A rockstar who knew music was his passion from the first time he held a guitar…
We’re talking about Finn Askew, a 20-years-old artist from Somerset with a unique sound and multidimensional style that will get you hooked.
We all love rockstars, don’t we? Well, Askew is the Gen Z definition of one. His inclusive understanding of music, reflected in his modern melodies, have taken him from making music from his bedroom to internationally recognised releases with over 2 million streams on Spotify.
What intrigued us about his style is how he manages to include different genres without necessarily being defined, nor limited, by a single one. If you haven’t listened to him yet, his music is fresh, funky, and relatable. It remains representative of his generation through music fluidity, taking inspiration from some of our all-time favourites like Frank Ocean and combining it with old-school influences like The Smiths to Nirvana.
This fluidity is present in each of his tracks and recent releases, from his first single ‘Roses’ to his latest one ‘Cherry Bomb’. Talking to Voir, the young rockstar chats about what music is for him, how he creates it, and where he’ll take us with it.
Hey Finn, how have you been? What are you excited about at the moment?
Hey, I’m very well thank you! Just excited about life man, everything is slowly getting back to normal & I’m all for it. I mean, just yesterday, I had my first pint inside and I can’t lie, it was unbelievable. Like sipping summer.
How would you describe yourself as a musician?
I wouldn’t know what to call myself! My sound doesn’t fit into one genre, it’s just a mash-up, some would say genre binding. But hypothetically, if I was to label myself, I’d probably use to word rockstar, makes sense.
Could you tell us a bit more about your approach to music and the process of making it?
There are so many different ways to approach making music. Most times though I start with my guitar, I feel like I write better when holding a guitar. It just feels a lot more natural.
How did you first discover music and what was special about its discovery that convinced you to pursue a career in it?
I was put into the music world from an early age. My mum used to take me to some local ‘music for toddlers’ club every week. The teachers said I had good rhythm which was nice to hear, not that I remember it but it’s what my mum says. But I feel like the moment I knew music was what I wanted to do was when I first picked up a guitar, which must’ve been at around the age of like 7ish. It just felt right and that was even before I knew I could sing, once I realised that I was dead set on making it big.
When did you first start performing and what is your relationship with live shows?
I mean I’ve been performing all my life not always musically, for instance, I was in a dance crew from a young age. I was really into my acting too so I did a few performances for that.
But I played my first actual show at the age of 12, in some local pub down the road from home. I guess I’ve been hooked on that feeling ever since. It’s a shame Covid had to take away that aspect of life from us but I’m happy to know that I have a few shows coming up this year.
Being a rather young artist, would you say that age has helped or limited your career in music? Has it ever affected your role in the music industry and the perception other artists or audiences have of you?
I think that it has definitely helped me. I’ve found that when you’re young and if you’re popping you get a lot more hype around you. It’s all about time and in this day and age, the sad truth is the older you get the harder it is to make it.
People love to see young artists coming through because they can see potential, and the youth love it too because they can relate more to someone young making music than someone older.
Would you say that your music reflects your generation and the current times?
I feel like my music is the sound and reflection of the youth. Because back in the day most people were exclusively into one genre of music. You had the punks, the indie kids, etc. but nowadays people like what they like, no one is putting themselves into one box. I grew up listening to so many different artists and I try and show that through my music, that’s why it’s so unique.
What is the song or project that identifies you the best? And why? Would you say that it’s the one that put you on the international music radar?
I feel like the music that identifies me best is yet to come. The next project will be the true Finn Askew sound, which I’ve just been experimenting with previously. Once you hear it you’ll understand.
Could you talk a bit about for first EP and upcoming projects?
Yeah, I dropped my debut ep ‘Peach’ a few months ago now and the response was crazy. It went worldwide and did the maddest numbers, I really couldn’t have asked for much more from a first project. But the next EP is 10x better, it truly shows me as an artist. That’s why I’m so excited about it, it’s a masterpiece.
How did your music evolve since then, and what happened in the process that led to you to change?
When writing my first EP I was really trying every sound possible, I didn’t want to limit myself to the idea of genres. But I realised that as much as it worked I needed to cement my sound, so when people hear it they know who it is. There’s more to me than I’ve shown previously and I want to show it to people.
Which would you say have been your biggest accomplishments until now?
Think my biggest achievement has to be the development of my Asian fanbase. I’ve somehow managed to blow up over there before I’ve blown up in the UK which I think is quite crazy. Another highlight is probably hitting 30 million views on the ‘Roses’ video, mad numbers.
When you think about possible collaborators, who comes to your mind and what qualities do they need to have?
When it comes down to collaborations, it really isn’t about how big they are it’s about if I actually fuck with them or not. I wouldn’t ever wanna just do something for the money. But I would love to collaborate with Frank Ocean or the Kid Laroi!
Finally, what can we await from you for the rest of this year? Are you planning to get back into performing (covid-permitting) and where is your sound going?
Yes, I’ve got my first headline shows coming up at the end of the year, I’m playing at the courtyard London on the 10th November, and then playing at the cavern in Exeter on the 11th. Make sure you go, cop a ticket and get down for the mazza.
Listen to Finn Askew’s EP:
Interview By Chiara Ferrari
