News Sivu: ‘I Quickly Learnt I Had To Up My Game’

Sivu doesn’t try to write catchy music, he tells us. It’s more about writing what’s honest and true to his own values. It just so happens that the songs spilling out from his initial outpouring are effortlessly instant pop songs, laced with sentiment and bright ideas in equal measure.

The London songwriter’s worked with Alt-J producer Charlie Andrew to help form a debut single out next week through ASL Records. ‘Better Man Than He’ is grand in approach, but not to the point of making its listener feel small and in awe of the whole piece.

Sivu’s style is hard to place, actually. His voice is simple, formal, flirting with a falsetto-delivery not dissimilar to Wild Beasts’ Hayden Thorpe. It’s early days for this new songwriter, but it’s easy to imagine him taking this clear focal point and making it a source of bigger, more adventurous ideas. So long as it means staying honest to his songwriting values, we should add.

We spoke to Sivu about his first year under this guise, working with Charlie Andrew and finding inspiration in religion, despite being something of an agnostic.



What’s your background in music? Has Sivu always been your outlet for songwriting or is this a relatively new project?
I’ve been playing in bands since I was 14, more on the heavier side of music but I found, as I got older, my tastes changed and evolved more. I’ve been writing under the name Sivu for the last year, just trying to develop a sound of my own.

How’d you end up working with Charlie Andrew in the studio? What does he bring to the table?
I moved to London around 3 years ago and to help pay the bills I did a lot of session work: I actually met Charlie on a session I was doing for another artist. I instantly fell in love with his approach to music and his ability to just think outside the box. I knew as soon as I had the songs I wanted him to help me paint a picture for my music. I think he’s just great at approaching things in a fresh way and is always pushing the expectations of my songs.

Do you welcome comparisons to Wild Beasts when people listen to a song like ‘Better Man Than He’? It has a very baroque, individual style.
I knew early on when writing the songs people would draw comparisons to artists like Wild Beasts. I am a massive fan and love their approach to music. I feel very honoured for anyone to think of me as an artist in a similar light.

Am I right in saying both of your tracks make quite bold references to religion? What’s your relationship with faith?
When I write songs I always like to try imagining what I’m singing about and I love using bold, descriptive words. I remember a good friend who had a Saint Christopher necklace - I found myself drawn to it, the story behind wearing it and other biblical stories. I found the imagery so strong and tried to use them in my songs to help take you to a different place. Growing up I’ve never had a religious connection and I’m not sure where I sit now in terms of faith…but I do find myself drawn to the imagery and romance of it all.



Does location and experience reflect on the songs you write?
I was born in a town Called St.Ives just outside Cambridgeshire and lived there until I was 20. Moving to London was such an important thing for my song writing. I found it opened my eyes to so many other bands and songwriters, I quickly learnt I had to up my game. Now though, I do find I juggle between the 2 locations. I am lucky that I can escape out of London and reflect on songs I have written, and it also helps drawing influences from different surroundings.

Are there any underlining goals that you stick to when writing a song, or is it a spontaneous process?
At first, I really tried to write catchy songs but I soon learnt it just meant nothing if I couldn’t connect to it. Now I just try and make something as honest and true to me as I can.

I hear you’re working towards a full-length, due out sometime in 2014. How’s work going towards the LP?
I have around 20 songs written but still feel there is room for more. It’s nice to start laying songs together and to imagine how the songs would sit on an album, but I’m just trying not to get too carried away at the moment. I’m planning an EP in May.

What was the intention behind the video for ‘Better Man Than He’? Have you always been fascinated by psychology or did the MRI scan just fit the mood of the song itself?
I was talking to the director Adam Powell for a long time about ideas for a video. We both always said we wanted to push the boundaries and just really try and make an impression with the first video. Adam had seen some MRI footage online and we spoke about it, and it just felt right. Lucky enough, thanks to Bart’s Hospital, they helped to put our idea together. I remember when we were doing it being unsure if the two would fit, but I am so happy with the results and really feel they complement each other.

Sivu’s ‘Better Man Than He’ single is out 25th February through ASL Records, as a 7’ and digital download. A hand-stamped version is available exclusively in North America through No Recordings. Thom from Alt-J recently remixed the new single - stream below: