Exclusive Interview: We Can’t Live Without Sigala

There’s something about dance music that just itches our brain, and Sigala’s recent tracks have been helping us get our fix! His recent releases have gotten us up on our feet so much that we just had to talk to him about them!

His collaborations have been a-one and he’s worked with some of our favs in the dance and pop scene. From David Guetta to Ellie Goulding, Sigala has been turning out bop after bop! Read our exclusive interview with him below on how he’s now making music that he loves and what fans can look forward to in the last few months of 2022.

How was it working with David Guetta and Sam Ryder on ‘Living Without You?’
Awesome! David Guetta is a big inspiration for me as a fellow producer and DJ. I just have a lot of respect for him for his consistency. He’s been doing it for a long time and he’s still making hits. He’s also still genuinely passionate about it which I respect a lot. Definitely a bucket list tick to work with David Guetta.

This song originally came from him. He’d written it with another artist called Tom Grennan. After that, they sent it to me and it was basically a ballad. So it was just like piano and Tom singing. It was such a beautiful song – really heartwarming. Which made me want to turn it into a dance tune.

I know that’s something David Guetta has done a few times. Some of his big dance smashes are kinda ballads if you break them down to their basics or song structure. I told them I’d love to be involved. I took the vocals and made my version of it. I sent it back to David’s team and he just went crazy for it. We then worked on it together and finished it off.

Unfortunately, Tom had other commitments and could not commit to the song. So, we all had to brainstorm on who could replace Tom. It was really difficult because Tom is one of my favorite vocalists and a good friend as well. We were just like “How are we gonna find somebody who is gonna do this as well as him?” It was actually my UK label who sent over Sam Ryder and was like “Have you heard this guy sing?” I recognized his name and went on TikTok because they said he was really big on TikTok. I checked him out and definitely recognized him. With his long blonde hair and beard. His voice was just incredible. If anyone can do this – it’s gonna be this guy.

So Sam and I got together and we worked on it. Around the same time, he just agreed to take part in the Eurovision song contest representing England. It was kind of terrifying for me because we historically do really badly in the Eurovision song contest. It’s kind of the make or break for a lot of artists in the UK. If it hasn’t gone well for people then it’s really hard for them to have an impact after that. So I was like “You are a brave man for doing this.”

I think it was the best we’ve ever done in the Eurovision contest and Sam’s song and voice really translated amazingly. Everyone fell in love with this guy. We put out the song recently, a few weeks after Eurovision, and it worked out perfectly. Definitely slightly terrifying but, yeah, he SMASHED it.

Let’s start from the beginning, it’s been seven years since you released your first track, ‘Easy Love.’ What have you taken away from creating that track when developing some of your newer tracks?
I’ve learned a valuable lesson when I first made that track, cause I never had any success or take me seriously prior to making that song. It was basically to the fact that I wasn’t making music that I wanted to make. I was making music that I thought they wanted to hear and what would potentially pay my bills. I was just like “I can’t do this anymore”. I was technically making a living by just making music but, I wasn’t making the RIGHT music for me. So I was on the verge of giving up and moving back in with my parents and getting a job somewhere.

Until one of my managers was like “Why don’t you make some stuff for fun and see what happens?” And ‘Easy Love’ was the song I made just on that weekend. I was like “I’m not making this for anyone, not making it for my managers, label, peers or anything. I’m gonna make this for myself. I’m gonna have a good time and have something that’ll make me smile.” And that’s what ‘Easy Love’ was to me.

The fact that it got picked up and signed was never planned or even thought about during the process. Obviously that was the song that really kickstarted my career as Sigala. I definitely learned a valuable lesson there that I still try to live by with everything I do now.

If it’s not fun making a song then generally people aren’t going to have fun listening to it. I try to incorporate that into everything I do now.

Speaking of newer tracks, let’s jump back and talk about ‘Stay The Night.’ It is the perfect track for the summer. What other tracks did you have on repeat this summer?
There’s one track that’s been flying in the UK by LF System that’s called ‘Afraid To Feel.’ It’s such a fresh take on dance music. I think we’re in a really cool time where the more “club-y” dance tunes are being able to surface. Dance music, especially in the UK, has been huge in the past few years. People are looking for the next thing or what’s sounding fresh. There’s some tunes like that one and sort of push the boundaries of what dance music can be.

I also really like the David Guetta and Bebe Rexha tune ‘I’m Good (Blue).’ It’s like pop music done so well. You know the sample already and they just made the song even better. Just something you can sing along to the first time you hear it. From a pop music perspective, I feel like that song is really clever and simple at the time.

What was it like being able to work with Talia Mar, how did the collab come about?
It was really cool working with Talia, who comes from the gaming and streaming world. She’s a Twitch superstar and that’s a passion of mine as well. I don’t stream but I am a big gamer. It was really cool to work with her and cool to see her transition over to music and smash it. She’s always been really talented. It was cool to see her own that.

We know there is more new music to come from you, would we be seeing even more iconic collabs?
I hope so. I always try to push the boundaries with who I work with. Not necessarily work with the obvious people in dance music. Although I do that, it is also fun working with people from slightly different genres and different places in the world. That’s definitely something I’ve done on my first album and wanted to do with the next few songs and next album.

There’s a mixture of big names and newer people. There’s also one with Ellie Goulding, which is somebody I wanted to work with for years.

With the knowledge that you’ve gained over the years as a producer and DJ, what is one thing you wish you knew from the beginning?
Something that I mentioned earlier was to listen to your own instincts and just make the music that you’re passionate about. That fulfills you because there’s so many people in the industry that are so successful that hate their own music. I think that’s really sad, and if my song that I first put out was something I was intending to be associated with, then I’d be making music I didn’t want to make still. I’m fortunate I managed to get it right and do something I really love. If you’re creative, follow your gut and do what you’re passionate about.

How would you say your production has developed over the years? Would you say there is a major difference?
When I started making music I was more in the pop world, I slowly moved towards the dance world from DJing and edits for my sets. It’s been really fun and a whole different learning curve making stuff that’s internally dance music and more underground house. Rather than, sticking with what confides a pop song.
I’ve always tried to push myself while staying in dance music. Finding a different influence, sound or take from pop-dance music. It keeps it fun and interesting. If I’m not pushing myself, something is not right.

It’s been a wild couple of years, what moment in your career has made you think “Wow, I really did this, I’m proud of myself?”
Getting to work with certain people has been reflective. Getting to work with Nile Rodgers whose somebody that’s a big inspiration for me and who still works hard.
Definitely meeting people along the way is a real reality check. These are people who I’ve really looked up to and they see me as an equal. That’s a real pinch yourself moment when that happens.

The live side of music and performing is feedback that you’re doing the right thing. Like a great show. The last sort of year has been really strange for everyone but, definitely for musicians and creatives rely on that feedback. Going out and performing inspires you to create. Without that, it was really tough to know and have confidence in what you’re doing.

The first gig I did after COVID, I had a real rollercoaster on what I was doing. “Am I doing the right thing? Do I need to change? Do I need to reinvent myself?” I did the show and did all my old tunes and I was like “I don’t need to change what I’m doing.” That was a real clarification to keep doing what I’m doing. When you leave the stage and have the best feeling ever.

What can we expect for Sigala for the remainder of 2022?
I still have more music to come this year. Maybe 1 or 2 singles before the end of the year. Just as much as we can possibly put out. The album will be dropping early next year. Probably the most music I will ever release because that’s what I’m most passionate about.

And last question, what would you like your fans and listeners to take away from ‘Stay The Night?’
It had a concept that was fitting to the time last year. Music is something that can lift people and bring people together. I think that’s a really strong message and I’ve always taken it into consideration when making music. Music is such a powerful thing. It changes somebody’s mood and brings some people some joy when they are feeling down. So why not make people feel happy!

From the sound of it, we’re still getting some bops even though 2022 is soon coming to a close! We can’t wait to add them to our New Year’s playlists! What’s your favorite part of Sigala’s ‘Living Without You?’ Let us know in the comments below or tweet us on Twitter! You can also talk to us on Facebook or Instagram.

Want more exclusive interviews? You’re in for a treat.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SIGALA:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER