Luke Bingham

You may not have been aware of him until now, but if he continues at the rate he’s currently going, Luke Bingham will be well on his way to becoming a household name in no time. Born and raised just outside of Leicester, his three singles are proof of his ability to effortlessly dabble between dance and urban sub genres.

‘Nothing 2 Lose’, released in September of last year, shows off his soulful voice with emotive lyrics such as “I hope what my heart feels is true/’Cause the only one I need is you”. ‘All I Know’, a collaboration with drum and bass producers Jamie Quinn and Brendan Collins, better known as Matrix and Futurebound, was released in May using Bingham’s lyrics and vocals to create a chart hit, reaching number 29 in the Top 40. His most recent track ‘Shut It Down’, is due for release on the 12th August and mixes R’n’B with a club beat to create the perfect pop song.

Since he was last featured on The Monograph website in April, things have gone from strength to strength for Bingham, and we thought it was about time we caught up with him again.

As part of Channel 4’s 4Play season which documents various British musicians (The Cribs, Delilah, The Bullitts and These Furrows, also from Leicester, have all been showcased), Bingham returned to his home city to film interviews in front of the familiar backdrop of Leicester. He seems proud to say he’s from the city, and says he feels a pressure to be a positive role model. “Yeah, not just in Leicester, but to people all over the country. I’m from a small village just outside of the city and there wasn’t really anyone from there that had made it big for me to look up to, except maybe Mark Morrison. Now I’ve done it myself, I feel a responsibility to be someone these kids look up to; proof that they can do it if they put their mind to it, like I did.”

Speaking of his collaboration with Matrix and Futurebound, he seems almost surprised that such a big hit even came about; “It came out of nowhere. I’d written the lyrics and melody, and we were looking for someone to take the track and add the beats. When the guys came along it was finished and then released quickly. It was all very exciting.”

The track hit the charts earlier this year and has already been chosen to soundtrack adverts for the Olympics, Google+, F1 and CITV. “I figured it could be used to represent sport. I’m looking forward to the exposure the adverts will give to the song and to me as an artist”. Luke says the highlight of his career so far has been supporting Trey Songz: “He’s been an inspiration to me for my own career and so meeting him was brilliant; I was a bit starstruck at first now, but now I can call him a personal friend of mine.”

As with many musicians and celebrities nowadays, Twitter has become an important platform for Luke to lessen the gap between his fans and him. Bingham isn’t one to shy away from this. “Social networking is very important to my career, but when I started off these platforms weren’t really around. Since they’ve become more popular and I’ve used them more, the exposure I’ve gained has been invaluable. I can reach out to fans and talk to them directly.”

We asked Luke where he draws influence from, and his answer was somewhat surprising. “Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, but also Nickleback and La Roux, who are artists my fans might not think I like, but I love their music. I’d never really listened to Nickleback’s songs before but when you strip them down and think about their lyrics, it’s definitely something I draw from”. When asked who he’d most like to collaborate with on future material, the answer is a little closer to home. “I’d love to sing with Tinie Tempah” (who he supported at Leicester’s own Liquid nightclub a few years ago). “Fans want to see their favourite artists coming together and making brilliant music.”

And what’s coming up in the future for Luke? “My next single ‘Gemini’ is released at the end of August. I’ve just recorded the music video for it, then I’ll be doing a tour of student places as the new term kicks. I feel a lot of students will know the track ‘All I Know’ and it works in a club atmosphere, so that should be good.”

For information on Luke, visit www.lukebingham.co.uk