Music Is Somewhat Magical, Says Darren Doherty
The songwriter and producer from Northern Ireland talks about his musical journey.
Darren Doherty is a 37-year-old musician from Northern Ireland. He is the leader of The Heathen Choir.
Raised by his music-loving mother, Doherty sang in the choir and, in his own words, became obsessed with Oasis.
The muso, who cites Roger Waters and Maynard James Keenan as two of his favourite musicians, say that he’s currently working on completing work on two singles release.
This week he’ll be heading to Belfast to record vocals ‘and then the mixing will begin’.
Here’s a link to his website:
https://www.theheathenchoir.co.uk/
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L. SOJINI: Can you tell us about yourself? Where you’re from and what kind of musician you are.
DARREN DOHERTY: I’m Darren Doherty, a 37-year-old songwriter and producer from Strabane, Northern Ireland and leader of The Heathen Choir.
L. SOJINI: How did you get into music?
DARREN DOHERTY: Raised by a music loving mother, I sang in the school choir and became obsessed with Oasis. By eleven, I was learning guitar, writing songs and in my first band playing gigs.
L. SOJINI: What do you think makes good music?
DARREN DOHERTY: I think music is somewhat magical so I’m not sure what ingredients make music good. Sometimes it’s chemistry between people and sometimes it’s grit and determination to defy the odds in solitude that yields great results.
L. SOJINI: What are your strengths and weaknesses as a musician?
DARREN DOHERTY: My strengths in music would be my enthusiasm and commitment to always learning. I’ll watch every documentary about a classic album.
I took a production course over lockdown, I write all the time. I lack organisational skills and planning, like a lot of artists I tend to be to easily distracted by the next shiny thing. Those would be my weaknesses.
L. SOJINI: What are you currently working on?
DARREN DOHERTY: Currently finishing the next two single releases to follow up ‘The Raging Song’. I’m heading to Belfast to record the vocals next week and then the mixing will begin. I’m also working on a number of new song demos at home.
L. SOJINI: How do you approach music? As in, what’s your philosophy when it comes to making music?
DARREN DOHERTY: Not sure I have a philosophy but I think my best work comes from getting out of my own way, trying not to interfere too much in the creative process. I think my job is to catch the emotion in words and music and present it in the best way I can.
L. SOJINI: What are you most proud of to have achieved as a musician?
DARREN DOHERTY: Proudest achievement in music was writing, recording and releasing The Heathen Choir debut album What You Do on my own. It was a crash course in production but it gave me a lot of confidence that with dedication I could do just about anything. I did have some vital help from my producer friend Omar over panicked phone calls.
L. SOJINI: How do you promote your music?
DARREN DOHERTY: I promote my music using social media, radio and playing live.
L. SOJINI: Favourite musician? Why?
DARREN DOHERTY: My favourite musician? I can’t pick one, it has to be two. Roger Waters (ex Pink Floyd) and Maynard James Keenan (Tool, APC, Puscifer) Probably for the same reasons, they both care deeply about the world and the people in it and try and make a difference through their uncompromising art.
L. SOJINI: What’s your advice or message to fellow musicians?
DARREN DOHERTY: My advice to fellow musicians is don’t give up.
L. SOJINI: Can you recommend one musician you’ve worked with that The Musician can interview next? You can share their Twitter handle.
I recommend Lauren Bird:
https://twitter.com/laurenbirdmusic?s=21&t=iRNWhvW_LIgRdawptBasdg
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