Ever since he first emerged, US singer-songwriter Bryan Yurcan has always looked to add a more vibrant edge to the traditional acoustic-led aesthetic. And with plenty of praise coming in for his releases in recent months, he is now building upon his dynamic direction with his wondrous new single ‘TV Guide’.
So we decided to sit down with him to find out more about his origins and where he is planning to take his sound next.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
I first started playing guitar when I was 16 or so. I always wanted to write songs rather than be a guitar shredder. I listened to a lot of older stuff that we had records of in my house: bob Dylan, The Stones, Beatles, Springsteen etc. Ever since I could strum a few chords I have bene writing songs.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
In terms of songwriting, Ray Davies of the Kinks, he’s brilliant. Pete Townshend of The Who, both guitar style and songwriting. Obviously Bob Dylan. Springsteen, too. And Lou Reed, both the Velvet Underground and his solo stuff. In fact, the one artist people always tell me I sound like is Lou Reed, even though I’m not trying to!
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
Not really. I just always loved music and wanted to play it and write songs
Can you walk us through your typical songwriting process?
I don’t really have a typical process. Sometimes ideas just come to me. I’ve dreamt up songs on a few occasions. Or I’ll be in a certain situation and get inspired: for example once I was driving through this rural area and came across a quaint little village and wondered what life was like for people who lived there. Then I wrote a song about it. I just get inspired by everyday experiences.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
As stated above, just everyday experiences. Sometimes I’ll see something, or someone will say something, that will inspire a song.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Just thinking about the human condition. I write songs about everyday people, everyday happenings, there’s so much interesting stuff in the world people miss, being glued to their phones. I hope to make people appreciate the everyday.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
Well we live in a time where anyone can get their music to the masses. That’s both good and bad. It’s good because before you needed a record label to distribute your music; now anyone can put something on Spotify, Youtube etc. It’s bad because that makes it so much harder to get heard. I read somewhere that 10,000 new songs are uploaded to Spotify each day, so you’re competing with all of that.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
It’s just great when people say they like my songs. When I play gigs, when a few people come up afterwards and say they liked my original music, or leave comments online, that is very rewarding.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
I don’t know, I don’t know any other way than to be myself. I’m not trying to sound like anyone else, I just write songs that I think are enjoyable.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
I am not releasing anything else in the near term. I’ve actually released a lot recently. In 2023 I did an album and 2 singles. Last year I did an album. This year I released a single in Feb and this one in March.
I don’t have any tours, but I’m always playing gigs in the Pennsylvania, NJ and NY area! I update my Reverbnation page with upcoming gigs, so that’s the best place to look.
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
Hopefully rich and famous.
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Listen to Bryan Yurcan’s new single ‘TV Guide’ below.
