Harry Potter Q & A: Adam Martin
Melbourne pop-rock artist Adam Martin is turning heads with his smooth upbeat new single Over It. AAA Backstage wanted to get to know the pretty young gentleman a little better, and as we all know the only books you can judge by their covers are by J.K Rowling. So, here’s how Martin would approach living in Harry Potter’s world of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
You receive your Hogwarts acceptance letter, are you keen or is a magical education overrated?
Being a muggle born wizard, I’m worried I’ll be called ‘mudblood’ and the others will pick on me. So I’m a little hesitant…but I decided that I’m not going to let that stop me!
What’s your familiar: cat, owl, or toad?
An Owl, his name is Henry! And his feathers are made of corn chips….I struggle to not eat him when around salsa.
Which Hogwarts house are hoping to make it in to?
Gryffindor, they have that sweet sword!
Do you try and befriend Harry Potter and his friends or do you fall in with Draco’s crowd?
Well I’d say Harry of course, but if you think about it a lot of people tend to be injured or maimed or turned into stone around him….
Do you join the Quidditch team or the choir?
For a magic school the choir is pretty un-magical, so I don’t mind a bit of Quidditch!
Which muggle bands do you miss the most?
Oasis, The Beatles, Coldplay, The Cure.
We’re loving Over It, how did the song come about?
I was in L.A at the time, song writing/gigging. About a year and a half prior I had come pretty close to dying, after extensive touring and being on the road a blood clot formed and travelled to my lung. I wasn’t really able to breathe properly for about 6 months after and every time I did it felt like a knife was tearing my lung from the inside. So to be alive, healthy and in L.A doing what I love was an incredible luxury. I wrote mostly about all the things I had experienced in the last couple years, not all bad/dramatic mind you! Often the songs would be about changes I noticed in myself and things I enjoyed more as a result.
Over It is about getting to that point where going out and getting wasted, doing the same things, seeing the same people, same places, over and over just loses a bit of it’s appeal and in order to keep ourselves entertained we constantly look for the next thing. It’s a bit of fun and satirical in a way really, but it also kind of reflected where I had been and I think a lot of people have been. I think If there’s one message people should take from Over It it’s that life’s short, and we’ve got to remember to enjoy it. Don’t waste your time doing things that you just don’t feel the same about anymore. There’s new experiences just around the corner, seek them out and get your kicks.
Who has influenced your sound the most?
Brit-Rock, Brit-Pop is definitely one of my main Influences. I grew up listening to The Beatles, Oasis, Coldplay, The Cure, The Smiths, The Strokes. There’s just something raw and organic about the music. The melodies are hooky, productions are atmospheric and emotive, the lyrics can be fun, honest, heartbreaking. It just feels real when you listen to it and I think that’s how music should be.
How has it been breaking into the music scene and being played on triple j?
It was a long time goal. A crazy one! but one I always wanted to achieve. There’s really no greater feeling than finally reaching this point. I’ve been writing/gigging/working for just about 8 years now. This is a huge step and it’s given me the motivation to work harder than I ever have before. Triple j is an incredible platform and I’m lucky to get to show my music through them.
What’s next for you?
Well, a lot really! A few gigs soon to be announced here in Australia and the UK. I have my new single/EP coming out soon with more shows to follow Then about 8 weeks in Europe touring/song-writing . It’s gonna be epic!
