A personal goal for Plymouth-born ‘Modern Rock ‘N’ Roller’ Chay Snowdon is;“standing on stage with the audience singing the words I wrote back to me”. This is something he has come close to of late, noting his headline performance on the BBC Introducing stage at Looe Music Festival last summer as a personal highlight; “it was other worldly."
Although being brought up in the English county of Devon, the singer-songwriter spent a few years of his life living in sunny Spain. This was a pivotal time for Snowdon, as he recalls; “we had two CDs in the car… McFly and Elvis Presley. It could have gone either way but Elvis was and is still a huge inspiration”. It was onsuch car journeys that a young Chay discovered his musical calling. Encouraged every step of the way by his parents, the 20-year-old describes his long- time coming sound as indie-pop with elements of indie-rock’n’roll, following periods of experimenting with the singer-songwriter and indie-folk genres.
Listing Kings of Leon, Catfish and the Bottlemen, VANT and The Hunna amongst his musical influences, Chay’s sound really comes alive when he is joined onstage byhis band. Supporting previously mentioned VANT, as well as fellow up-and-coming indie band The Sherlocks, on the south-west legs of their UK tours, Snowdon and Co. are really making waves on the local circuit.
Currently a song-writing student at BIMM Bristol University, Snowdon now takes up residence in said city and is duly forcing local radio stations to turn heads his way. BBC Introducing Devon Radio presenter James Santer states; “it’s easy to heap praise on a local artist when secretly you want to be just like him! Chay has everything a rock star needs, plus the songs to back it up”. With Snowdon mentioning radio station GLR’s program director Roger Noble as a massive help in his promotional campaign, it comes as no surprise that Noble has quoted Chay as a“talented young artist”. He goes on to say; “[Chay] fits perfectly for us at GLR, and he should be very proud of what he has achieved so far”. It doesn’t end here, with radio presenter Jackon Cooper of Riviera FM adding “[Chay is] taking a nod from a longgone era but always keeping one eye on the future that is most certainly his for thetaking”. Radio promotion is key in Snowdon’s operation to burgeoning success. It’s one ofthe best ways to enable the public to hear your music and keep the word spreading. Another important aspect is online and print promotion. For Chay, this has recently come in form of multiple online blogs, including Listen With Monger writer and music journalist Roland Monger, describing Snowdon and his band as “Jake Bugg’s angrier little brother fronting a music super group made up of members of Arctic Monkeysand you’re getting close”. With an online buzz already created, it’s surely no time until the print publications catch on and further Chay’s publicity.
Currently unsigned to a record company, Snowdon admits “presented with a label opportunity, it would be hard to say no!”. However, he does claim finding a label isn’t the immediate next step in his campaign. Although labels can help with funding for records, publishing, distribution, marketing and promotion, Chay states he is “happy doing it independently”. What is the next step? “Maybe a Manager or a Booking Agent” Snowdon suggests. At the moment, Chay and his band book their own gigs and organise their own engagements. With the help of a Manager, the band can solely focus on the music whilst bookings, gigs, interviews and appointments are all organised by management. A Booking Agent could also be helpful for Snowdon and his bandmates. This would allow them to be hired for more gigs, furthering their exposure and ultimately stepping up the promotional campaign.
Having just released new single ‘Around the Sun’, Snowdon uses online streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music to release his music. If his success continues to grow, music publishers and legal teams will step in to ensure Chay and the band receive all the payment for their creative works when writing and composing the tracks. These may be provided by a record company, should Snowdon encounter the chance (and take up the offer!) of signing to a major label.Admitting he likes to write his songs alone (“it’s very personal to me”), Snowdonwould receive all song writing payment that a publisher would collect on his behalf, before distributing the money to him.
Upon signing a record deal, a marketing team may also be presented to Snowdon. At the moment, his marketing strategy is very much independent. Chay uses social media to spread the word on new track releases and upcoming gigs, already gathering a core fan base with his 6,500 likes on Facebook. However, furthering a marketing campaign with professionals in the industry could really help Chay and the band continue their journey to full-blown stardom. Music promoter Emma Scott, who has worked for Kerrang! and Heart radio stations, believes Snowdon could achieve such success. She states; “Chay Snowdon is a star of the future. Such a talent atsuch a young age”.
Although he takes on a lot of responsibility when it comes to the maintenance of making music, Chay doesn’t take his band for granted. “My band, Liam Roberts,Kyran Bignell and George Roach, were a massive help in stepping up the live showand sound” the songster confessed. Snowdon’s guitarist and childhood friend LiamRoberts says working with Chay has given him to opportunity to perform on bigger and better stages across the country. When questioned on what makes the bandwork so well together, Roberts says “our chemistry offstage and friendship helps the band’s sound whilst on stage and in the studio”. Sharing the endgame of being able to make a living from creating music, both Roberts and Snowdon hope the band cango on to playing for larger crowds. Ever the optimist, Snowdon admits “I wouldn’t say no to playing Wembley [Stadium] someday…”. This can all be achieved with the right promotional campaign, persistent use of social media and help from the press tofurther the band’s attention and grow a stable fan base. Roberts’ goals for the group’s further publicity is to achieve a small venue tour at the end of the year.
In the meantime, Chay and Co. can focus on the various festivals they have lined upfor this summer. Liverpool’s Soundcity, Home Farm Festival in Somerset and2000Trees are just a few that the boys are playing this year. As well as doing the rounds on the festival circuit, Snowdon and the band are soon to shoot the video fortheir current single ‘Around the Sun’. Promptly following this, Chay will “get startedon writing the next single!”. Whilst we wait in anticipation for new music, tracks ‘Famous’ and ‘Modern Rock ‘N’ Roller’ can be found on all online music stores (e.g. Spotify and iTunes). The video for ‘Famous’ can be found on Snowdon’s YouTube channel (alongside a liverendition of unreleased track ‘Kick the Habit’), having already racked up almost 3,000 views. For even more music from Chay, his SoundCloud hosts an additional twotracks: ‘Guitar Preacher’ and ‘Shower and Scream’.
After all of this, what is it that makes Chay Snowdon so different to all the other wannabe rock stars? His ability to effortlessly combine vintage rock ‘n’ roll withmodern indie-pop and his distinctive vocals set him apart from the crowd. Listing his University BIMM Bristol as a help in his promotional efforts, Chay has been featured on the college’s annual album in his first year of studies – not a feat that is easy to attain. As well as this, the school has stated to Snowdon himself that they saw in him what they saw in Brit Award nominee George Ezra when he did a mirror audition just four years earlier. Along with Ezra (Columbia Records/Sony Music), BIMM colleges across the UK boast alumni in the shape of James Bay (Republic Records/Universal Music Group), Izzy Bizu (Sony Music UK), Tom Odell (Columbia Records/Sony Music) and Marina and the Diamonds (Warner Music Group). No pressure then, Chay!
For PR information on Chay Snowdon, email info@chaysnowdon.co.uk or visitwww.chaysnowdon.co.uk.
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