If you’re of a certain age, you might recall a particular 8-piece pop band who made songs so catchy – at least for me anyway – you couldn’t get them out of your head or couldn’t stop your feet from tapping as you sang along. That band were S Club Juniors (later known as S Club 8) who achieved incredible success while still literally children. When they split, Frankie and Rochelle found fame in The Saturdays, while Calvin Goldspink, one of the three boys from the group, also branched out on his own and over the course of the last several years, has immersed himself in not just music but acting in several TV series.
With a new EP set to drop next year, GIITV are proud to premiere Calvin’s latest single ‘The Cold’ and we also caught up with him to find out his favourite memories from his time in S Club Juniors and why he decided to set up his own music company, Breaking Sound.
You’re best known for being one eighth of the pop group S Club Juniors who had huge success, selling millions of records. Do you have any regrets over being thrust into the limelight at such a young age? What did your time in the band teach you, personally and professionally, and are there any lessons or pieces of advice you learnt or were given during that time that still benefit you today?
Not at all, it was the best school of music I could have gone to. Playing Manchester Evening News Arena as my first ever live show to 18 thousand people was definitely an experience. All of my time in that band showed me how the inner industry works and how acts can be broken successfully. However, this is only one perspective and figuring out how to do it independently with my own creative input is just as exciting to me. The industry has changed a lot in favour of emerging artists and it’s great to have all the tools that are available to grow on your own without being totally reliant.
Do you have any particular favourite/fond memories of your time in the group, and do you keep in touch with any of your bandmates?
Playing Party in the Park with acts like Foo Fighters on the bill was pretty epic! We did so many great shows it’s hard to really pick out one. We all follow each other on social media but as I live in LA it’s hard to catch up in person unless they are in town.
After the group disbanded, you moved into acting for a while; appearing in the CW series Life Is Wild and FOX’s X-Men Origins. Is that side of the industry something you’d ever consider going back to or just something you wanted to try your hand at?
Yes I enjoy acting and have been lucky with the roles I’ve landed. Music is more of my passion but if the right role comes up… “Star Trek” or a Ridley Scott film I’d be down.
You released your debut EP The Lemon Tree back in 2014 and now you’re back after a six year hiatus. Given the crisis we’re all living through, why did you decide that now was the right time to start making and sharing your music with the world again?
I’ve been kept busy developing Breaking Sound which gives me a major buzz, just like creating a solid song does. I wanted to give myself time after the Lemon Tree to live more life, keep growing and figure out what I wanted to write about next and find that new sound for my music. With the extra time on my hands, I’m enjoying coming out of my hiatus and seeing what that time has given to me creatively.
Tell me a little about your latest single “The Cold.” Who or what inspired it?
We all experience times of transition. When you’re in between jobs, a relationship or just stuck in a rut not knowing what’s next. ‘The Cold’ is about embracing that moment and learning from the mistakes that got you there.
The track is taken from your forthcoming, as yet untitled EP scheduled for 2021. Is there anything you can tease about it?
I’m exploring Electronica and big hooks for this next one. Moving away from instruments like guitars… I want to have tunes that can blast at festivals and get stuck in your head.
Given that you first became a part of this industry at a time when social media was yet to ‘boom’, how do you feel about it now? Are the likes of Twitter platforms you’re a fan of or do you think there’s something worrying out society’s need to be constantly connected, need it be personally or professionally?
I love that social media gives artists essentially their own TV channel to promote to but I personally have a tough time tooting my own trumpet hence my poor attendance on said platforms. I have to be in the mood to post anything of myself. I think there’s something in keeping people guessing what you have going on. I’m still figuring out the balance.
Away from releasing your own music, you set up Breaking Sound – a music company that supports emerging artists and a platform for them to play live showcases for industry ‘bigwigs’ and the like. Where exactly did this idea come from, and given the fact that it’s helped start the careers of Lauv and Sam Fischer, among others, did you ever imagine it’d be such a beneficial tool for artists?
When I released my debut EP in 2014, I found it extremely difficult to find good showcases to play. It was always a great venue but terrible line-up curation or vice versa. I thought with an industry that’s so large this would be easy to find but there are very few. Breaking Sound was born out of this. We are all about showcasing the hottest emerging artists from premium locations. Before the pandemic our team had grown it to 60+ shows running monthly across US and UK territory’s. We can’t wait to resume. In the mean time we have expanded operations to internet Radio with Breaking Sound Radio playing 247 365 world wide. You can listen in on Android or Alexa. “Alexa play Breaking Sound Radio.”
Having acts come though like you mentioned is an honour. It always blows me away the level of talent we have seen on Breaking Sound. I will continue to push it as far as we can take it so we can continue to support artists at all levels of their careers.
Finally then, the Corona Virus has all but ground most industries, including the music business to a halt, causing several venues to go under and many artists, particularly newer ones, to struggle reaching or maintaining an audience or interest from their label. With that in mind, and given how you’ve seen first hand the industry can and does change seemingly in the blink of an eye, how do you feel about the future of the music industry? Do you think it can and will survive what’s happened to it – and the world – over the last several months, or will it struggle to find its feet once again? What do you want your role to be in the business moving forward?
I think the music industry is one of the most powerful sectors in the world. Everyone will always need a soundtrack to daily life and with the growing population worldwide there is a constant need for new material and artists. With the age of Spotify & other DSPs pushing for more content more frequently this is accelerating this even further. The live sector is obviously switched off for the time being but artists and promotors are expanding their operations to online platforms which in the end, once shows come back – and they will return – will create a more well-rounded and deeper experience for fans and artists alike.
Give ‘The Cold’ a listen below and for more information on Calvin Goldspink, visit his website, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
