Intro

Fast becoming one of Alternative Pop’s most promising talents, 18-year-old award-winning South African singer-songwriter Vaughn Prangley is carving out a unique path with his unmistakably deep, soulful, and emotionally weathered voice, that speaks to a maturity way beyond his years. His latest single ‘Road Trip’ is from his 2022 debut album ‘Destination Unknown’ and produced by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalists Howie Combrink.

Vaughn shares that “Feeling stuck in the routine of normal, everyday life is something that we can all relate to. We long for something different that separates today from yesterday and tomorrow. At heart ‘Road Trip’ is a love song that I hope inspires others to hop in a car with a special someone and just go wherever the road may lead! Experience new cultures, meet and get to know unfamiliar faces, and explore the world of the unknown. I want ‘Road Trip’ to be a song that really puts a smile on faces. The message also feeds strongly into the overall theme of my album ‘Destination Unknown’; In life we rarely know where our journey is taking us, but that’s what makes it so exciting. I want to encourage others to avoid living a cookie-cutter lifestyle, and step outside of the social-norm safety nets that society throws over us. Often risky decisions create the best memories. Every second of every day we add a new line to our life story, so make every chapter one to be remembered!”

Critically.

To date ‘Destination Unknown’ earned a SAMA Nomination for ‘Best Produced Album Of The Year’, a finalist spot in the US Unsigned Only Music Competition, and a coveted win in the ISC International Songwriting Competition.

 

Questions

Hi Vaughn, welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine. We are huge fans, and we are in awe of what you have accomplished at such a tender age of 18. Can you tell us what got you into music?

My granny gave me a nylon string classical guitar for my 9th birthday. I then started taking classical guitar lessons. This is where my passion for finger style guitar playing was born. I eventually got bored of learning songs from the 1600s and started messing around with whatever came to mind. I often got into trouble with my guitar teacher for not learning the songs he had given me. “Vaughn did you practice this week?”, “no but I came up with this…” is how most guitar lessons would go. I then started writing and singing my own music at around 13. I was introduced to a producer when I was 15 and the rest is history.

What music did you grow up listening to?

I’ve always been more into old school music because that is the music my parents played when I was a kid. Coldplay’s first album “Parachutes” is nothing but an album of nostalgia for me. I also grew up with Kings of Leon, Chris Isaak, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tracy Chapman, and a bunch more.

How would you describe your sound to readers who haven’t checked your music out yet?

I would like to see myself as a bit of a genre jumper. I do think my sound is quite alternative/adult contemporary. I like to experiment with real authentic sounds (live drums, guitar, piano etc.) as well as more modern sounds like electronic drum sounds and synthesisers.

I would like to talk about your new single now called Road Trip. I think it is an amazing track. Can you tell us how that song came about?

I felt like writing a fun, feel good and light-hearted love song and so ‘Road Trip’ was born. It tells the story of two lovers going on an adventurous road trip and exploring all that the world has to offer. Meeting new faces in unknown places and experiencing new cultures. Every time I play the song, I picture a couple in a hippie van travelling thousands of kilometres around Africa.

You have recently also just bought an album ‘Destination Unknown’ that got a SAMA nomination and was produced by Howie Combrink. What was the process like recording the album and what did Howie bring to the table in terms of producing the album?

The production process of ‘Destination Unknown’ was one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We explored every element of music from the sounds of thunderstorms to drumming on piano lids. We made sure that every song on the album was the best version of the song that it could be. We experimented with hundreds of melodies and creative ideas until we found the perfect ones. Howie was a pleasure working with and is a musical genius. I am so proud of what we achieved with this album.

I’ve been told you are also getting into producing yourself. How has that process been?

I have always found the production process extremely fascinating, and it has recently become an addition to my passion. I am a complete geek when it comes to science and have always been obsessed with space and how the world works around us. Diving into the science behind audio has been so much fun and I often find myself recording and mixing until 4 AM (a public apology to my neighbours). From compressors to reverbs to equalisers, there are so many amazing tools that go into bringing a song to life and I have been eager to learn how all these tools work. I am so excited about releasing some self-produced content next year!

As mentioned earlier, the album was SAMA Nominated. How does it feel to have the album you created? How is getting such recognition?

I will never forget the feeling of seeing my album right next to some of the most talented artists that South Africa has to offer. It was so special to celebrate the evening of the SAMAs with the most important people in my life, my family. The support and encouragement I get from them is the reason I am able to do what I do. This all started with a boy and his guitar on his bed messing around with the English language, and to see how far my dream has come in the past few years is nothing but a feeling of pure joy.

How many tracks are on the album and where did you get the inspiration from for each song?

There are 10 songs on ‘Destination Unknown’. I wanted the album to take the listener on an authentic journey and I kept this in mind when deciding what songs I wanted to use. The inspiration for each song was different. I wanted some songs to shed some light on deep issues that people face every day. ‘Rise and Fall’ talks about an individual who is constantly knocked down by the world around them and finding the courage to stand back up again after every knock. ‘Fallen king’ deals with the dangers of being greedy and selfish. I have never been a fan of social norms and so I was inspired to write ‘Call Our Own’ and ‘Borders’, which talks about breaking out of the superficial boundaries that the world puts around you, because that is what is “expected”.

How has this album differed compared to the singles and EP you released before?

The EP was the beginning of my journey. The studio and the production process were entirely foreign to me and it often felt overwhelming. I was a lot more familiar with the studio world when we started ‘Destination Unknown’. The album was really a journey of exploring every aspect of music. Experimenting with hundreds of sounds and messing around with all sorts of instruments. We even recorded a toy xylophone and used it in ‘Passing Seconds’. I was fully emersed in every step of bringing each song to life and often recorded demo versions of the songs at home before we started production in studio. I was now able to show my producer in which direction I wanted to take a specific track.

When writing music or putting a song together, can you explain the process. Do you write the lyrics or the music first?

There is no recipe for my song writing process. Sometimes I will have a specific topic that I want to write about and sometimes a cool guitar riff is all that is needed to inspire a song idea. I like to find inspiration anywhere and everywhere that I can. Every song is born in its own unique way. I sometimes write about how I feel and how a situation has affected me, or I observe and take in what happens in my environment and with the people around me. I just absolutely love sharing stories and life lessons with people. Every song I write is written with sincerity and strives to connect with people. Creating music that people can relate to is so important to me … my goal is to have a positive impact on everyone who crosses paths with my music.

Do you have a backing band, or do you hire session musicians when recording your music?

Most of the instruments on the album were played by myself and my producer and in would bring in session musicians in special cases. For ‘Road Trip’ we needed some cool trumpet parts and so we got a brilliant trumpet player, Neil Engel, to come in. It was really awesome seeing him play.

Can you explain a typical live gig experience? Is it quite an electric show, or is it more acoustic and intimate?

My shows are often very acoustic and intimate. I love to connect with the crowd and get them involved in the show. Whenever I play ‘Green Eyes’, I get the crowd to shout “Hey, Hey” at me, which is always loads of fun. I am currently working on building a bigger, more impactful show which will include more electrical elements. I cannot wait to share this!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years musically?

I see myself waking up every day excited about doing what I love. I hope Monday mornings feel equally as inspiring as Saturday mornings. I hope to be writing, recording, and performing music in the daily! I would also love to eventually open my own recording studio one day and create music with artists from all around the world.

Thank you for doing this interview, best of luck with everything going forward!

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To Read The Album Review of Destination Unknown Click HERE

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