Singer/songwriter Robian ( a.k.a Robert Ian Pratt ) was born in Hinckley, Leicestershire UK but is now based in Spain’s Costa Del Sol.

Robian started writing songs at the age of 14 and had formed his own band by the age of 16 years being influenced by acts like David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Supertramp , Yes, Cat Stevens, The Who and Mick Jagger and the Stones.

At the age of 19 Robian started racing motorbikes and in the mid 1980’s with the help of sponsorship from Christian Dior and competed in The World Championship 500cc Grands Prix  now known as Moto GP. Robian retired from motorbike racing in 1990 and started racing Formula 3 cars in Spain and the UK but then retired from all forms of motorsport in 2006.

Robian began writing songs and in 2006 influenced by his love for country music he recorded 16 songs in a Nashville, Tennessee recording studio located on the famous Music Row in Nashville.

He says “The CEO of the company came down to talk to me  and gave me a lot of advice and words of encouragement for my songwriting” and the new material was born.

Robian has originally formed a band called ‘Robain and the Meerkats’ but says “I did have my own band about 10 years ago and that’s when I came up with the name of the band ‘Robian and the Meerkats’  but a couple of years later the TV commercials for ‘comparethemarket.com’ who started using meerkats in their TV adverts started and so I decided to go solo”.

The brand new album ‘Tomorrow Will Be Our Day’ features the new single ‘Leaving It All Behind’

INTERVIEW

City Beats had a sit down in the city with Robian and this is what he had to say:

CB: How would you personally describe your sound ?

Melodic country rock

CB: Your new single “Leaving it all Behind” is beautiful where did it come from ?

As with all my songs they are based on real life experiences, at the time of writing ‘Leaving It All Behind’ I was going through a divorce.  The song is about getting away from a bad situation. I use metaphors in the song, just so more people can simply relate in the song to their own situation. I wanted the song to have a slightly up beat feel to it, so as to say, it is possible just to ‘Leave It All Behind’ and ‘Escape’

CB: How do you write your songs ?

I see a situation in life around me that emotionally moves me or affects me, I just let it revolve around in my head, the words or lyrics, along with a melody start to form inside my head, usually starting with a verse, followed by the chorus, when I have in my head the lyrics and the melody all fitting together in time, I take a pen and paper and start writing the lyrics down, at this point I go to my Yamaha work station and find the notes and chords to the melody I have in my head, I then make a very quick recording usually onto a CD.  At this stage I just let the song go around in my head, sometimes for hours, day, weeks or even months. But usually I am able to finish a song in about a week.

CB: Who produced your new single and album ?

David Robinson at Paramount studios, Nashville.

CB: What instruments do you play ?

A little keyboards

CB: What was the first song you ever learnt to play ? 

You’ve got a friend.

CB: So what’s in store for you in the long run with your career ?

To get my music heard by a bigger audience and sell some downloads.

CB: What are you working on right now ?
2 new songs, with maybe a change in style and genre of my music.

CB: Thanks Robian, Where can we get you online ?

https://www.facebook.com/Robianmusic/
http://apple.co/2fwbJUS
http://apple.co/2fLAXSo
http://amzn.to/2fS2pOA
http://bit.ly/2fOwIWm
http://spoti.fi/2fS54YD

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