Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten “always hated” his voice.
The 29-year-old Irish singer admits making his debut solo record, 2023’s ‘Chaos For The Fly’, gave him the chance to “lean into” his character more and he came away liking his vocals “for the first time in my life”.
Asked if it impacted the ‘Starburster’ group’s upcoming fourth studio LP ‘Romance’, he told MOJO magazine: “I got a fair bit of confidence with arranging strings and brass, trying out different styles. Vocally, I probably learnt to lean into my own character a bit more. I love my own voice now for the first time in my life. I always hated it, really. And maybe because of that solo record I understand what makes it potentially interesting.”
The post-punk group have been experimenting with the atmosphere and visuals for their follow-up to 2022’s ‘Skinty Fia’ and have been “embracing the risk” that people might not connect with it.
He explained: “There’s nothing better for establishing the sense of creative freedom than embracing the risk that people might not like what you’re doing at the moment. That’s f*****’ exhilarating, in a way.
So it’s just another creative outlet. We’ve got a lot to say in terms of the atmosphere and the mood of the record, and I think it’d be a shame if we just walked out and didn’t commit to the theatre that we created there.”
‘Romance’ is released on August 23.