Alex Clare is not a Dubstep artist. Alex Clare is not a reality TV star. Alex Clare is the real deal.
“I ate nothing but ramen noodles for years,” says Clare in an early morning interview with Kevin & Bean. During the recording of his debut album Lateness of the Hour, Bean asks about his rocky ride turned rocket ride to notoriety. “You put out a record and it was essentially met with a colossal yawn from the rest of the world, said Bean matter of factly.” During the writing and recording process for his album Clare confesses it was an uphill battle. “I slept on people’s couches and I was literally eating ramen noodles for four years.”
Throughout writing and recording process, Clare had confidence that the album would get some traction once released. Clare explains, “It wasn’t so much that it got a yawn as it just didn’t get the exposure it needed. If you don’t get the radio plug in the UK and the promotional means, it just kind of sits there and does nothing.”
Just when it seems like the record wasn’t going anywhere and his music future looked bleak, a fairytale-like ending turns his story around.
“Well, I’d lost me record deal,” reflects Clare, “I was scratching my head thinking what am I going to do with my life and then suddenly I get a phone call from Bill Gates, not literally, [laughs] but almost. If I see him I’m gonna kiss him. Microsoft says they want to use the song ["Too Close"] for their spot.” It’s one thing to be in a commercial, says Bean, “And it’s another thing to be in a commercial for Microsoft and Internet Explorer which gets played in every country around the world.”
But then the magic of technology didn’t stop there. His single’s growth was further accelerated by the music discovery app Shazam was used 150 million times to identify the single “Too Close.”
A bit of a renaissance man, Clare is not just a man with a computer. When asked how many instruments he plays, Clare jokes, “I’m a jack of all trades, master of none. Guitar, little bit of drums, little bit of keyboards, I can play the ukelele, the spoons and the harmonica.” To which Bean ribs him, “A guy that plays that many instruments doesn’t grow up with many friends.” “Pretty much,” laughs Clare.
Alex Clare’s Lateness of the Hour is now available via Amazon and iTunes.
