We recently caught up with The Vamps!
Following their six-year anniversary, the British pop-rock band (Brad Simpson, James McVey, Connor Ball and Tristan Evans) dished on their third studio album, Night & Day, and all the things they’ve learned along the way.
From their ultimate career goal to their dream collaboration: keep scrolling to get the inside scoop!
Obviously, you guys have been together for a while now. Do you feel like your music has changed at all?
James: We’re at a different stage in our life now than we were when we first started, and we hope that people will be able to see that transition from childhood to adulthood. With this album, we’ve really focused on the lyrics and made sure each song fits and is relevant to the song and stage we’re at in our lives.
What’s the most difficult part about song writing?
Brad: It’s a quite scary prospect in the beginning, when you’re first releasing an album, to know that you write songs and then people will hear them and have an insight into your personal life. That’s quite intimidating. I think as we got a bit older, we’ve kind of learned to accept that, and hopefully use it as a bit of a catharsis.
Are there any memorable fan encounters that have really stuck with you?
Tristan: Recently, in Sweden, we were really surprised by a fan. She told us that her dad had suddenly passed away and that she got through it by listening to our albums. It’s a surreal feeling to know that what we’ve done has helped someone get through a tough time, and that really makes it even more worth it for me.
Is there a moment that you can remember where you realized, Wow, we’ve made it?
Tristan: For me, I think it was when we sold out the O2 Arena [in London], which is like 18,000 people, and it’s where I was born.
Brad: Yeah, when you grow up going to these venues and watching the acts that inspired you to play music, and then you get the chance to go there and perform on the same stage, that’s a very humbling feeling.
Who do you look up to in the music industry?
Tristan: Bands like Coldplay, who have had the ability to develop their style and maintain radio play, and still very much remain current, but keep their musicianship at the heart of the band. It’s quite inspiring for us because we want to sound like the Vamps and sound like a band when you listen to the album, but also develop and keep up with the times an remain current. Looking at bands like Coldplay and how they’ve managed to do that over two decades, hopefully that’s something we can start to do.
Do you see yourselves still being together as a band in two decades?
James: Because we’ve shared this bond, and this experience together, it’s a joint effort between us, and that supersedes a lot of bands that are put together. We started The Vamps because we enjoy it, instead of being told to do it, so, yeah, I could see it happening. The six years is going faster than ever. It’ll be our ten year anniversary soon and then we’re halfway there.
Which artist would be considered your dream collaboration?
Brad: Well, we’ve collaborated with Sabrina Carpenter; she was a dream collab. She’s incredibly talented and has got an amazing voice.
James: Liam Payne may be fun! Yeah, we can see what Liam’s doing.
Do you have any advice for someone pursuing a career in music?
Tristan: Make sure you’re enjoying it! Do it with people who share the same passion for music as you. As soon as it starts to feel like work, there’s something wrong. Even six years into it now, it never feels like work for us. It’s still such a passion for us. So make sure you’re enjoying it every step of the way.
Brad: We built our fan base through filming covers on YouTube. I think it’s a huge platform if it’s used in the right way. We did it where we were covering popular songs, but we we were trying to do it with our own identify so it felt like our own songs. I think that’s always a good approach and a good bit of advice: try and put your own slant and your own DNA on something.
The passion definitely shows! What are your future goals? At this point, what would be the ultimate accomplishment?
Brad: To still be releasing music in 20 years, I’d say, and one day, maybe [play New York’s] Madison Square Garden. To perform there would be amazing.
James: I’d like to have bulldogs on tour with me. I really like dogs.
Tristan: And a Jacuzzi!
In case you missed it, The Vamps’ worst nightmare recently came true while on tour in Mexico!