Ten Tonnes – you might not have heard much about this talented artist yet, but I’m pretty sure that will change soon. The 22 year old musician writes amazing songs that are so catchy that they’ll stick with you for days. I’ve had the chance to sit down with him a while ago and talk to him about his debut album, which is out TODAY!

Ethan Barnett, which is Ten Tonnes real name, had his first Swiss gig not too long ago at Radar Festival. Talent definitely runs in his family, his brother is George Ezra after all… So hopefully there will be many more shows to follow the sold out gig at Radar Festival.

Interview with Ten Tonnes

Hi Ethan, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us, and of course welcome to Switzerland! So, for those people who don’t know you yet, how would you describe your music in 3 words?
Uuhm, I’d say: Fun, guitar, pop!

You update your own Spotify playlist to show your fans who you listen to – which is really cool! What are your 3 top songs at the moment?
There’s one called “Sleeping Volcanoes” by Cass McCombs which is really good! What else have I been listening to… There’s this song “Can You Dig It” by the Mock Turtles and then a bit of an oldie, “Pump It Up” by Elvis Costello. 

Your new album is going to be out this Friday (May 3rd), this must be really exciting! What are you going to do once the album is officially out?
I don’t really have any rituals… I’ll probably listen to it on vinyl and then just go to the pub and have a celebratory drink. 

One song that you’ve released a while back is “Lucy”. You’ve mentioned before that you’re very proud of that song. Can you tell us why?
I think because it’s the first one I’ve released independently. That was what kind of kicked off everything, got me talking to management and labels and that stuff. It was the first song I wrote where I thought “yeah, that one’s actually good”. So it, therefore, got a special place in my heart, I wouldn’t be where I am without it. 

Nice! Is there another song, one of the newer ones, that is on the album that has a special meaning to you?
Yeah well, my favorite songs kind of change over time, but there’s a song on the album called “Missing You” that I think is really good, also “Counting Down”.

Interesting, I actually have a question on my list about “Missing You”. It’s one of the slower songs on the album (while the others are all more upbeat), can you tell us more about the song, or what you were feeling when you wrote that one?
Yeah it is kind of the only ballad on the record. I wanted my first record to be quite like upbeat and in your face kind of thing. I reckon my next records might have more ballads. So yeah, I wrote it like a year ago. I don’t remember exactly what I was feeling when I wrote it – but that’s also what I like about songwriting, each time you listen to a song it can mean something different… It is about my hometown and the love/hate relationship you have with your hometown. Like, you want to leave, but then again, sometimes it’s the only place you want to be at – with your friends, in your home. It’s really just about that.

Fan Questions

Nicole: What venue is on your bucket list to play at?
There all probably pretty London based, just because that’s my home I guess. But Wembley Stadium would definitely be cool. I’ve just started doing headline shows outside of London. Just having people come to your shows outside of London and seeing them react to your songs is great. I’m happy to play anywhere, as long as people come to see me play.

Sabrina: How do you write songs? Does the music come first or the lyrics?
It kinda changes every single time. I’m constantly recording little memos and voice recordings on my phone and write lyrics down. Sometimes I sit down at the piano, I can’t really play it very well but it makes it more fun. You kinda just make things up as you go. So you approach the whole thing differently.

Are there any other instruments you play?
Well, not anything proper… Guitar and bass, a little piano and drums. That’s it…

Jenny: Who would you want to collaborate with, dead or alive?
Ooouuuuuuu….

*long pause*

Ok, you can choose 1 dead, 1 alive
Alright, I’d quite like to play a bit with Mark Ronson or Lana del Ray or someone like that. Dead… Hmmm, maybe. I think I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t say John Lennon, that would definitely be the coolest one.

Quick Fire Round

My favorite song to sing in the car is… aaaaaaah this isn’t very quick fire, is it. My mind is blank… *30 seconds later* Probably Coldplay, anything by Coldplay.

If you could swim in any liquid, what would it be and why… My mind went to Jelly first. I can imagine that could feel quite funny.

Beach or mountains… Beach probably, but I got pretty badly burnt last year though. So then again I feel a bit skeptical about the beach, I don’t trust it as much.

The last thing I do before going on stage is… Just listen to some bangers, good tunes and then just go for it.

First thing you do after getting off stage… Have a drink!

How many times have you been asked about your brother before? Oh, every single interview I’ve had.

So yeah, that was it. Thanks so much again, and congrats on your new album! We’re really looking forward to how the release will be going!
Thank you so much!

Do you have anything else you want to tell our followers?
Uhm, yeah, well, guys, everyone go get my album when it’s out on May 3rd! And I think it’ll be in like autumn this year when I’ll be back on tour outside of the UK!

 

So yeah that was it… Just like Ten Tonnes said, go make sure to get his new album. It’s really cool! I had a great time listening to it and personally cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that there will be a Swiss date on his tour this year 🙂

GET THE ALBUM NOW: Ten Tonnes