Headliner Radio

British composer Harry Escott, whose composition resume includes Shame and Hard Candy, delves into how he created the score for new BBC One political thriller, Roadkill, by going against the trend of subtle underscoring, instead creating distinctive, attention-grabbing musical themes.

Canadian country-rock artist, Manny Blu, explains why his latest EP, New Ink straddles the worlds of rock and country, and how the influence of outlaw country is new territory for him. Manny reflects on his journey to become an artist, and reveals that before that, he almost became an MMA fighter.

Hertfordshire-born Luke Pickett explains how he just kept going, despite some setbacks that would put most people out of the game entirely. He talks about his metal band origins in Her Words Kill, being flown out to meet Jay Z's record label, dealing with huge disappointments, and how does he sound so uncannily like Michael Jackson?

After initially being signed to Naughty Boy’s label, Bristol-born singer Ava Lily is now laser-focused on pursuing success as an independent artist. Here, she talks about how she first started writing songs in her bedroom, collaborating with Zayn Malik on his latest album, and the creative process behind one of her recent tracks, Blameless.

LYR comprises of British poet laureate, Simon Armitage, musician Richard Walters, and multi-instrumentalist/producer, Patrick Pearson. The trio explain how they have rendered their music undefinable: Armitage delivers spoken word/performance poetry over a bed of music that’s at times samples and ambience, otherwise soaring indie-rock instrumentals with an occasional chorus from Walters.

L.A.-based monitor engineer Chris Lee has worked extensively with Kendrick Lamar, Jennifer Lopez, SZA and many other big names. Here he talks about how he learned his craft working in churches from a young age, his approach to mixing monitors for one of the greatest hip hop acts on the planet, and why he’ll never be without his trusty DiGiCo SD7 console.

Head engineer at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios, Oli Jacobs, has been as busy as ever this year, particularly with one of the studios’ initiatives WOMAD at Home. A collaboration between Real World and the WOMAD international arts festival, the project has seen a number of artists record intimate tracks in lockdown using d&b audiotechnik’s immersive Soundscape system.

Grammy-nominated producer and mix engineer Damien Lewis has worked with the likes of Rihanna, Katy Perry, Janelle Monáe and many more over the course of his career. Damien talks about how he’s forged a reputable career in production, juggling multiple projects this year including the new Justin Timberlake album, and his love of Waves plugins, which he admits he can’t live without.

The sound of Tokyo-based producer and beat-maker Vantage has become synonymous with French filter house vibes and melodies inspired by the Japanese city pop era of the 70s and 80s. Here we find out more about his experimental production process, his relationship with old analogue synths and instruments, and why he’s always on the hunt for something that sounds a little bit different.

Limahl reflects on Kajagoogoo’s early success and shares the way their smash hit, Too Shy came together, and why he never expected it to be a hit. The 80s icon reveals what he thought of his character in American Horror Story, and the way Stranger Things weaved his hit, The Neverending Story into the finale of season three. Back with a new single named One Wish For Christmas, Limahl explains why the song was seven years in the making and how it fulfils a lifelong ambition of his. And is there a new album coming..?