Barry Conrad – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

By starrymag | December 23, 2019

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Melodic, universal pop dunked in a bucket of soul.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) Early on artists like Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men and Richard Marx.  It was pretty amazing getting to open for Brian on tour later. He was one of childhood vocal heroes for sure!

 

Q) What made you decide to cover “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?”

 

A) It’s got that immediate nostalgic vibe, which I kinda gravitate towards in general.  Plus, it’s just a holiday classic. What’s not to love?

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that people connect to?

 

A) It’s got a warm, timeless feeling and really nice lyrics.  I think that probably brings comfort to a lot of people during the holidays.

 

Q) What are some of your personal favorite holiday traditions?

 

A) Eating everything in sight. [laughs] I love spending time with the people I love, giving thanks and just celebrating life. I’m pretty obsessed with Christmas to be honest. It’s my favorite time of year!

 

Q) When working on original songs, what is your song writing process?  Do you need music before you can create lyrics? 

 

A) Everyone has their process, but I don’t necessarily need music to write lyrics.  Sometimes I’ll get a chunk of lyrics and melody at the same time.  I could also see something somewhere and go “that’d make a cool title” and specifically write around that. I topline too, which is where you write to a track that’s already produced.  Then, other times I’ll collaborate with someone and build a song from scratch together.

 

So, for me it’s pretty different every time. I don’t have one set process. I do think melodies come to me first a lot time though. I’ve got a stash full of random melodies in my iPhone Voice Notes!

 

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music? 

 

A) A pretty big hand. I co-produce everything I write, unless it’s for another artist.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Barry Conrad performance?

 

A) You’re gonna get ear candy and you’re gonna get personality.  It’ll sound ace, but I also just like interacting and sharing a bit of my personality when I perform.  Makes it a bit more of a human, three-dimensional situation, you know?

 

Q) Will you be releasing an EP or full album in the near future?

 

A) I’d love to. New music is definitely on my brain…Let’s see!

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Ahh, that’s tough. How long we got?! [laughs] Off the top of my head, one person is Justin Timberlake.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) Lately, I’ve actually been listening to a bit of reggaeton and also artists like Rosalía!  I dig it ‘cause it’s just fun and not too intense. Kinda where I’m at in life, I guess.

 

Q) We love you as Kane Jones on “Neighbours!”  What can you tease is in store for him in the near future?

 

A) Thanks! Kane is definitely a lotta fun to play!  He’s come in and really done a number on the Ramsay Street residents.  He did get arrested though, so is that it for him… who knows?  Guess you’ll have to tune in to see what happens!

 

Q) You are a part of social media.  Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) It’s always been important to me to connect and engage with anyone who supports me.  I used to be all about getting back to every single person, although I’m finding that a bit trickier to keep up and sustain these days!  I do try my best to let people know that I see their comments, their posts, their support.  It genuinely matters to me.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) Thanks for riding with me so far. I appreciate it so much!  Here’s to a whole lot more adventures.