We haven’t done an interview with a musician in ages! So it’s very exciting that after such a long break, we got to chat with SATCH. His latest single Jet Lag was just released a week ago, and you might have noticed the previous one (Springsteen) on our January releases playlist.
And of course, you can listen to SATCH’s music here, and follow him on instagram.
How did you first get into making music?
I started as a songwriter! Three chords and the truth. Then I went to a music university in Brighton and met my ‘collabrother’ Will Nash. We started a band, and have never looked back.
What are your favourite genres to listen to?
I identify as genre-queer! I love so many different kinds of music and am inspired by them all. Genres are like people – the more diverse the better.
Any kind of music you don’t really listen to?
I don’t tend to listen to metal. I have lots of friends who are in metal bands, and they are incredible technical musicians who approach songwriting from that compositional standpoint. I am in complete awe of that – it’s just different to how I work.
How do you get inspiration for your music?
I think all songwriters are people who have things to say but haven’t been able to say them in other areas of life. So, I just say things I need to say.
What is your creative process? If you write your own melodies & lyrics, which is your favourite to do?
If I’m writing solo, I come up with a concept and then write the lyrics and melody together. Then I’ll find the harmony. I think good songs are written, and great songs are rewritten. So, I then refine and develop it before bringing it to my band mate and producer. I also love co-writing.
Which three artists would you say have influenced your music the most?
Kae Tempest, John Mayer, Gorrilaz.
Give us a five word description of your latest release.
Saxy. Dysphoric. Candid. Misgendering. Response.
If (when!) your music was to be used in movies, what sort of movies would you like to see it in? Any directors in particular?
Peter Jackson. Trans hobbits are seriously underrepresented in modern cinema. Also, Adiesear Chase. Heart Stopper absolutely slays.
It’s safe to say that there are more openly LGBT artists nowadays than ever before. What does seeing so much representation mean to you?
Fucking. Everything.
Rec us some of your favourite LGBT artists
Kae Tempest. Brandy Carlile. Lucy Spraggan. Sam Smith. CaveTown. Nimmo.
What’s one piece of advice you would like to give your younger self?
You’re going to totally do the right thing when you go against the doctors wishes and fuck up your top surgery scars by playing live two weeks after top surgery, supporting Lucy Spraggan at Brighton Pride.
If you could have dinner with one member of the LGBT community, dead or alive, who would it be?
Breanna Ghey, her story should be told.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Small town born and fled, Joshua ‘SATCH’ Satchell migrated to Brighton in 2013 to pursue his songwriting career. Meeting his ‘collabobrother’ Will Nash, they formed the band ‘Frankie Furlow’, whose short lived existence brought them to stages at festivals such as Glastonbury, tours across Europe, and writing trips to Nashville. Simultaneously, the young wordsmith began co-writing with artists and producers in the US, UK and Europe. Inspired by helping others to tell their stories, and bored of hearing unqualified voices misrepresenting transgender tales, he decided it was time to tell his own.
The result was his debut album “Present In The Post”, set for release in summer 2023. With lyrical candor, genre-queer arrangements, and a harmony-driven band of talented friends, SATCH is not only sonically connecting with the marginalized, leaving them feeling less alone, but imploring they share their own stories too.
SATCH isn’t a project aiming to change the music industry. SATCH is a project aiming to change the world.
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