Over this past year, London-based artist The AJM Show has established himself as one of the more enjoyable names emerging on the indie-pop scene. And with a flurry of immersive delights under his belt to date, he recently cemented his dynamic legacy with the release of his hotly-tipped debut EP ‘Matinée’.
So with the new EP available now, we joined him in conversation to find out more about his origins and what plans he has for the future as well.
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Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started in music?
When I was growing up in Lincolnshire, I’d always had a fascination with music but I wasn’t from a musical family at all. I eventually unwrapped an electric guitar for my 12th birthday, which subsequently deepened the fascination.
I started playing in bands from the age of about 13/14, the bands were, of course, pretty terrible to start with, but eventually after time and a few different line-ups it began to improve. Before I’d even owned a guitar, I remember being very intrigued by writing my own music. Since the age of about 15/16 it was around the time I began singing, or at least trying to.
I then ended up moving to London to study music at university and pursued a couple of bands. After finishing Uni, covid hit and it basically became the formation of The AJM Show. I was still in another band, but that’s when this idea of a solo project became real. I spent so much of lockdown writing for the 2 projects, but I eventually realised this is what I wanted to do more than the other band.
Who are your biggest musical influences and how have they shaped your sound?
It’s changing all the time to be honest! I grew up listening to Buddy Holly non-stop and I think that’s bled into it all subconsciously. I guess this project’s style and sound take influence from artists such as Arctic Monkeys, The 1975 & Tame Impala. These are longstanding influences. I think it’s important to take specific elements & fuse ideas with your own, rather than just copying. My worst nightmare is to sound like an ‘Arctic Monkeys rip-off’ or something similar… that would’ve likely been the case in my early days, but hopefully I’ve developed away from that a bit by now!
There’s also a lot of stuff from other fields, some of which are bigger artists such as Arlo Parks, Harry Styles & Tom Misch. I’m always looking for fresh sounds and avenues to explore. I’m currently inspired by the sound of Jordan Rakei’s latest record which is bleeding into my new music. There are a couple of moments on a new song of mine that has some elements from Charli’s Brat album, others where Loyle Carner is held as a prominent influence… I was enjoying an ‘experimental’ period of writing earlier this year which I’m sure will be heard in 2025.
Was there a specific moment or experience that made you decide to pursue music seriously?
I don’t think there was a specific moment to be honest. I think after being very inspired by watching concerts when I was young and then the progression of myself as a musician, by the time I was 16 I knew what I wanted. I think playing live was the biggest driver at that age, and maybe still is to some extent! I’d had studio trips before and obviously enjoyed it a lot and I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed the song-writing aspect. But perhaps when I was around 17 and the frontman of my band at the time, I went from being ‘comfortable’ on stage to just loving it.
Can you walk us through your typical song-writing process?
The beginning can vary a lot – It can start from a voice note of a melody taken on a walk, some lyrics from my notes app, a drum beat, some piano chords, a guitar riff, etc… I think that lends itself to why most of my songs have something different going on from one another. From whatever starting point, ideally, I’ll usually take it to Logic Pro, where I’ll sit with a mic, a guitar & a MIDI keyboard and begin exploring. I do this because when an idea strikes, I basically have all the means to follow the idea as quickly as possible.
I’ll then get lost in the madness and hopefully eventually produce a demo. It’s so important to finish songs, so if I’m feeling the main song idea, then I’ll aim to finish a rough demo as soon as I can (which doesn’t always work out!). It’s all about trusting your instinct and making decisions from different points and trying to solve the puzzle, but in a different way if you can, so you’re learning from it.
Once the demo is done, I’ll listen to it a lot which is the real test. If I don’t detest it after an extended period of time then it’s a keeper. Sometimes I’ll rework some bits later down the line, but if the demo has some magic then I’ll aim to keep as much of it there as I can. I’ll then send it off to Joe Montague who’s my remote session drummer (check him out, he’s honestly class!) and we’ll begin drafting ideas, inspirations and concepts for the track. He’ll then send over the drums and I’ll basically re-record the entire thing.
How do you find inspiration for your music and lyrics?
Honestly, I’m quite a reserved character – I keep a lot of emotions to myself, not even necessarily intentionally. Without sounding cliché, music is my form of expression & is how I generally process things. I also think observing things around me is interesting. Sometimes life can seem so banal, but when you look deeper through the lens it has a lot more layers than you think. Also, generally consuming things, such as television, podcasts, articles – often there’s a turn of phrase in a podcast interview or something that’ll inspire me lyrically. Obviously another huge one is listening to other music. I’m a big advocate for new music so I like to keep up-to-date.
What themes or messages do you hope listeners take away from your music?
Well, I guess the majority of it is following my journey & life as a person and songwriter. So, for someone to stay tuned in to that is all I want really. I aim to strike a sense of relatability with my lyrics sometimes. There’s always a discussion of how subtle, or ‘mysterious’ you should be lyrically. I like to think I’ve attempted both ends of the spectrum. Some of it is black & white and some of it is dressed up or I’ve danced around the point a little, so you may not necessarily grasp it on first listen, in the hope that you listen again.
Lyrically, a lot of the themes are personal to me, discussing figuring out where you’re at with relationships & friendships and processes around it, as well as reminiscence of the simplicity of youth. I delve into some other lyrical topics too. Take A Walk is a bit tongue in cheek, slightly comedic description of the reality of lockdown. Hard-Wired Womaniser is an example of a story/scenario within itself and hopefully conveying a somewhat powerful message.
What challenges have you faced as an emerging artist in the music industry?
Plenty, and still do every day!
I really struggle with social media & marketing, I’m just pretty useless at using it to my advantage. I’ve never felt overly comfortable talking to a camera anyway (which is probably pretty obvious!), but I’ve always felt really boxed in with it. Having to impress an algorithm is just something I’m clearly not good at. It’s a big issue considering without strong socials these days, you’re up against it!
I think the culture behind the commodity of music has somewhat removed artistry. Now more than ever, it feels like the music & artistry are second place to a higher being, whereby the demand is for more for the role of a personality or influencer… which is also cool and it’s great that there’s a proven method of some sort, but it means there’s less room for the artist mystique, or the quiet person who comes alive when they’re on stage. It now seems to be that this is the ‘main’ route of transport, but it seems I have the wrong ticket!
There’s also obviously a big financial toll for small artists, which ultimately drives 9/10 of people out of it… which in theory will reduce the quality of the music out there. As someone riding the mid-20s wave, you can definitely feel the societal pressure on you. I’m working a full-time job to survive but also to fund this project, when a lot of people around me are climbing the property ladder and having kids.
What has been the most rewarding aspect of your musical journey so far?
I think just generally being proud of my overall growth as a musician. To finally have an EP out, which is also self-produced, and to be proud of all the songs and how it sounds is a great feeling. To have it verified by the BBC amongst other names is always a plus, it makes you feel like you’re on the right path. It’s always the most important thing to enjoy the journey. Even showing your mates your songs and them really digging it is a big win! It’s nice to have that verification too.
How do you stay true to yourself and your artistry in a constantly evolving industry?
I think I stay true by maintaining my image and always prioritising the art & the music. I think this is a bit of a dying breed to be honest and is probably to my own detriment… As I’ve previously said, there are probably quicker routes to growth than the path I’ve chosen, i.e. following TikTok trends / trying to blow up on socials. I rate anyone who has the focus to do that, I’ve just never been about that or had it in my skill set. When it comes down to it, I do this because I enjoy it & I will naturally always focus myself on the musical & artistic side of things.
What can fans expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or tours?
Well, I’m currently riding the back of my EP release until the end of the year and then we go again, I guess. I have 4 new songs recorded, all of which are almost done & I’m back writing again since the EP release. I’ve had a turbulent few weeks/months so some bits I need to process through writing. I’m also looking into booking a few shows for the new year, perhaps for a mini-tour next year. We’re yet to venture out of the capital, so that’s hopefully a box to tick off in the not-too-distant future.
Where do you see yourself and your music career in the next five years?
Well as a small artist I’m so grateful for all the small wins, sometimes even those are hard to come by. The ultimate dream is to have my own original music as my main source of income and to be able to spend all my time working towards it. I fear that it may be more than 5 years away sadly, but at least the jobs I’m doing now are musical in some way and are contributing to my own growth. To enjoy what you’re doing and be successful in it is the end goal, I think I’m halfway there on that!
I’d hope to have built a nice team around me that are invested in the project. I’d love to be at a stage where I’m able to announce a show in another UK city and just not worry about ticket sales! It would be nice to have a tour with my live band. We all love it and I’m very lucky to have such talented and sound people around me. I think a tour with those guys would be so fun. It would also be lovely to get a few festivals under our belt, not necessarily the main stage pyramid, but just a few decent slots would be great for the experience. We’re in a good place at the minute when we play live. We’re sounding tight and working well together and having a good time. It’s crafted in a way specifically to keep the audience focused and I think so far that’s paid off. We’re always pushing ourselves and are hoping to level it up in the new year and there’ll hopefully be a few new tunes in the mix.
Obviously the ambition & dreams are bigger than that, but I’d be very content with achieving those things. Hopefully we can find a way into the touring circuit, it just may require some luck, which is never a certainty. It would be lovely to have just released a debut album and be hitting up Europe or the US or something. We’ll see where the adventure takes us.
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Listen to The AJM Show’s debut EP ‘Matinée’ below.
