Interview: Shaun Escoffery On His Forthcoming Gig!

Soul singer and musical theatre star Shaun Escoffery will perform a special show at Leicester Square Theatre in London on March 2nd, 2016.

Escoffery's first single 'Space Rider', released back in 2001, brought his voice to mainstream attention - including that of Lennox Lewis who asked Escoffery to perform the national anthem prior to the boxer's now legendary bout against Mike Tyson, going on to become one of the most watched sporting events in history.

Having more recently wowed crowds at BBC Radio 2's Live In Hyde Park Festival this summer, Escoffery who has enjoyed 4 Radio 2 A list records in the past 12 months, will now give fans an early chance in 2016 to hear songs from across his career.

Hello Shaun! What can people expect from this upcoming show?

I'm going to be featuring some songs from my forthcoming album - I'm really excited about it. This will be the first time I'm doing these songs so it'll be the first time for people to hear the new material, and get some background on why I wrote some of them. Of course, I'll also be doing songs from my previous album. It'll be an intimate show, and I'm really looking forward to it.

When you're debuting new material like this, do you ever feel slightly apprehensive about it?

I'm always nervous anyway! I don't know why I do this to myself, the extra pressure! Yes, of course, I'm a bit nervous, but I'm really excited about the album, and quietly confident - I like the songs so I'm hoping they will as well.

When you perform solo shows, how do you approach it differently to performing in a company? Is it you up there talking, or a character of 'you'?

I think it's me. The difference between performing on stage in a character - you can hide behind that character, it can be as ugly and horrible as you want, that's not real, and you'll be judged on your performance. When I perform my material, it's about me and my experiences and people I know. That's what I've found difficult in the past, opening up a little bit - "This is what I was feeling at the time, and this is why I put it down on paper." It is scary. You're reaching into the crevices of your soul and putting it on paper - it's therapy in a way. To step on stage and bare your soul is extremely daunting.

How do you approach the writing process, then? Does inspiration strike in the night or do you sit at your desk and make yourself write?

Sometimes I'll wake up in the night and think something is a good idea. Other times it could be something someone's said. It can come from anywhere - a book, a film, a conversation, and experiences.

It must be a different type of creative fulfilment performing your own material when compared to taking on a role in a musical theatre show.

Yes, it is. Sometimes you have a script and you meet your character for the first time, and you have all sorts of thoughts in your head about portraying this character, and you've got to delve in deeper, then you get to perform it and discover more as you go along. There's a sense of satisfaction - "I've achieved what I set out for myself for this character and for this role." It's a different kind of vibe, but equally satisfying.

Shaun Escoffery plays the Leicester Square Theatre on Wed Mar 2.

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