Ahead of his performance in Staffordshire this August, Jake Khan speaks to Jake Bugg about what fans can expect and his future music plans

Trentham Live is coming up in August how are you feeling about it and what can fans expect?

|’m really excited about it, to be honest – I did a little tour last year but don’t have too many gigs this year so really looking forward to it. We always try and give a bit of everything fans want to hear, so they can expect some new stuff, but definitely some older stuff in there and try and we’ll keep it more up-tempo.

Who will be joining you on stage?

I’ve got my original band which I’ve had for almost ten years since I started out, so hopefully we will be sounding good and well prepared and put a real nice set together for the audience. I use a lot of the same crew too. It’s important when you’re on the road a lot that you have people around you that you can trust. It’s like a family away from home really.

Is there anyone you’re looking forward to seeing at Trentham Live?

Yeah, I had a look at the line-up and saw a couple of artists that are playing. I saw the Kaiser Chiefs, who I’ve done a couple of gigs with in the past and they’ve obviously been around a while and know how to put a show on, so I think the crowd’s in for a real treat.

Do you have any new music coming up on the horizon?

Yeah absolutely. I’ve just been doing a bit of writing and I’ll get back in the studio and hopefully, it’s ready to be released very soon. The last record was quite poppy and had a lot of production elements and this time I’d like to blend the last record with something like my first record and I think it would create something interesting. I want the next record to be very good for the fans, so I don’t want to rush anything, I want to take my time, but who knows? The songs could start flowing and start writing themselves and you could end up with a bunch of songs in no time at all. For me the exciting part isn’t just about making an album that I think people will like, there has to be some sort of experimentation involved from my side. So, it’s a little trial and error, sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t.

Having started in the industry at a young age, do you have any advice for young musicians trying to break out into the industry?

I’d say the most important thing is songs. I know there’s a lot of spotlight on social media and TikTok and those sorts of platforms for people to get their music. TikTok will only last for so long, but good songs will last forever. If you have songs that people want to connect to then I think you’ll find success.

How do you feel about the recent introduction of AI music into the industry?

I was watching the recent South Park episode on AI music and it was blowing my mind! I’m all up for technological advancements but I think when something comes from the soul it hits that extra bit harder. I’m sure there’s some AI music that’s fun but I’d be interested to hear a song that’s written with real passion, something that connects. It’s also how you interrupt songs, it’s about what the listener wants it to be.

Trentham Live returns with five amazing shows from 16 - 20 August

trentham.co.uk

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