Interview | Barny Fletcher

Instagram @barnyfletcher / Photography @delagrimm

Words RACHEL SABINO

For Barny Fletcher, the process of writing a song is like filling in a colouring book: it's about placing the right colour in the right shape or the optimal lyrics in the right rhythms. "I can happily say after many years that I’m a good songwriter,” says the 26-year-old British artist as he celebrates the release of new single, "Moments In a Lifetime”.

Born in London but raised in the Somerset countryside, Fletcher moved back to the capital in 2016 to pursue his music career. First spontaneously dropping his creations on SoundCloud in 2019, singles "Christ Flow’ and ‘Blu Skyes” marked his initial introduction to listeners and set the ball rolling for his journey to debut album Lonestar last year.

Emerging with a potent mix of soul, R&B and pop, "Moments In a Lifetime" reveals new facets of Fletcher, as his ever-evolving artistic profile continues to solidify. The track builds on the success of his previous release, "Scotch of St James”, named after the famous London club with a storied musical heritage, that showcased his unrivalled passion for celebrating life’s candid moments.

Below, he shares snippets of his personal story, the process of writing mesmerising singles and how music helps him escape from reality…

Hi Barny! Congratulations on “Moment In A Lifetime”. Can we go back to the beginning for you – was music always the plan when you were growing up?
I was born in London, but I grew up in Somerset. I moved back to London when I was around 18. I don't think I planned to do music whatsoever. My mum and dad weren't musical, but they both listened to lots of different music, like jazz, The Beatles, and Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. This big mix of stuff. I took all of that and had a crack at it myself. When I came to London, I started working in a restaurant in Soho and started posting songs on SoundCloud. I've always just made what I wanted.

It can be hard to feel heard as a creative amongst a noisy, crowded creative scene in London. Do you feel you have found your own voice?
I think it's a tricky time for artists. Anyone can post anything from anywhere and get their stuff online. You can literally make songs in your five ft2 bedroom, post it, and go, ‘Right, I think that's amazing.’ But it's also getting more and more saturated. Let's say anyone goes on TikTok and one swipe later is an artist who's been doing it for 10 years. It's just a matter of who can shout the loudest. It's busy, so you’ve got to keep up. You need to adapt. It's a wild time we're living in in music at the moment, but that's why I want to give music into the universe. I'm proud of that.

"Scotch of St. James" was also a huge success. What is the backstory behind the lyrics?
The year I moved to London, I queued up outside Dover Street Market and got a pair of Raf Simons x Adidas [trainers] signed by Virgil Abloh. I found out that he was DJ-ing the next day [at The Scotch of St. James]. We turned up and weweren't allowed to walk in unless we bought a table. I can't remember how much it was, but we went in and it was crazy. There was Virgil Abloh DJ-ing, and next to him was Benji B and Peggy Gou. Tremaine Emory, who used to be the creative director of Supreme, Hayley Bieber, Winnie Harlow – [there was] tonnes of people in this tiny legendary little club that's been around for a long time. [A while after], I was going through the singles on my laptop and I found a file from Mezz, this talented friend of mine. It was a demo bounce, and I thought about what would fit in it. I know I wanted it to be about a physical place in London, so there was Scotch of St. James.

You have mentioned a lot of fashion names, such as Adidas, Raf Simons, Dover Street Market, and Tremaine Emory. Are you into fashion? Is it a field that you like to explore?
I'm definitely beyond the phase of getting excited about trainers. I've got some friends who are designers and I love all of their stuff. I could like a really expensive Japanese bag or literally a five-pound piece that I find in a little granny's vintage store in a village in Somerset. I like clothes and putting stuff together.

What would be the main difference between your latest single “Moments In a Lifetime” and “Scotch of St. James”, in terms of nuance, rhythm, and production?
"Moments In a Lifetime" is definitely more introspective compared to "Scotch". It’s less about capturing a moment in time and more about navigating the ups and downs of our time here. Production-wise, both are pretty organic! Both upbeat. We stuck to the instruments available to us in the room for MIAL. Danio is an incredible producer and a good friend of mine. I love working with him. He has great ideas.

How can you be creative and inspired in difficult times? Is that the phase you feel most inspired to create?
I do think difficult times have a way of forcing you to confront things that you might usually avoid. It’s like being given new material to work with, whether you want it or not. Those are the moments I feel most compelled to write. The music becomes a way to make sense of it all.

You use the word “escapism” to describe your work. How does music help you to escape from reality?
When you’re creating, you get to step out of whatever’s happening in the real world. You can build a place where it’s easier to process shit, dream up new ideas or just lose yourself for a bit. I want listeners to feel that too, even if they’re just looking to escape for three minutes.