Bradley Simpson takes centre stage

Jordan Rossi: Right, your solo career. Let’s hear about it. Bradley Simpson: Very mad. Didn’t expect it. It feels like I’m missing a limb sometimes. It’s been a really fun journey. I started it two years ago but I never really had aspirations to do a solo career. I love being in a band and I love the boys, but then a couple of years ago I started writing a couple of songs that felt too personal to give away and didn’t fit in the context of the band, so I was like, “Let’s do a solo album.”

JR: Do you find it odd that you never had those aspirations? It kind of comes with the territory when you’re the frontman of a band, doesn’t it?

BS: No, not massively, because I was really happy. I’m sure it’s the same in other bands, where people haven’t done it out of unhappiness but out of fulfilment. And I loved it, I never felt the pressure. And I think that’s why I felt really comfortable to have the conversation with the boys and everyone was super-supportive.

JR: How did that conversation go?

BS: Yeah, it was tough. I found it personally really tough. It was real, like, emotional turmoil for me because I was like, “I know it’s what I want to do.” And it obviously wasn’t really a departure, it was just to be run alongside, but even then it felt a bit weird to me. But then as soon as I vocalised it and the fact that the boys were doing solo stuff as well, it calmed all those worries. But it was definitely an emotional conversation. There were tears!

JR: Were there?

BS: On my end. It felt like I was embarking on a new journey by myself. [In your head,] you build up those conversations about new things and how they’re going

to go, and usually, nine times out of ten, it’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be.

JR: What was the thought process behind continuing with the same management team for your solo career?

BS: I wanted some change. So I moved to a new label and that was amazing – it was a completely fresh perspective on everything. I have a really good team around me and a couple of other people around me that are new. But management-wise, I think it’s so important in this industry to have people that you trust. It’s a hard industry to navigate. And having just a couple of people who you know you can trust and who are there for you for the right reasons, that was very important. And they are the first line of defence. And I love them and they were amazing with the band. We spoke a lot about what I wanted to do and I felt like they really got it. There wasn’t any hesitation in carrying on with that.

JR: What’s the difference between The Vamps’ music and your music?

BS: It sounds different. I’ve tried to take more influence from a lot of the rock and indie [I grew up on], and we never touched on that in the band – we come from such different musical backgrounds that it’s like a mixing pot. Whereas this is the first time I’ve been able to think about exactly what I want to sound like and what I want to draw on. Then, lyrically and content-wise, it’s different. It’s about the past ten years of my life personally.

JR: And what have the past ten years been like?

BS: Wouldn’t you like to know?! There have been ups and downs. There are such huge highs, and then you have lower moments, be that your career or navigating relationships. That was a whole new thing to figure out – how do I manage relationships and friendships? All of those things become really difficult for a long time. And I think this album helped me get my head around those things and consider myself. So it’s about a lot of that.

This excerpt was taken from HUNGER Issue 31: The Dreamers. Full story is available in stores worldwide now.