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MK1 interview

MK1 reached the live finals of The X Factor last year landing Louis Walsh as their mentor.

The duo found themselves a solid fanbase off the back of the show and have been working hard on their original material. Their first single is Let Go, out now, which showcases the sound that MK1 call their own.

We caught up with Charlie and Sim to talk about the single, find out about their X Factor experience, and discuss their upcoming projects.

How are you guys doing today? What have you been doing so far today?

Sim: We’ve been busy promoting our new single ‘Let Go’ and trying to stay out of the rain!

Your new single Let Go is picking up quite the buzz. Tell us about the track.

Charlie: Yeah it is picking up a buzz especially over Twitter and Facebook. The track is about letting go of all your insecurities, your worries and just having a good time. Escaping into your own little place where you can just chill out and be yourself.

The music video features a glitter-filled party. Where did the concept for it come from?

Sim: We were told by the director that to let go we needed to have a house party vibe and of course we were like yeah let’s make that happen! And then we saw the house which was amazing with a swimming pool, four floors, bouncy castle – it was like, press record and we’ll do the rest.

Charlie: We basically just had a house party and said film it!

How far along are you with your debut album? What can we expect from the record?

Sim: Well we’ve put down about 20 tracks and now we’ve got to whittle that down to the final 12 that will be the album.

Charlie: The vibe of the album is quite mixed. I’m an indie kid so I love live bass, drums, guitars so it’s got to be all live instruments for me. And then that’s partnered with Sim’s influence of rap and hip hop so it’s a blend of sounds into something that’s MK1-ish.

Give us an insight into what youā€™re like in the studio. How does your creative process work?

Sim: It varies but we’ll have an idea before and then we just get in the studio and bring it to life. We’ve been lucky to work with some amazing producers so sometimes we just give them the track and ask them to mess around with it so we can pick up ideas as we go along.

Charlie: I write a lot of choruses and then bring them to the studio for Sim’s thoughts and input. I probably have a tendency to be quite picky initially and quite bossy in the studio without realising it.

Sim: Yeah sometimes I have to leave!

Charlie: But music is like my little baby, I have to have it just so.

The X Factor was obviously an amazing launch platform for you. How do you feel about your experience on the show nearly a year on?

Sim: We’re still so grateful. I think we kinda underestimated the platform a programme like that gives you and once we stepped off it, it was amazing to see the reaction from so many young people through to the older people that were still routing for us and wanted us to do well. So it’s given us the momentum to keep going and that’s why we’re in such a good place with a single coming out and an album on the way.

What advice would you give to the contestants currently battling it out to get on the live shows?

Charlie: Stay true to who you are. It’s quite to get swept along with what people are advising you but you have to do what you wanna do. And if people don’t like it then they don’t but at least you’ve stayed true to you.

Sim: And stay ready. X Factor like to throw you a curve ball!

How important has social media been in terms of promoting yourselves post X-Factor?

Sim: Social networking cannot be ignored. And it’s great to be able to converse with your fans.

When can your fans see you performing live?

Charlie: We’ve got a lot of dates coming up, MK1official.com for everything.

What else do you have coming up before Christmas?

Sim: A tour which hopefully we’ll be announcing soon.

Charlie: We’re working hard on the album and fingers crossed that will be out in time for Christmas.

MK1’s single Let Go is out now. Watch the video for the track below:

Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip Ellwood-Hughes
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of PiƱata Media. With over 19 years of journalism experience, Pip has interviewed some of the biggest stars in the entertainment world. He is also a qualified digital marketing expert with over 20 years of experience.

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