An Exclusive Interview With Ships Have Sailed!

I got a chance to take an exclusive interview of the famous duo band 'Ships Have Sailed' recently.And here it is! This was supposed to come up earlier but I'd been travelling,so this got a little late.I apologise for the delay since some of you knew this would have been published on 14th but there was more in store!And the excitement must have matured by now.

The band has been very kind and prompt about the interview and I am so grateful to them for answering these questions.I didn't know people who made such good music could be so,so humble as well.

Here is the interview.

• What do you perceive music as? Why do you make and play music,at the first place?

Music is a form of artistic expression that allows the creator to express themselves and the listener to interpret both what that expression might have meant to the creator as well as what it means to them specifically.  Personally, I have always been drawn to music, both creating it and listening to it, so I can't imagine my life without both!  The subjective nature of music makes it so gratifying to observe peoples reactions to what we've created...there's really nothing like it.

• What according to you is your best work till date?

My favorite album that we created has been 'Moodswings' which we released in March of 2015.  It's available on iTunes, Amazon, Google, Spotify, and pretty much anywhere digital music is sold or streamed.  I feel like, with 'Moodswings' we created a diverse but flowing work that plays seamlessly from start to finish, without the material blending so much as to sound the same at any point in the record.  It's also an uplifting album, focusing on how any moment in time and any decision one makes has the potential to change your life.

•  What makes you stand out from the others in the music industry?

This is a tricky question to answer about something we ourselves have created...I guess I would turn that around and ask our listeners: what pulls you towards our music?  What do you feel we do that is different?  We love interacting with people online...so get at us anytime on Social Media to start a dialogue about this question! :-)

• Who were your inspiration(s) in music? (Answer can be given

individually if necessary)

We all have vast musical tastes, everything from Classical greats to The Beatles, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, to the 80s, 90s and current artists as well.  Lately I've been listening to a lot of CHVRCHES, Halsey, Walk the Moon and Muse to name a few.

• What is your music mainly about?Is it about

nature,love,philosophy,people,even more diverse? Or is it focused only
on a few subjects or is it more on city life and relevant philosophy?

We frame each song around something slightly different - sometimes it's just an abstract feeling, an emotion, or the feeling of not being able to sleep (for example) and sometimes it's a narrative such as a love story.  The subjects can vary greatly, but there always seems to be an underlying theme of the ability for transition to come from a very small shift in whatever the song itself is about...a shift in thinking, a shift in feeling or turning right instead of left - these seemingly tiny decisions can effect our lives in huge and unexpected ways, and we find that fascinating to work into musical concepts...

• Who are your favourite musicians of the 20th and the 21st century?

Such a difficult question! I have to say Kurt Cobain - he had a knack for creating genius from simplicity, but there are so many more as well... Brandon Flowers and The Killers, Chris Martin and Coldplay...the list is literally endless - we live in an incredible time for music.

• What did you study at college? (Question to each individual) How

did you get to music if you weren't into music at college?

This one is easy! I (Will) studied multimedia and music technology, which was heavily weighted towards musical composition as well as the more tech-based subjects, and Dan studied classical bass and music theory.

• It is very tough to compete in the music industry right now.How did

you manage to make your place?

It is an incredibly competitive industry, and we continue to compete...but I think the most important thing to remember is that it really is about the "music" more than the "industry" if that makes sense?  You have to love the music you're creating, and when that happens - when you truly believe in what you're putting out into the world, the "industry" starts to sway a bit more to your tune...that's the way I go into every day, not necessarily with an "industry goal" but striving to create something I truly believe is special.

• Let's come to hobbies.Apart from your jobs as musicians,what are the

other things you do,like painting or reading or watching movies or
travelling or photography? (Question to each individual)

Ahh yes, so Dan loves to read, loves cartoons, and LOVES Disneyland!  I love to travel, love to take photos (although I need to get a new camera one of these days) and I also have a weakness for American Football!

• What is your message to the world through your music? OR/AND What message would you like to give to budding,young musicians?

I think ultimately our music is about making peace with your path on this planet.  We live in a time of great potential, and unfortunately a lot of really terrible conflict and violence - the world would be a better place if people were more tolerant to each other, but tolerance starts with ourselves.  If we aren't happy with ourselves, we tend to project that onto the rest of the world, so we need to learn to be kind and forgiving to ourselves and in turn to others.  To the young musician out there in the world - follow your dreams, but not at the cost of your health or wellness...everyone needs basic fundamentals to survive, so find a balance between your dreams and what you physically need to exist.  It's not an easy balance to find, but life will be better once you find it. 


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Connect to the band on their official website.