What do you think will surprise them the most?

I’m hoping that it’s just the connection with the songs, I think it’s not quite as sad as my previous records. I think it’s a bit happier and a bit more positive and uplifting than my last record.

Varsity jacket and T-shirt Polo Ralph Lauren

Oh, we need that in these times, so I’m sure everyone’s going to love it. But do the pre-release nerves ever get better? 

No, it gets worse. It gets worse. I’m literally on tender hooks before the release. You just have to ride it out and wait and see. You know, when you release an album it suddenly becomes everybody else’s music and not just yours. 

Haha, I can imagine. You said that this album is a celebration of life’s twists and turns. Was there a particular moment or event that inspired you to create this record? 

I think it was that I wanted to be a little bit more spiritual. And I don’t necessarily have religion in my life. I wasn’t brought up that way, but through things that have happened in the last year and a half during the making of this album, I didn’t wanna make it too much about grief, but it really inspired me to make something that was more uplifting. I started with a couple of songs and one of the songs being “What Do You Believe In?” It was at a really poignant time where I knew I didn’t have much time left with my mum and I wanted to write a song about it, about how I felt about faith and how I felt about how our family deals with stuff like that. It made me feel really positive about it at the same time. And I wanted to talk more about love, and I wanted to talk more about love between our family. And I think it helped me write a more honest album, I think. 

Bomber jacket Ark/8 / T-shirt ASOS / Shirt Polo Ralph Lauren / Jeans Levi’s 

I think a lot of people will be able to resonate with that. Overall the themes across the album are, as you say, about self-exploration but also refusing to back down from a challenge. Your career has been nothing but successful so far already. But speaking of backing down from a challenge, what did you find were the biggest challenges for yourself?

I think my biggest challenge is finding a balance. And trying to stay peaceful and calm through the madness. And I kind of came to a realization that you need a safe space. The reason why I live where I live, in the country, is where I feel is that place. And when I’m here, I’m not Rag’n’Bone Man anymore. I’m just me and I’m just a husband and a father. I don’t need to be Rag’n’Bone Man when I’m at home. I really, really need that. Like I didn’t realise how much I needed it, but I do. Because there’s so much noise everywhere else and when you’re on tour or you’re doing promo or whatever you’re doing. There are people everywhere,it’s very chaotic and it’s important to find that balance otherwise everything else starts to suffer if you don’t. 

Yeah I totally get that – it’s not easy to find the balance, I feel like it’s very trial and error. Obviously this is your third studio album, so it’s been eight years since your debut! Since then, how have your experiences and your personal growth influenced your sound and your music and your creative process overall?

I think now more than ever I realise that I don’t have to worry about what anyone else expects of me. I need to take time to realise what I want to do next, and I have the freedom to do whatever music that I want to do. The most important thing for me is that I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself to succeed in chart success and stuff like that. I don’t really think about that sort of stuff too much. I think it’s important to just concentrate on what makes you happy. Making this last record was so much fun and I didn’t have any pressures or anything like that. I just made a record that I really wanted to make. And at the end of it I’m left with a piece of music that I’m proud and happy with and I can look back on and think I did exactly what I wanted to do. 

Fishing gilet Depop / T-shirt Hugo Boss / Jeans Artist’s own / Trainers Nike

That’s such a great mindset. I think with a debut album it’s always a lot more pressure to get it right, because it’s the debut, right? 

Yeah, your first record is difficult because especially with my first record, it didn’t feel like an album. It felt like lots of songs together. Because “Human” was so successful so quickly, we put the album together from lots of songs over that period of time, but it didn’t necessarily feel like a body of work. And having the time now to just really hone in and concentrate on making something that feels like a piece of art, then I’m happy.

Has your creative process changed over the years at all?

There is a common theme where I come up with ideas. Sometimes it’s a voice note or I write something down and it’s maybe a sentence or an idea but I keep those in a bank of ideas. Or when I’m in the studio and I’m just listening out for something that inspires me – so someone might play something or make a piece of music that inspires me to put my lyrics to that. It’s like pieces of a puzzle for me. It’s just waiting for that right piece.

Sweatshirt Ark/8 / Trousers Carhartt WIP / Trainers Nike

So what happens to all the songs that may have made the album, but didn’t make the album? Will they ever see the light of day?

If I’m honest, a lot of the time during this record I had a really clear idea of the way I wanted it to sound. A lot of the time, if I wrote a song that didn’t really fit that then it generally didn’t get finished. So yeah, I do have a few songs that I think that I would like to release after the album is out maybe, but for the most part they’re just half finished songs somewhere on a laptop. I sometimes like to come back and revisit stuff. Like the song “Pocket,” which is the latest single, was basically a freestyle over one of Jonny Coffer’s beats for a few months until my album was nearly done. And then I played it to people and they’re like, ‘You have to finish it because it’s so good.’ And I was like, ‘It’s not really a song yet, it’s just the hook on the beat, which I freestyled to.’ And then, three months, four months later, I ended up finishing the song and it became the latest single. So, it is sometimes worth going back and listening to old stuff.

Oh wow, something inside of you must have clung onto that song subconsciously. You obviously also have a UK tour ahead, as well as international dates! What can fans expect from your live performances of this new album? 

We’re trying to bring people in to experience this new album as much as possible. We want to play some old songs maybe and some more obscure songs for people, which is nice. For the most part, I just want to bring people into the new album experience. And we changed it up a little bit. We’ve rehearsed it, lots and lots of times to try and make sure it’s musically really good. I think it’s a good show.

Coat Jacamo / Roll neck Fila / Glasses Cutler and Gross

I’m sure it’s gonna be incredible! You’ve obviously been on the road quite a few times already. What’s been the craziest, let’s say, fan experience, moments so far? Are your fans all quite civilized? 

My fans are fairly civilised. I mean, the P!nk gig was fucking crazy. In terms of playing to someone else’s audience but still getting the recognition, like you’re there as a solo performer in front of like 70,000 people and being asked to come out and perform with P!nk. It’s emotionally just overwhelming. 

I bet. For the tour, is there a city where you’re most excited about?

Yeah, I really like going to new places, but I have a soft spot for the North of England. I love playing Manchester, and Glasgow. I think anywhere in the North of England, I’m always pretty happy about it.

I’ve heard they have good crowds up there! Thank you so much for your time and happy album release!

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