INTERVIEW: Rag'n'Bone Man Reflects On 'Human' & Fan Response

Rory Graham has been getting a lot of buzz these days -- although you might know him better as Rag'n'Bone Man. The singer/songwriter from East Sussex, England recently released his debut studio album Human, which features the title track and his latest single "Skin," and at this year's Brit Awards was named British Breakthrough Act, and also took home the Critics' Choice Award. This soulful, bluesy artist is definitely one to watch out for this year.

With all of the success Rory has experienced this year, he says, "It's been like a fast train journey that you can't get off of. I don't know how to explain it exactly, because you don't really get time to just chill and think about it. It's just a constant ... you just keep going."

[Buy Human on iTunes]

The Rag'n'Bone Man Moniker & Performing For Fans

Some of his favorite moments since releasing his album and going on tour is performing for fans all over the world, and having those fans sing his own music back to him. He tells us it's very emotional for him. "I think there have been a pivotal moments in many of the shows I've been doing. To go to different countries and have the kind of love and admiration of fans from places that you've never been before. Like, going to Poland and having, like 3,000 people just singing your songs, or they've made banners and they know every song. It's not only a surprise, it's overwhelming, emotionally."

Rory's name Rag'n'Bone Man was inspired from British TV show Steptoe and Son, which he used to watch with his grandfather. The show is about a father and son's rag-and-bone business, which as Graham describes is 'someone who traditionally went around on a horse and cart, and they took other people's rubbish, like scrap metal, all kinds of stuff." The show was remade in the US as Sanford and Son. Rory explains, "The name Rag 'n' Bone Man seemed kind of synonymous with blues artists, the way their name sounded. Like, I remember flipping through my dad's records and seeing Bessie Smith, and John Lee Hooker, and Sonny Boy Williamson. And I heard Rag'n'Bone Man, and I was like, it sounds like that, rhythmically, when you say the word. So, it just stuck."

Human

Rag'n'Bone Man's Human album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, making it the fastest-selling debut album by a male artist during the 2010s and features its first single "Healed," the title track "Human," and his latest single "Skin." Rory tells us that making the album went through "different periods" -- meaning he had a long list of songs he created for the LP, and enough to the point where he "could have put out three very different albums at different times." He explains:

"I've had the material, but I just kept feeling like there was another song to be written. And, I called it Human because I wanted every song to have a human element. It has to come from a real place, or from a real situation, no matter what the song's about. I'm kind of glad I achieved that. It means that all the songs have something behind them."

In fact, he already has a clear idea of what he wants his second album to sound like. I have this really clear idea of what I want the next project to sound like," Rory says. "Actually, I was going through some songs that didn't make it on the album because of the way they sounded. There's a plethora of songs to go through. So, I don't think I'll have any problem with a second record."

A Favorite Human Song

One of Rory's favorite songs on the album is one of the more personal tracks for him. It's called "Odetta," and it was written about a friend's daughter. He explains that not only the sentiment behind the song was special, but being able to write the song with Northern Irish singer/songwriter Foy Vance (who he calls one of his heroes) made the song even more memorable for him.

"I got to write with some great people on the, on the album. I picked and chose the people that I wanted to write with or really to work with, producer wise. I got to write with a guy called Foy Vance, and he's a songwriter from Northern Island, and a hero of mine. I had this song that I wrote about a friend of mine's daughter. The song's called 'Odetta,' and I wrote the first part of the song and didn't really know where to take it. It was sitting around for a long time, and I was like, I don't know what I'm going to do with this. I don't know how to finish it. Because it was such a poignant song about a situation that was kind of close to my heart. So, it was just kind of a phone call and an email to say, would you be up for writing with me, because I need to finish this song? He came to house and we wrote the song together, and it turned out, probably my favorite song on the album, because it's one of the more personal ones."

Rag'n'Bone Man is currently on the road hitting the festival circuit hard, performing at festivals all over the world, including this summer's Lollapalooza in Chicago and Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco, and more. Check out his "Skin" music video below:

Photos: Rachel Kaplan


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