessing people kayaking in the canal in snow.
For adventures, if we’re talking lockdown life then there’s nothing better than heading to Hackney Marshes and walking alongside the River Lea. It’s on my doorstep here in London, but it feels a million miles from London at the same time, and reminds me of the woods I grew up near.
Apparently you discovered your talent from drunkenly contacting a vocal coach via gumtree - can you tell us a bit more about that?
Absolutely. Despite the drink, I remember it like it was yesterday. I’d been at the pub with some friends in Kentish Town and I was on the Overground on my own heading home. I’d never openly talked about my love for singing before (to anyone) and during that moment I had the bright idea (and the beer-fuelled confidence) to message a vocal coach on Gumtree to ask how she worked and what to expect if I booked a session with her.
Drunk me may have taken the first step, but I was stone cold sober when I followed through with my message and went along to my first session. I’d worried I was like the people you see on talent shows, who think they can hold a tune, only to be told they’re delusional (did I mention the overthinker part?)
Victoria, the vocal coach, gave me the first thing I needed which was my first injection of self-belief. So it wouldn’t be an overstatement to say my life would be extremely different today if I didn’t get drunk and send that Gumtree message on the Overground.
What are your key musical influences?
My answer will never not include Ellie Goulding, her first album Lights always stood out to me because of her vocal style and acoustic sound. It’s why the songs I’m releasing are always recorded with an acoustic piano and not a more digital sound. I’d also add bands like Acquillo who create authentic, gritter pop music too.
As a kid, my mum would often plan Simon and Garfunkel or The Clancy Brothers in the car but my dad preferred anything by The Rat Pack which kickstarted an eclectic taste in music.
How would you describe your sound to anyone who hasn’t listened to you before?
Someone described it to me before as ‘clean’ and I’m not mad about that. It’s definitely pop music and I think you could place my songs on the ballad end of ‘ballad to club banger scale’. My sound is vocally lead, contrasting intimate subject matter with sonically expansive moments. Thematically, my songs are often melancholic but depict reality and never some romanticised perfection. My songs are my real experiences so there’s a naturally reflective tone that comes through too.