Tony Momrelle is one of the UK’s most exciting names on the British soul scene and we caught up with him to talk about his forthcoming new album, new single, and his incredible musical journey so far. 

What kickstarted your love affair with music? Were you young when you started writing and singing?

Music has been a part of my life since birth really. My parents always had music playing in the house so I guess it's a part of my DNA. From the early age of 6, I was singing with my sister at Sunday School in church and my Dad had a great record collection so music was all around me. Around the age of 12 my eyes and ears were opened to a new street style and sound, HIP HOP! I totally fell in love with everything about it so I started to learn how to rap and formed a group with my friend which is where I started to learn how to write. I think around the age of 19 I fell back in love with singing and used what I'd learnt from rapping and lyric writing to create melodic songs. 

You have an impressive repertoire and your vocals have featured on songs by the likes of Whitney Houston, Sir Elton John, Gary Barlow, Celine Dion and Sade. How did these projects come about and what was the experience like? Did you get to meet any of these icons?

It's amazing when I think of all the people I've had the opportunity to work with, I have to sometimes pinch myself LOL. Like I said music was always in me but i still needed to keep my feet on the ground (GET A JOB) so music took a back seat for a while. I worked for a marketing company for a few years and one day I got a call from a friend of mine that had a booking agency for singers. He went on to say that he had a recording session that he would like me to do, I explained that it wasn't for me as I had a full time job but he wasn't taking no for an answer.

Cutting a long story short I agreed to do the session and when I arrived at the studio sitting on the couch with her producer was Gloria Estefan! I thought I was in the wrong room as I didn't know who the session was with!! From there I went on to do some promotional shows with her. From that more sessions came my way and my name was getting about. The experience was out of this world it reignited my passion for music working and touring with all these incredible artists! There came a point where the session work was coming in thick and fast so I took the leap of faith and quit my job. Music was back in the driving seat! 

Has anyone you’ve ever worked with ever given you an incredibly valuable piece of advice about the industry? What’s the best thing you’ve learned through your extensive experiences?

Well actually they all gave advice in one way or the other. Some directly and some indirectly by me watching and learning how they would carry themselves, how hard they work etc. One thing I have taken in is to always be thankful in everything - ups and downs, good and bad. 

What inspired your new single ‘This Could Be Us’? What was the creative process like when working on the song?

'This Could Be Us' was one of the first songs I wrote for the album. I wanted a song that would make a statement and a declaration in the verses regarding making a stand, and the chorus to rediscover what was in a relationship.

It didn't take that long to put it together once the direction was set. I wanted the song to have a stripped down verse musically so it would build to a big chorus. I love to play around with ideas when putting a song together and my writing partner, who produced the song, has the same frame of mind so it was a lot of fun to create. 

Tell us about your forthcoming second album, entitled ‘Keep Pushing’. 

'Keep Pushing' is an album that not only takes you on a musical journey but also tells stories of love and life. I wrote 'Keep Pushing' with the view of not giving up on dreams, not staying down if you fall. The title track has a lot of energy from the very start and features New York hip hop legend Talib Kweli who delivers a powerful verse. That song set the tone for the album.

The record takes you on a journey of different musical styles Latin, gospel, blues, jazz and R&B but still retaining the element of soul. The album took the best part of a year to create once I had the direction I wanted to take. In every song there is a message and they all reference the album title in some way. There will be a line about moving forward or starting again etc. I just wanted an album that encourages within its sound and words.

If you could collaborate with anyone else within the music world, who would you choose and why?

One of my heroes is Stevie Wonder. That would be a dream come true for me, Stevie is a genius and an incredible songwriter, His songs carry so much depth but yet still very transparent.

What’s coming next for you in 2016?

Right now it's all about promoting the album. I've just got back from doing shows in Amsterdam, Paris, Berlin and other cities in Germany. Also just finished a music video for 'This Could Be Us'. I'm looking to start touring the UK sometime in the summer as well as other places so it's all GO GO GO and I'm very excited!

Momrelle is set to release his single ‘This Could Be Us’ from his second album, entitled ‘Keep Pushing’, on February 26. 

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Listen to 'This Could Be Us' here: