Sam Fender built his own studio to record his debut album because it was "cheap as chips".
The North Shields singer/songwriter used to worry about the money he was wasting when he was recording in "big studios" and so creating his own warehouse space in his hometown was not only thrifty, but it enabled him to put his whole heart and soul into ‘Hypersonic Missiles’.
He said: "I think because we built it ourselves there’s a lot of love gone into it.
"I used to get red light syndrome in big studios because I’d be thinking about the money it was costing, while trying to do a vocal take.
"Now I don’t think about that because it’s ours, and it’s cheap as chips."
Sam – who worked with his long-time friend and producer Bramwell Bronte on the record – is proud of not being influenced by his record label to work with a high brow producer such as Rick Rubin and vowed to continue making records with a DIY approach.
He told Clash: "We’ve done all this ourselves, we’ve built all this from the grass up and we didn’t get bullied by any record labels into working with Rick Rubin or somebody.
"We did it ourselves. And I’m excited to do it again. It’s proof that you don’t have to do it the way they suggest."
Sam’s debut studio album will be released on August 9.
In a tweet which showed off the album’s artwork, the 25-year-old BRITs Critics’ Choice Award-winner wrote: "What a trip. Somehow ended up building a studio and recording this album with my best mates. Hypersonic Missiles is released on August 9th. Excited for you all to hear it. Here’s the preorder link- first orders from my store come with a signed beermat: https://samfender.lnk.to/AlbumSO (sic)"
Sam released the title track, ‘Hypersonic Missiles’, as a single earlier this year.
And he previously admitted the song was influenced by his love of musical icon Bruce Springsteen, whom he said he was "weaned on" as a young boy.
He said: "I’ve been f***ing weaned on him. My brother bought us ‘Born To Run’ when I was 14 or 15 and it just fucking changed my world.
"At first I was a bit confused by this slightly over-the-top production, but the words were just so good. Lyrically, ‘Born To Run’ is one of the best albums out there and it changed my world when I heard it.
"I’d never heard rock music that sounded that fresh, even though that record was released in 1975. I’ve also always wanted to do that Phil Spector production and add a saxophone to it.
"I’d say it’s a nod to Bruce Springsteen, although my publisher says it’s a headbutt."
The album is also set to include ‘Leave Fast’, ‘Dead Boys’, and ‘That Sound’, which were all released as singles in 2018.
Sam Fender recorded debut album at self-built studio to save money
