Exclusive Interview With iTunes Chart-Toppers FaB
Neil Fitzsimon and Bee Brogan make up the London-based pop songwriting/production duo, FaB (Fitzsimon and Brogan.) The pair have scored a chart-topping iTunes Belgium hit, “Girl in a Gilded Cage.” Now, they have embarked on an ambitious search for the “FaB Pop Star 2019.” Neil Fitzsimon answered a few questions for us…
IMAAI: Hey Neil! We’ve been fans of yours since the release of your latest album, “Big Blue World.” Thanks for sitting down with us for an interview. You have such a melodic, poppy sound. Tell us, what inspires FaB to create?
FaB: Well, just as you said, to create melodic songs, hopefully, of high quality, we look to bands, and our heroes, such as The Beatles, David Bowie and Elvis Costello for inspiration.
IMAAI: What was the inspiration behind your latest single, “One Minute Every Hour?”
FaB: We’ve always been big fans of the 1960s and the female singers of that era, such as Dusty Springfield. It was actually a track called, ‘They Don’t Know About Us’, by Tracey Ullman, that was our main reference point for this song.
IMAAI: What has been the biggest thrill for you, personally, regarding your music?
FaB: Apart from signing our first recording and publishing deals, it must be when our musical, Jack Dagger, was performed at the Greenwich Theatre London, The Bridewell London and the Royal College of Music, London. It was great to see and hear the actors bringing our songs to life.
IMAAI: Congrats on many successes, awards, achievements…your single, “Girl In a Gilded Cage” even topped the iTunes charts in Belgium! Have you ever been to Belgium? Any plans to visit?
FaB: Yeah, we’ve both been there before. Neil: I briefly visited there when I was a boy when the family went on a trip from Belgium down to Italy. Bee: I lived in Holland for a time and we sometimes used to pop over the border for a drink in a Belgian Pub.
IMAAI: How important is social media in today’s music world, and how do you think the industry has changed over the past decade?
FaB: Social media has changed the industry beyond all recognition. Whilst it has opened up a massive audience for artists, it has also created a black hole when it comes to being paid for your work.
IMAAI: You’ve been working with some pretty well-known drummers lately, are you recording the next album, and if so, can you tell us about it?
FaB: Well, yeah, we’ve been working with Woody Woodmansey, David Bowie’s drummer, and we’ve also worked with Pete Thomas, Elvis Costello’s drummer. It’s been a big thrill working with them. The tracks we’ve been doing are actually not for the next album, which will be released in spring/early summer, but for the album that will follow after that.
IMAAI: Tell us about your FaB Pop Star 2019 contest?
FaB: We wanted to create something that was not just another X Factor type project. We’re not looking for sound-alikes; we want somebody who has something just that little bit different about them.
IMAAI: How do you take music from a production duo and make a live show out of it? Any plans to do that?
FaB: No. We’ve toured extensively when we had our first record deal and although it was certainly an experience, it wasn’t something that we were entirely comfortable with. We believe the studio to be our natural home.
IMAAI: Any parting words for your fans, Neil?
FaB: We’d just like to thank everyone who has been listening and streaming our songs over the past year. The response to our music has been fantastic.
For more information on FaB, please visit www.fitzsimonandbrogan.com
Record Label, Artist Management, Music Publicity | MTS Management Group
The Pittsburgh-based country music artist and actor has released his first new music since his critically acclaimed “Legacy” debut album. This is kick-you-in-the-can country, if I’ve ever heard it before”- Michael Stover, President, MTS Management Group “Matt has a knack for embracing all of the cherished parts of Americana that made country special in the first place.”
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