A CONVERSATION WITH... GARETH DONKIN
36 hours before the release of his debut album Welcome Home, Gareth Donkin virtually invited us into his home to get to know more about him, the history of his artistry, and his favourite rom-com.
Photo Credit: Simone Thompson
Look at what’s on your nightstand right now.
If you’re like me and Billboard-described ‘soul savant’ Gareth Donkin, your nightstand has an eclectic assortment of books you promise you’re going to read, knick-knacks, and mugs.
And if you’re Gareth, those mugs feature in a song called ‘De La Soul’ on an album that’s the musical embodiment of leaving a friend’s house and feeling like your soul’s been healed. Gareth describes the song as “pure joy. It was just pure joy in the veins of this song — one that was just me and my friends back in 2019 messing around with no expectations.”
The ever-present smile Gareth has sheepishly grows as he reminisces. “We were just picking up random objects in my uni accommodation room like cups, mugs, scissors, and then out of nowhere my friend Dan mentioned that he knows a guy who plays sax. We ran into him as he was taking his bins out, he agreed, and now we have sax on the song! That fun, pure joy, and chemistry shine in that song and I’m so proud of it.”
Getting to know someone before a monumental experience like a debut album release means the joy, nervousness, and excitement were palpable even through a Zoom screen.
While this isn’t technically his first album (the first one, he explains, will remain hidden in an undisclosed corner of the internet), Welcome Home is the first album that he feels like he can welcome listeners into who he is right now. Gareth took his time to build the home to welcome people in it, and each room of the house is a time capsule for a certain memory that’s incredibly important to him.
So when you knock at the door, you’re greeted with ‘Til The End of Time (Night Sky)’, an insightful and delicately smooth performance with gorgeous stacked instrumentals. And as you travel through the house, enjoying the dreamlike R&B of ‘Whenever’ and the shockingly groovy depiction of a relationship ending with ‘Something Different’, you, alongside Gareth, discover more about him as an artist and as a person.
“I’m trying to come across as my most authentic self as I still figure out who ‘my self’ is. I’ve yet to put all of myself out there, but this album is an introduction to my world and the parts of music I love the most. Like I’m goofy as a person, and as an artist, I try to have that in there but I really just want to keep giving more of me with every new release. I’ll never be done sharing who I am, I know that!”
At least for right now, he’s the definition of ‘never fully dressed without a smile’ (and a thrifted vintage fit) with a gushing appreciation for the greats that came before either of us was born — music and fashion-wise. His work is a nod of appreciation and acknowledgement to the greats of the 70s, 80s, and 90s with that timeless ‘old school’ feeling.
A man always moved by harmony, he grew up falling in love with music as his parents filled the house with the likes of Michael Jackson, Erykah Badu, and Jamiroquai. After being wowed as a family friend played jazz piano at a show, Gareth became enamoured with the idea of creating his own music. “I got bored with practising and I wanted to do my own thing with the little bit of knowledge I had at that point.” Combining those skills with his perfect pitch and his undying love for Disclosure’s production and structure style, Gareth ventured into making music and into the dizzying world of SoundCloud.
That community on SoundCloud transformed his music and style and deepened his years-long obsession with music. “It was like I was coming home to who I am as a musician, I got such a beautiful response on SoundCloud and it kept me going.”
Because of course, any obsession has its high points with such intense moments of joy and it has dark moments that shake you to your core. During the creation of Welcome Home at the end of the lockdowns, a moment of gruelling despair hit. “I really was stuck in a deep rut. I was asking these questions that I know are ridiculous, but I was like ‘Can I still make music? Can I do this? Should I?’. Then one day I woke up, and ‘Tell Me Something’ was born, yanking me out of the bad headspace I was in.”
At one point in the interview, Gareth apologises because he claims he’s not the best with words. Strange things to hear from a singer-songwriter, but he explains that his production style relies more on his ears than his mouth. “I’m not a natural wordsmith at all. Lyric writing is my biggest weakness. I just find words that sound right with the melody I’m singing and try to make it work. The essence and the feeling of the song follow suit. I create by ear and draw a lot of the chords on my laptop or keyboard to get a feel for the song, which I know is a bit unconventional.”
He plays down his strong prose, joining ranks with Gen-Z and millennial artists who are commonly their own harshest critics. They’ll pick apart their album before (or instead of) listeners and critics so that they can brace themselves for the worst that doesn’t always come. So far, Welcome Home has garnered international praise from critics and fans alike. Of course, that wasn’t known at the time of this interview. What was known was the intense stage fright-like nerves and bubbling excitement of a release schedule.
So, chalking it up to nerves before a massive release, Gareth adjusts his vintage grizzly bear cap and soldiers on. “I’m terrified about how people will receive it and if they’ll like it or not. But I have to keep reminding myself that I love this music, I’m proud of it and I see its potential to go somewhere. And I know it’s not really possible, but I do want to have something for everyone. An element for anyone to latch on to because I want my music to speak to as many people as possible and have them find something they love, too.”
If you grew up listening to the legends from the 70s, 80s, and 90s (whether because you lived through them or your parents did), you’ll find aspects of Gareth’s production style with his intuitive craftsmanship and lyrics full of yearning and desire to be a beautiful throwback to some of your favourite records. Or if you’re a cheesy rom-com fan, you might find yourself transported into your favourite film like 10 Things I Hate About You. “God, I love those cheesy love songs from the 80s, so you can really sense that in this album. I really think that ‘Nothing We Can’t Get Through’ would be perfect in that film. Especially that scene where Patrick (Heath Ledger) and Kat (Julia Stiles) get into a fight after their paintball date and Patrick is so determined to do anything he can for Kat. Because I wrote the song when I was really struggling with a relationship and trying to be optimistic that things were going to work out even with all the nerves.”
And even though Gareth claims he’s seen the movie at least six times, it took us a little while longer than either of us would want to admit to figure out exactly what scene he was talking about. But that’s the beauty of collaboration, isn’t it?
That’s such a massive part of Gareth’s persona and public character. If you scroll through his social media, in every post with his music he talks up whoever he collaborated with to produce or create that song, and this interview is no different. Edited down for clarity’s sake, high praises were sung so high they could be deemed a falsetto. “My friends and I will geek out over chord progressions and amazing harmonies in all of our songs. We just really love to hype each other up. It’s incredible being surrounded by such talented artists and to create music all the time.”
It really makes you want to do something with those mugs in your room, now doesn’t it?