Hi, Have You Met Christian Collins?

Christian Collins is the latest in a long line of singer-songwriters to come out of BIMM Dublin. Collins shows an impressive amount of control for such a young singer. On first listen, you won’t be surprised with the comparisons being drawn between himself and Jeff Buckley. With new single Sweet Divine out Friday, what better time to introduce you to the burgeoning singer-songwriter.

BIMM seems to be a bit on institution for Irish talent at the moment, with bands like Pockets and singer-songwriters like Somerville. What do you think is the biggest thing students learn at the college?

"I can only speak personally, but for me it has demystified a lot about the music industry and has given me access to ask a lot of questions and get advice from individuals with great experience behind them.

What are the earliest memories that you have of music when you were growing up?

Dancing naked entranced in river dance on top of my family's coffee table. I'd be pretending to be Michael Flatley ... My justification is I was about three years old."

Was there an album or an artist that really turned you on to becoming a songwriter?

"Probably 'Grace' from Jeff Buckley. It was given to me one day by my guitar teacher in my early teens and it changed everything for me. Before then I had wanted to be a guitarist. The soul in Buckley's voice & lyrics stirred something so visceral in me that I began writing my own songs and transitioning more to playing acoustic guitar and singing."

What do you think the biggest challenge facing singer-songwriters is in today's music industry?

"Getting paid. I'm pretty used to the idea that with the digital age in full swing I will have to look elsewhere to make a living with my music. However, in saying that, I think the fact that music has been dematerialized has made it far more true to its ephemeral nature. Maybe it's not a bad thing, but merely a change. I would be a hypocrite to say I didn't download tonnes of music illegally in the past. Now I happily pay for Spotify, which I can't get enough of. What really sucks about Spotify though is the cut they give to the songwriters. They are the bottom of the chain."

How would you describe the sound of your new single Sweet Divine to people?

"I think it's pretty earthy. I'm not a big fan of labels but for convenience; I guess it's your standard indie-folk-pop song, with some extra spice. It has a nice live feel to it and lush textures from the string section and the gang vocals in the bridge. I'm really happy with the finished product. It's one of the first songs I ever wrote. I wanted to release it as my debut single because the song's inspiration means so much to me. It's a send-off, of sorts."

If you could collaborate on a song with any artist, past or present who would it be?

"Kendrick Lamar. He is definitely my artist of the year. I don't know how I didn't stumble upon him sooner, as I'm a huge hip-hop fan. Maybe cause he is a more recent artist compared to some of my old favourites (Andre 3000, Tupac, Dr. Dre). I just thought he would be like many of those modern rappers today who come across so fake to me lacking any poetic talent and love for hip-hop. I think Kendrick is a true artist. I'm really inspired by what he does. He is articulate, intelligent and fascinating dude."

Christian Collins launches Sweet Divine on October 9th in the Unitarian Church, Dublin.