NICK CLARK REVEALS HOW HE ESCAPED A LIFE OF CRIME TO FULFIL HIS DREAM
As i sat in the Hilton hotel suite waiting on his arrival i wondered how a seemingly normal 17 year old from East London could achieve so much in so little. With 2 brit awards,1 grammy and a Barclaycard Mercury Prize .But Nick Clark is far from average,Infact he is the most succesful British artist under 18 EVER !His music has been described as 'Revolutionary' and 'World changing' but i was here to see the real him and hear his story .He arrived fashionably late and wandered into the room with an Arie of entitlement before slumping into the armchair opposite me without so much as a 'hi'.He was dressed head to toe in designer clothing,His huge sunglasses remained glued to his face throughout our two hour exchange despite it being one of the greyest, rainiest days on record.
My first question was Rather a cliched one, "who inspired you to make music" i asked.Nicks repliy was typically flippant yet insightful "Myself,I'm a genius". This is when i realised just how difficult this was going to be.My second questioned forced a more heartfelt response from the young man as i queried "What inspires your music" to which he responded "my Friends and family,the struggle of those around me.I wanted to capture the camaraderie amongst those in the most deprived areas,that really interests me" As a child who grew up on some of Londons meanest streets it is sometimes hard for people to connect with Nicks take on society.I the asked "do you think the fame has changed you?" he leaned back,took a deep breath and responded by saying "No,i am still the same person, my freinds and family know that.The media are the only ones that doubt me" Nick ill feelings towards the press reared its ugly head again, an issue steaming from some of the critique of journalists who questioned Clarks 'dubious' past. Without the nedd of any prompting Nick continued "Music was my escape from a life of poverty, and i dont want that".
I decided to to try and appeal to Nicks 'wilder' side and ask about his antics following his first Brit award win that earned him the title of 'party animal'.'are these rumours about a 24 hour party right ?' i quizzed. 'haha, yeah thats true' he reacted.'and what about the reported £25,000 spend on alcohole alone !?' 'well we got abit tipsy' he admited witha smirk painted acrodd his face .'Tell us about your managers car' is requested, know full well what the awnser would be. 'Well i borrowed it one night to go meet up with some mates, to cut a long story short i crashed the car into a wall and had to buy my manager another car'. This did'nt bode well for the pairs relationship resulting in Nick sacking his manager of 3 years the next day.This altercation did not go unoticed by the tabloids howeve, who blamed the colision on 'a booze fuelled rampage' This enraged Nick who threatened to sue the newspaper that broke the story Claiming that 'The story is a load of ....'
Nicks reputation as a 'party animal' juxtaposes his music which is a combination of complex melodys and memorable choruses matched with thought provoking lyrics to create truly mesmarising songs that captivate all, both young and old as well as the world most succesful recored label Universal Records based in Nashville, Tennesse who have recently offered Nick a $3 million recording contract.When i casually brought it up in a gap in conversation he was visably excited for the first time in the interview. For a split second his image took a back seat and it allowed his passion for music to manifest itself properly. "Its an amazing oppourtunity" he explained "it's all ive ever wanted and i'd be a fool to turn it down, some of my idols have played there like Oasis and The Beatles"
For someone that was discovered online this was clearly a massive step to take.We are soon to know if Nicks style of music is popular in America as he realeases his second album on Monday 26th November. Entitled 'Glory' this album sets out to track his rise in fame. It includes some of the massive hit singles of recent months as well as some exclusive material from the studio. It marks a evolution in Clarks music from an angry teenager to a signed professional singing from the heart.
