DEAN LENNON:
I first heard of the rather charming Mr Lennon through up and coming boyband Digital who (after Simon Curtis) were one of my first blog obsessions back in 2006. They had a quirky style going on and were in possession of some fine pumping pop songs such as the thumping Get Your Kit Off and dancetastic San FranDisco. True, early on there was a misguided cover of Don't You Want Me but this was soon replaced with a sleazy remake of Boys and Girls (Blur) to salvage their reputation. Hype was building, and then it all ended rather suddenly :( Digital - perhaps the first boyband to successfully channel the Girls Aloud sound - were no longer. Hurrah though for Dean (and his band buddy Ian Brearley) for keeping going and finally putting together a sleek chic marketing image to promote his quite dazzling pop tunes. See Through is a club thumper with some great synth effects (which I reviewed here) while Trapped is a down and dirty track with a great vocal (loving the "stress you ou-ooout" bit) and a verse chorus structure that is just the right amount of catchiness, gimmick and ace production. Dean also provided me with some info on what he's been up to since Digital. But first of all check out his music at his myspace and official site...
On getting into Digital...
Well I was 20 and going from audition to audition trying to make my way in the industry and I came across an audition for a 5 piece pop boy band in London. So I went along with my audition song ( Another Level - Guess I was a fool- I’ll have you know) Auditioned in front of a panel of 4 people and I was chosen to be one of the members. I was one of 2 original members who saw Digital through from start to finish.
On why the band split up...
Well, to be honest I spent a long time trying to find out myself and still haven’t lol. We were going around gigging, trying to make a name for ourselves - building up a fan base, then after quite a major gig in Manchester I received a text from one of the lads saying they didn’t want to be in the band anymore. After asking loads of questions and getting ridiculous responses/excuses from the two of them who wanted to leave, myself and the 2 lads left decided to call it a day and so Digital was no more. The whole thing came as a shock to all of us really. I haven’t heard from or seen the 2 boys who left since.
On coping mechanisms after the split (like lounging around in pants watching Loose Women!)...
I personally thought Digital had heaps of potential and really believed in the project . We had catchy songs and loads of potential so to let go of something that I believed in was tough but I didn’t lose sleep over it. I’ve always written and produced songs myself so it’s always been a passion of mine. I went straight into the studio and started writing for my solo project with Matt @ Mosquito Music and I haven’t looked a back. I do love loose women though.
On why the solo launch took so long...
Well Paul : ) - I’m a perfectionist, I have to make sure everything is right in everything I do. I’m not one to go into things half heartedly. I have a great management team behind me and they are really letting me be creative and get involved with all sides of this project. This is why it means so much to me because I get to have a say in what goes - Thanks Mark! I wanted to spend the time in getting things right.
On his ace photo shoot and styling...
I am fashion mad anyway, major fan of the skinny jean! I also have the bone structure of a Greek god which helps (hehe) - but we had an idea of what we wanted the image for the whole project to be from the start. So along with my Stylist, make up artist and luckily best mate Amy, we put together a load of retro fashion looks with lots of splashes of neon which we thought would complement the music best. I love photo shoots - The main shoot for the myspace launch was the nuts!
On which track works best as an introduction to his sound...
Hummmmm............Tricky .........I think it’ll be See Through. I’ve been writing for this project for nearly a year now and this track just seemed to work. We were in the studio and magic just happened. I’m heavily inspired by the 80’s and this track (as do loads more from the album) has all the elements of that but with a contemporary feel. The lyrics are pretty deep and heartfelt. The track is basically about someone constantly putting you down and misguiding you but you come out the other side by seeing what that certain someone is really like.But I’m extremely proud of all the tracks from the forthcoming album because I’ve written the majority of them alongside some VERY talented people. So to me they’re pretty personal. Watch this space!
On groupies throwing knickers at him (and not just me :P)...
Apart from you (still got your knickers by the way - bottom drawer - our secret: ) I’ve not had anyone throw themselves at me yet I’ve got all that to come - hopefully.
And on the demise of Billiam - the greatest loss to the world of pop since H&Claire split...
Well surprisingly I knew a couple of the boys from Billiam because they were in one of the many line up’s of Digital and we also met over time at gigs we were both booked at. The positive side is they were nice guys - bit of rivalry as we were up and coming boy bands but that’s expected. The negative side is that the music and image was dated and there was nothing original about them. I wasn’t a fan. I distinctly remember getting quite a funny phone call from the management asking me to join Billiam and join them on tour with Girls Aloud - I did feel to do it just to meet Cheryl but thought better of it. Not for me Ta.
Tomorrow - more ace new pop bought to you by the letter D...
