EXCLUSIVE: Kevin McGuire Talks New The 1975 Cover 'The Sound'

Kevin McGuire is one of the most exciting country music artist’s on the UK scene at the moment. The Scottish born singer is fast becoming a breakout star and after a huge 2017 which saw him release his debut EP ‘Foreign Country‘, he is back with new music with his sensational cover of The 1975’s ‘The Sound’.

Here we speak exclusively to Kevin McGuire about his latest release, 2017 highlights and 2018 plans;

2017 was massive for you, what was your biggest highlight?
Wow, tough question to start! So many amazing things happened for me in 2017, but if I had to only pick 1, I’d have to say my live BBC Radio 2 performance. It was such a special moment, on my birthday as well. I performed my single ‘Late’, a song I wrote in my bedroom. To then have the honour of performing it on the biggest radio station in the UK is something that’ll stick with me and motivate me forever. 

You also performed at a lot of festivals last year, can we expect more slots from you this year?
Yes – that’s the plan! We’ve had some big bookings come in already with the likes of Millport Country Festival, but as you’ll know I can’t announce the rest until they’ve been announced by the festival itself unfortunately. Keep an eye out on my socials!

You’re currently unsigned so are you looking at signing to a label sometime this year?
I am indeed unsigned at the moment. Myself and the team are working towards a label deal, but I’m not too stressed at this moment in time. I just have to keep producing the right music that people love, and from that, I’m sure the next step, whatever that may be, will come.

And now you have kicked off your 2018 with new music, with a cover of The 1975’s ‘The Sound’, can we expect a full covers EP soon? 
I’m not releasing a covers EP as such. I’d spoken with my team about a lot of things, and my main priority was to get my The 1975 cover out as soon as I could. If that goes well, I’ll definitely look to follow that up with another cover or 2. Maybe it will turn into an EP, I don’t know! I definitely already have a good idea of what songs would be on there!

What made you want to cover The 1975’s ‘The Sound’?
The 1975 are one of my favourite bands. I listen to them probably every single day. As soon as I heard ‘The Sound’ I fell in love with it. I think the big thing for me about this cover is that I really tried to make it my own and I hope that comes across. I think, when you do a cover it’s important that you try to announce yourself as an artist, even though it’s somebody else’s song. Covering the song with the Country, more emotional edge is probably the only way ‘Kevin McGuire’ would be able to sing a [The] 1975 song. I did it purely for the love of the record, and if people like it, it’ll mean a lot to me.

Can we also expect new original music from you soon?
YES! I am working very very hard on that right now. Writing almost every single day if I’m honest, and I have quite a number of songs finished. I’ve never been one to struggle for songs, so for me it’s just about choosing the right one. That’s the most difficult part. We have not decided whether it’ll be an official EP release, or a set of singles, but keep an eye out because I can guarantee it’s gonna be my best music yet!

With your new music, Are you looking to collaborate with any artists?

I would love to collab, especially with a female. I’ve written a couple of duets, and we’ve been close to confirming a few artists, but you know what the industry is like, things that are so close can sometimes just not work out. If anybody out there wants to collaborate, you know where to find me!

Do you have any touring plans lined up for this year?
We always plan to tour as much as possible, so working hard on dates right now. I’ve been so fortunate to see so many parts of the UK over the last 12 months from touring, so more of that is definitely high on the priority list!

McGuire’s version of ‘The Sound‘ will be available to download from tomorrow (April 6th). Make sure you follow Kevin on Twitter @kevmcguiremusic to keep up to date with all his latest music and tour news!

Did you enjoy our exclusive interview with Kevin McGuire? Let us know your thoughts over on Twitter @CelebMix. 

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