Sirach Charles aka Angel has been riding high in the charts lately with his new single ‘Wonderful’. The West London singer, songwriter & producer has also been hard at work in the studio working on a number of projects including his debut album, a new mixtape and writing and producing for other artists such as Tulisa. We sat down with Angel to discuss his latest successes, touring and the sounds of West London…
How are you today?
Yeah. I’m good, good, good!
Congratulations on the success of Wonderful so far. How are you feeling at the moment?
I’m feeling… very overwhelmed! I’m so happy I’ve finally got the chance to exploit what I’ve been holding inside for so long. It’s the official single now and the receptions been… very receptive!
You went in at number 20 on the official singles chart. Was you expecting to do so well, especially as you managed to bring forward the single release by three weeks?
I didn’t know really, I just thought, I love the tune myself; the reception before we released the tune had been really good. It was more a case of “let’s just get it out!” The vibes been good… It’s just a blessing! It’s helped us go onwards and upwards.
To some, you’ve been around for a while now and to others you’re a new, emerging artist. Do you feel like your time is finally here? Or would you have liked things to have kicked off faster than they did?
I’m very happy with where I’m at now. When you’re working, whatever you’re doing and you’re not seeing anything… happen the way you want it to or not as quick as you want things to happen, we all tend to think sometimes “Is this gonna happen? This is long. Am I good enough?” All sorts of things, then faith comes involved and the work ethic gets higher and then you just think “Everything happens at the right time.” Five to 10 years ago, I was like “Nah, I’ve got this song, I’m ready!” I think back now and think if I’d released some of those songs. My mum puts them on sometimes and says “Remember this?” And I’m like… “No. Leave that alone!” We’re in a whole next place now. Everything happens in the right time and I think now is the time. God set it that way.
Everything around you is about time. Your last EP was called ‘7 Minutes Before Time’, your last mixtape was called ‘Any Minute Now’…
That’s my theme. Even from ‘Patience is A Virtue’. It didn’t have the word “time” in it but it revolves around the time theme and my theory is everything we do in life, there’s not one thing you can mention to me right now that doesn’t revolve around time. So I kinda wanted to translate that through my music and the EP title names.
The single is out now. You’re currently working on your next mixtape and your debut album at the same time!
I am indeed. And it’s a good energy because it’s not like we’re working on the album and going “This needs to be sick, we need to finish this, we need more songs.” We’ve got the album, we’re still writing songs every day so that can add to our list of songs we’re gonna break down for the album and in between that time, which is the name of the next EP (In Between Time) we’ve got songs for the EP too, so it’s good energy, good hard work. You know sometimes people work and it’s just “Oh, I gotta do this, do that and hopefully one day it’ll pay off” but what I’m doing is actually fun and I’m passionate. I love to finish a song off the album and then go “You know what? EP time.” That’s what I love doing!
Is the EP coming first or the album?
Yes, the EP first. It should be out in the next couple of weeks, actually.
Great. And will the album be later this year?
I can’t pinpoint any date right now, but if we need to go with the album we’ve definitely got more than enough tunes to pick from, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist. We’re writing every day so you never know what we’re gonna come out with, so as long as we can keep our hands on the album selection, the better for us.
You’re from West London. There seems to be a number of artists coming out of West London at the moment, such as Cleo Sol, who you’re label mates with and Shakka & Kyra, do you feel there’s a sound coming out of West London? A signature sound maybe?
It’s that cloth! Right now, as artists in the UK, coming out of the UK, more than it just being a West London thing, I think we’ve got a time and an opportunity right now for us to bring through what we’ve been keeping in for so long and that’s good music and that’s what we love. Once upon a time urban music never used to get any love. Now, that’s what it is and everyone loves it. You can’t stop the music and that’s the age we come from. Big shouts to people like Tinie Tempah because he helped pave the way for artists like us to come though and do, get more urban and grittier which is what we love doing. As a whole, the UK music scene is really coming through, whether they like it or not!
You performed at the Wireless Festival a few weeks back. How did that go down?
That was sick! The reception was incredible. Just so see thousands of people singing your songs back to you is crazy. It’s a blessing and it’s a feeling you don’t really experience unless you’re in that moment. All I can say is the vibe was… really up there! It’s a vibe I hadn’t really experienced too many times. That was one of my biggest shows to date and it’s not just like going out there and singing and saying “Cool, you had fun.” I had fun, the audience had fun. It was good!
Will you be doing any other festivals this year?
Yeah, I’m doing V Festival. That should be crazy. The beauty of my job is every day I wake up and I never know what’s going to happen. You never know what position you’re going to be in the charts… It’s very… It’s full of surprises, and that’s the fun of my job. It’s not always easy, sometimes it’s hard. We’re all human and the grind is a bit mad, but when you see it come together, it’s a blessing.
And what about touring? Will you be doing your own tour?
Yeah, definitely. I’m planning to do my own tour towards the end of the year, in the name of the most high, and whatever other tours I can get on to I’m on it! In fact, I’ve just announced my first date in London on October 25. I just want to get out there!
At the top of this year you were highlighted by MTV as one of their one’s to watch. Six months down the line, do you think that’s helped you get to where you are now?
Definitely. It’s definitely helped. It’s something for people to look out for.MTV co-signed me and it’s definitely a co-sign coming from MTV. More than anything it’s the push and all the support people have given me along the way. I think without people playing their position it wouldn’t be what it is today. It doesn’t how much talent you have or how much fashion you’ve got; it’s all to do with principles. People working as a team to get the right result.
A lot of people might not be aware that you’re also a writer and a producer too. Can you name anyone you’ve been working with?
For people that don’t know, all the ‘Ride Out’s the ‘Gleamin’s the ‘How Can I Lose’… All these songs I’ve written and produced. Why I have to get that across is because, sometimes people come up to me and say “Oh my gosh, your producers are sick!” We’re a team anything, but I want people to know that it’s not a bunch of producers sitting around. When I made ‘Ride Out’ no one was around, I was in my shed with a laptop and a keyboard. But right now, I’m working with a few people. Roc Nation called us in to write for Rihanna, I wrote Green Light for Roll Deep, I did a track for Pixie Lott and Jason Derulo called I’m Coming Home, I’m doing some writing for Tulisa, recently did a remix for Fazer… There’s a lot of things going on! I just try to meet my obligations genuinely, no pressure. I do what I have to do for the Angel stuff and I do what i need to do for the Shirah Charles stuff too as a writer and producer.
We’re halfway through the year now. What’s been your favourite song of the year so far?
In terms of favourite songs, that always varies from time to time. When Go In, Go Hard was out, that was my jam. Not just because it was me, but because of the message. That was my favourite jam of mine. It’s a message that I definitely live by and I want other people to know where I’m coming from. This is what I’m feeling and what I’m thinking. Not just thinking, but living and I’d advise everyone to do the same thing. With Wonderful now, I’m at a wondrous stage that is just… wonderful! [laughs] That’s what my vibe is right now. The reception’s been great and it’s more than just the reception, it’s the message that comes with it. It’s basically saying be yourself, anything that’s in your vision that’s wonderful to you, love it and have fun. Don’t worry about what the next person is thinking because it’s your life. Be comfortable in what you’re doing and I think that message is very important.
What are you looking forward to for the rest of the year?
I’m looking forward to having more than just top 10 singles. I’m looking forward to connecting with the world. Getting out there doing more shows, do more writing, work with more people… Just be creative and make my mark as Angel and Sirach Charles.
Thanks Angel, great talking to you!
Wonderful is available now on iTunes.
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