Angus Legg…someone you need to know
Photo credit: Cian Marangos & James Dryden
Melbourne’s Angus Legg has released his latest track , the emotionally fueled ‘Someone I Never Knew’. Angus wrote this touching track while grieving the death of his father, the lyrics contain profound wisdom with lyrics that include “a loved one cannot experience who you are today, and ultimately never know who you are to become.” This is a song Angus needed to write to help him not process and make sense of his fathers passing but the track also served as vessel to embark on the healing journey. We got the chance to ask Angus about the creation of this beautiful song and its accompanying video and what is was like to work with his housemate San Joseph who served as producer on the single.
Thank you Angus for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Kingdom Australia. For those that haven’t heard your music before , how do you describe your sound?
I usually describe my sound as Singer-Songwriter first, acoustic-pop second, however my music is mostly an outlet for my own sadness, so the final product usually ends up being quite dramatic, in a healing way.
You have just releasd your latest track 'Someone I Never Knew' Tell us about your new song? What does the song mean to you?
Look, as I mentioned, my music is an avenue for personal healing, I hope what I make can also reach people in that way too. ‘Someone I Never Knew’ was no exception, I remember sitting down to write it about three years ago. I wrote it in a house I owned with my ex partner in 2020, to think how much my life has changed in three years is absolutely insane, and it makes me excited for the next three years. This is a very roundabout answer but bear with me haha. Writing ‘Someone I Never Knew’ was the first time I truly acknowledged that my father passing away may have actually affected my emotions, and it may be worth investigating, to which I believe was the catalyst for many incredibly positive changes in my life, new friends, new relationships, firmer boundaries, self-reflection, and just a deeper understanding of who Angus Legg is, which is never a bad thing. So this song means everything to me.
“The content of my lyrics was emotional and confronting, however it was absolutely welcome”
Given how sensitive the subject matter of the song is, was it hard to write or did it help the healing process?
Weirdly, it was incredibly easy to physically write the song, it sort of fell out of me haha, which in my opinion, meant it was time for this song to exist, and these feelings to exist, sometimes something is operating beyond our knowledge and understanding, almost mystical and unearthly. That’s what the writing of this song felt like. The content of my lyrics was emotional and confronting, however it was absolutely welcome.
Did the song turn out how you originally heard it in your head or did it morph and take on transitions as you were writing and arranging it?
It actually went through three production processes before I was able to get it right and to where it is today. It was very hard to let go of the wheel with this one, due to how close to my heart it is, and what it means to me, it was hard to leave in the hands of somebody else, as it is my baby, but once I was able to let go, and trust San Joseph to produce it, that’s when we got the best, most appropriate, emotional & creative results.
“It’s incredibly confusing and strange trying to work out how to navigate grief, it comes in waves, and surprise attacks, and covert missile strikes”
What do you hope the listener take away form 'Someone I Never Knew'?
Honestly I just hope they feel something, I hope they can come away from it feeling more in touch with themselves, their relationships, their family, their psyche. But there is a special subcategory of people that this track exists for, and that’s those going through grief, specifically grief of losing a parent. It’s incredibly confusing and strange trying to work out how to navigate grief, it comes in waves, and surprise attacks, and covert missile strikes if you will. So I hope by sharing my story and experience, it will help people relate or even do the same.
You worked with San Joseph from Island Records for this track, who also happens to be your housemate, is this the first time you have worked together on your music?
I certainly did, he’s my closest friend, and I adore him dearly. We’ve worked together quite a bit before, he co-produced my first single 3rd Grade Art, and we also have a few unreleased written songs together, I’m looking forward to working with him plenty more in the future. It’s nice working with someone who is invested in what I’m doing.
Did having your producer literally in house make it easier to finish the song or did you find yourselves over tweaking?
I don’t think we over tweaked, it’s always nice to spend the time required on a song to make it feel good, honouring the emotion it was written with. However there was the propensity to get distracted and have a bit of a laugh.
“I went through all six hours of footage, cut it down to three and a half minutes, and cried a shit tonne”
The visual piece for 'Someone I Will Never Know' is just as emotionally charged as the song itself, who came up with the concept for the video? were there any memorable moments during the making of it?
Well I guess I’d have to thank my mother for inadvertently coming up with the idea, she was/is the captain of capturing family memories in video form. She had these gems from years and years ago and had them from a film camera to a USB. I hadn’t seen them yet, I feel like I may have been avoiding it due to the emotional charge of the home videos. However making the ‘Someone I Never Knew’ video this way was the only way I saw fit. So I went through all six hours of footage, cut it down to three and a half minutes, and cried a shit tonne.
Will 'Someone I Will Never Know' feature on an upcoming album or will it be a stand alone release?
You never know, it may, however there are no plans for an album at this particular point, I’m going to focus on singles to begin with.
How did you get your start in music?
I tried everything else and was only mediocre at best at anything else, so it’s more of a default choice to be fair. Kidding, I have many strings to my bow, jack of some trades. Both my parents are/were musicians, they did their best to keep me away from it via financial problems/divorce etc. but nobody can subconsciously/indirectly tell me what to do.
Who do you credit as your musical influences?
I fell in LOVE with Ed Sheeran as a teenager, and that love still burns strong, even though there’s a very prominent Ed Sheeran stigma floating around the music industry nowadays, but I’m a ginger boy at heart still.
“I don’t actually have a crew or team behind me, I’m completely indie”
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is they do that keeps your world turning?
I don’t actually have a crew or team behind me, I’m completely indie, however I’ve been doing PR with Beehive, and they have been phenomenal, and I also adore the filmmaker friends & photographers I work with, I’m visually challenged but they help me look cool & legit.
Where would you like to see your musical career in a year's time and five years down the road? What do you hope that Angus Legg the Artist has achieved?
I hope to have released an album, played a bunch of interesting shows, connected with as many people as possible, directly (in person) and indirectly, I want to help the world feel like a safer place to be, and I hope I can leave footprint.
Watch the ‘Someone I Never Knew’ video here: https://youtu.be/6o9LasaB8iw
‘Someone I Never Knew’ Cover
Interview by Michelle Symes
June 2023