Kerr Mercer
Kerr Mercer has had loads of reinforce from Stargazing singer Myles Smith
He’s writing songs with Lewis Capaldi and swapping goodies with Teddy Swims, however any individual short of to hear emerging pop megastar Kerr Mercer’s tune has an issue – as a result of he hasn’t launched a tune but.
The Lanarkshire singer’s piano-led songs have noticed him promote out gigs around the nation and earn reinforce slots with primary bands.
However he is made up our minds to attend sooner than bringing out any tune so he can “construct an actual fan base”.
“I simply in finding it insane that persons are short of to come back see me with none tune being out,” admits {the teenager}, who’s from Uddingston.
Then again, his abnormal means hasn’t stopped him being sponsored via Lewis Capaldi, who has labored on a song with the 18-year-old after a mutual connection within the tune trade helped arrange a collaboration between the 2.
“Lewis has been completely elegance with me,” he informed BBC Scotland Information.
“We met a couple of occasions and feature now written a tune in combination. When I used to be beginning out I used to be protecting his songs and now we are writing in combination – it is a bit mad to have other people at that stage concerned with what I am doing musically.”
As opposed to video clips shared on social media, no-one can listen Kerr’s delicate piano-led songs – a planned determination.
“I have noticed such a lot of artists on TikTok firing out a tune per week however then no longer be promoting out 200-capacity venues”, he explains.
“I might quite promote out a excursion than have one million streams on Spotify. Something that’ll by no means alternate is that actual other people need to cross see gigs so I have simply executed loads of presentations and supported people.
“We did two headlines in Glasgow, promoting out King Tut’s. Then it was once Saint Lukes, which is double the scale of Tut’s, after which a UK excursion. I spoke to a couple of other people and made up our minds to check out to push it out additional with every other excursion.”
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Sam Cooke is a big inspiration for Kerr
That excursion will finish on Sunday on the Storage in Glasgow, his largest place of birth gig but.
He jokes the general public coming to these gigs are members of the family, which gently performs down his rising reputation.
Then again, he has had quite a few circle of relatives backing, taking making a song and piano courses as a kid and getting a style of the humanities via showing in pantomimes as a teen, treading the forums at the Pavillion theatre.
It got here naturally to anyone who admits he was once “all the time the category clown” in school, and loved being the centre of consideration.
By way of the age of 10 he was once making a song at an area tune membership, acting a Queen observe on his first look.
His musical roots come from the college run, alternatively.
“I used to be in number one faculty in Uddingston and my sister was once in secondary at Uddingstoon Grammar, so I had part an hour to attend sooner than my grandad picked her up. He had a Sam Cooke file that might simply play and sooner than I knew it, I had the entire phrases off via center.”
That ended in a love of vintage soul – Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Etta James – that Kerr says is “imprinted” in his tune to at the moment.
The Small Print PR
Kerr Mercer began off taking part in open mic nights
Whilst he can not credit score his circle of relatives with blessing him with musical genes (“there is no longer a lot tune in my circle of relatives rather than karaoke” he laughs) that hasn’t stopped folks Kirsty and Robert providing reinforce.
And in his mum’s case, some grievance…
“I may just do the Brits and she or he’d inform me if I wasn’t excellent,” he says.
“Once I write a brand new tune I’m going to ship it to my mom and dad first. My dad is kick back, he likes the entirety however me and my mum are very an identical, so if I have no longer executed my superb, she’ll inform me.
“I have performed to hundreds supporting Tom Walker and my mum was once like ‘you were not at your superb this night’ however then different occasions she is going ‘that was once remarkable’.
“Extra other people are actually telling me the entirety’s going superb however I handiest consider I have executed smartly if I am getting the seal of approval from my mum.”
‘Myles Smith referred to as me a soften’
He has been sponsored via way over his circle of relatives now, having racked up reinforce slots with a lot of pop tune heavyweights like Teddy Swims and Myles Smith.
The recommendation of Stargazing singer Smith – the person with the best-selling British unmarried in 2024 – has supplied a large spice up to Kerr, despite the fact that the ones phrases of knowledge are from time to time delivered tongue in cheek.
“I used to be house for Christmas and no longer certain what to do now that the excursion was once over. I were given a message from Myles that merely learn ‘why do not you liberate a tune, ya soften’.
“He is nice despite the fact that. It isn’t just like the reinforce act is all the time chilling with the headliner, however Myles was once superb about it. I used to be sitting in my dressing room and Myles burst in and was once like ‘why are you right here, come have a lager with us’ – then we’d simply sit down speaking about songs.”
He is now writing with an array of collaborators, and beginning to file subject material with the purpose of in the end freeing songs later this yr, including that he is being a “perfectionist” about what must pop out after this type of wait.
“It is nice amusing too – you opt for an afternoon, write a tune in combination after which cross to the pub. There is no longer many roles the place you get put with two other people you could have by no means met, have a treatment consultation after which write a tune about it.”
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Kerr has toured with the American rapper Teddy Swims
His new colleagues come with Luke Pritchard, the singer with indie veterans The Kooks, whilst at the manufacturing facet he is been helped via manufacturers and engineers who have labored on releases via the likes of Ed Sheeran and Adele.
In spite of his younger age, the singer says he is simply looking to relish the entirety because it occurs.
“I used to be gazing the Grammys and Teddy Swims was once on – I have been consuming wine gums in his dressing room with him.
“I am simply loving each and every minute – despite the fact that it ends the next day to come no less than I have had a blast doing it.”
