INSTANT SUCCESS: Sigala, or Bruce Fielder, had spent five years in the music business working on tracks for other artists before he came up with a track of his own.

By Geoffery Rowlands


Deciding to create a tune for himself has paid handsome dividends for Bruce Fielder. The Norfolk-born but London-based musician, songwriter, producer and remixer had spent five years in the music business working on tracks for other artists. But one night relaxing at home, after being asked to create a 37th remix for a particular artist, he finally thought about making something purely for his own pleasure.
“Don’t get the wrong idea,” he said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the vast majority of my work. But getting the request to do yet another remix did bring out the frustrated rebel in me. Just for once, I felt fed up with being told to do something in a certain way with a certain sound. I wanted to explore my own creativity by making a track for myself.”
Bruce downloaded an acapella of The Jackson Five’s 1970 smash hit, ABC. During the course of a Sunday evening, he created the music into which a few lines of lyrics were blended. The finished product, entitled Easy Love, has stormed to top spot on the UK singles chart.
“I didn’t know if my track would even be released, let alone become a number one. I was really pleased with the song and believed it had potential. But I wasn’t an artist, I had no record deal, so I knew I’d have to convince other people about the possibility of Easy Love becoming popular.”
The folks at Ministry of Sound knew a good thing when they heard it. They signed Bruce’s track and quickly got the ABC sample cleared for commercial use.
While Bruce Fielder might be fine for a rock musician, few dance music artists tend to use their real name. Bruce chose to issue his work under the name of Sigala. Did he know this was a village in Estonia?
“I’d never heard of the Estonian village. Sigala is actually a name from within my family. It goes back a few generations but I just thought it sounded good for a dance artist. I guess perhaps I have an ancestor who originally came from Estonia.”
His involvement in music dates back to childhood. Bruce began playing piano at the age of eight and still regards himself primarily as a pianist.
“I graduated from Westminster University with a BA honours degree in commercial music. But I first entered the business playing piano in some bands which never got a record deal before I became established as a producer and remixer.
“Songwriting developed as another string to my bow. It wasn’t usually the whole song. I’d generally create the music around someone else’s lyrics. Probably the track people might know best is Ella Eyre’s single, Good Times. That was very much a joint effort with Cameron Edwards and Joe Lenzie, who everyone will know as Sigma, along with Ella herself. Sigma and I also co-produced the song.”
Having created a monster hit with Easy Love, which is also proving hugely popular in the other countries where it has so far been released, Bruce is hoping to build on his success with more songs under the Sigala name.
“I’m definitely not giving up working on tracks for other people. But the enormous popularity of Easy Love does mark a milestone in my career. I’ve effectively demonstrated what I can do when I’m left to create something of my own. I very much hope the future will see me become principally known not as a producer or remixer but as an artist in my own right.”
IN BRIEF
Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber has set another UK streaming record with his huge hit single, What Do You Mean?
First week streams of 3.2 million plays obliterated One Direction’s previous total of 2.03 million with Drag Me Down. This number helped What Do You Mean? to shoot straight to top spot on the UK chart.
Despite dropping one place behind Sigala’s Easy Love, the 21-year-old Canadian teen appeal singer actually broke the UK all-time weekly streaming record by racking up 3.87 million plays. This mark surpassed the previous record of 3.72 million plays set last April by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s See You Again.
What Do You Mean? has now also debuted at number one on Billboard’s Hot 100. It became just the 23rd song to achieve this distinction in the 57 years of Hot 100 listings. Justin has also become the youngest solo male artist to have a song enter the chart in pole position.
The track is Justin’s first Hot 100 chart-topper. His previous best was the number two spot reached by Boyfriend in 2012.
For anyone who still hasn’t seen the What Do You Mean? video, it is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK_0jXPuIr0

A-Ha

Those who dislike veteran Norwegian alternative rock trio A-Ha must be wondering if they will ever be rid of them. In contrast, their legion of fans must be delighted by the prospect of at least two more years of recordings and performances from Morten Harket, Magne Furuholmen and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy.
The guys, all now well into their 50s, formed A-Ha in 1982 and achieved enormous world-wide success before disbanding in 1994. Their hiatus was ended by an invitation to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in 1998. This sparked a second 12-year period of activity until they split up after a farewell concert tour in 2010.
Apart from a special appearance at the national memorial service dedicated to the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks, there has been nothing more from the band. Then came news of an invitation to perform at Rock in Rio 2015.
Like the Nobel Peace Prize Concert invitation, the offer from Rock in Rio breathed new life into what had been a defunct band. Morten, Magne and Paul not only reunited to rehearse their old material but created an entire album of new songs.
That album, “Cast In Steel,” has debuted at number eight on the UK chart. The trio will promote it during a two-year world tour. After that, who knows, they might have another 12-year creative stint or be reuniting for the fifth or sixth time 30 years from now.
Excerpts from each song on “Cast In Steel” can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SSsETFmYXQ
The album title-track and “Under The Makeup” have been released as singles. A lyric video for the former is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=uL779EjNA5A
The official video for the latter is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvxW6CeCLK4

Angel Haze

Angel Haze has been confusing fans. The 23-year-old American rapper/singer, who prefers to be referred to as they or their rather than she or her, posted a message on Twitter saying their “Back To The Woods” project would not be released. One day later, all 13 tracks were posted on SoundCloud.
The songs can be heard at (no www.) soundcloud.com/angxlhxze
More of Angel’s material is also posted here. Many of these tracks are available for free download.

Teyana Taylor

New York-born R&B singer/songwriter Teyana Taylor hit number one on Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart last year with her debut studio LP, “VII.” The album also reached number 19 on the Billboard 200.
Teyana is now offering fans a new five-song mixtape entitled “The Cassette Tape.” It can be heard and downloaded for free at www.datpiff.com/Teyana-Taylor-The-Cassette-Tape-mixtape.730646.html
If you enjoy Teyana’s work, 15 more songs are also available for free download. These can be found on her 2012 mixtape, “The Misunderstanding Of Teyana Taylor.” This is still available to hear and download at www.datpiff.com/Teyana-Taylor-The-Misunderstanding-Of-Teyana-Taylor-mixtape.324580.html