We caught up with US singer-songwriter Justin ahead of his appearance at Bristol Pride this weekend and his gig at The Two Brewers in London next week, hosted by meat.
meat: Hey Justin how are you?
Justin: Exhaustedly Fantastic. Been busy with all things exciting.
meat: What’s going on?
Justin: Exploring these new territories in life, new perspectives, which also means new music. Its been an incredible journey and a departure from anything I’ve done previously.
meat: Tell us about your new album ‘Scars’.
Justin: I teamed up with Taylor Hartley, a producer in the USA, who’s worked with some great artists, including American Idol winners. He’s got a great ear for pop, and that’s a domain of music I’ve been pressed to explore but never felt too comfortable with. The collaboration between us has been phenomenal. It’s a blend of uptempo, gritty, anthemic pop. It basically takes off where my last album left off, so there’s a lot of ground to cover. Each song or two has a completely different feel than the last, yet all have a similar theme.. the scars we have, and are yet to have, define our lives and experiences. Some scars never heal, but bur culture teaches us to hide them if we can. Yet our scars are what make us inherently and uniquely beautiful. This album is about being vulnerable, and not being afraid to show them.
meat: Are you excited about your UK trip?
Justin: To say the least. Its been what, 3 or 4 years now? At one point I was there 3 or 4 times a year. I’m overdue!
meat: You’re playing Bristol Pride right?
Justin: Yes. Bristol has been wonderful to me. Their pride is one of the largest free prides that I know of. They’re 100% operated on donations, no city funding for them unfortunately.
meat: Obviously the highlight of your trip is playing for meat at The Two Brewers (hehe), what do you think of British audiences?
Justin: A very exciting highlight to say the least. Most pride events I usually only get half to a quarter of the time of what a regular gig would. So this is an opportunity to play you guys my new stuff. And every show I’ve played in London, the crowd has been wonderful. With MEAT at the helm of this one, I’m sure this will also be even better than the last one.
meat; You’ve been getting super-buff lately, has that been in preparation to pose for meat whilst you’re over here?
Justin: I mean, who doesn’t wanna fill out the meat wear in one form or another?
Justin Utley will perform a full-show at The Two Brewers in Clapham on Thursday 18th July. Advance tickets HERE
You can find out more about Justin and order his new album 'Scars' by visiting his website