A Chat with Bill Barlow (26.01.26)
Driven by “raw honesty, late-night melodies, and a voice that moves effortlessly between grit and smoothness…“, singer-songwriter Bill Barlow creates genre-diverse music for those who “…feel deeply and live loudly.” We speak with the US-based musician about his new album, Out of Obscurity, what music means to him, and much more.
OSR: Cliché, but what made you pursue a career in music?
Barlow: Ever since I was young, I loved music. But sometime in my teen years, I found myself writing poems and calling them songs. I never thought of them as stand-alone poetry because, as the words came to me, I heard them with music in my head. Sometimes I’d wake from a sound sleep hearing a song, and then I would go and write it down.
OSR: What drew you to music?
Barlow: I have always felt a connection to music more as a writer initially, and later producing music. It has always been part of who I am.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Barlow: For me, music is many things. A release, an escape and even therapy. That’s why I am committed to expressing emotions in my work.
OSR: You recently released your album, Out Of Obscurity – a 23-track journey through various styles. Modern listeners tend to lean toward EPs and shorter albums, so what made you decide to release 23 songs at once?
Barlow: In short, I have a lot of material that hasn’t been released. I struggled to get the list as short as it is.
OSR: How did you approach the sequencing to ensure listeners don’t get bored or feel fatigued before the end?
Barlow: The tracks have to flow naturally from one to the other. They have to feel like a collection, even a journey. When you listen to the album end-to-end, you go along for an emotional ride, but you don’t regret the trip.
OSR: Out Of Obscurity explores the more vulnerable side of being and unpicking the grittier side of reality. Tracks like ‘Strip Away’ deal with emotional exposure, so how did this becoming more vulnerable affect the creation of the album? How do you approach balancing vulnerability and fragility with sonic energy?
Barlow: I love to convey emotions. But in any scenario, it’s not just one thing that you feel or experience. I try to capture situations as they really are, warts, sarcasm, humour and all. The music is the foundation of the mood. It says what words can’t. It expresses and adds emphasis to words so that the listener can feel what I am writing about. The balance becomes an interactive experience where the listener leaves feeling they were really there.
OSR: What was the most challenging part of translating personal insight and reflection into a public song?
Barlow: Sometimes the hardest thing is speaking to the people I’m close to. They may hear a song and assume it’s about them when it’s not. I mean, that is the point of what I’m trying to do, but sometimes I find myself explaining stuff that was not about that person.
OSR: What do you hope people take from Out Of Obscurity?
Barlow: I hope everyone finds a song that speaks to them in a personal way. ‘No Stopping Me Now’ is a great one for anyone who needs confidence to get through tough times. I wrote that as a letter to myself. ‘Love for 3 Thousand Years’ is a great couple’s song about long-lasting relationships. Maybe it could even be a good wedding song.
OSR: If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you say?
Barlow: I tell myself to learn to play instruments sooner, practice singing and write down every random thought you have. Someday you will find it interesting, and maybe it will be a good song.
OSR: What advice do you have for emerging artists?
Barlow: Find a lane that feels right and focus there. Not a genre necessarily, I certainly don’t stick to one genre, but something that sets you apart from others or identifies you as interesting.
OSR: What can we expect from Bill Barlow in the future?
Barlow: I have already gone to work on my next album. As I grow as an artist, you can expect more of what I do, but at a higher level. Out of Obscurity is a crossover work for me that is personally a defining moment. My next album will build on this and give my fans something very special.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
Barlow: Independent artists rely on your readers to get noticed. Every time they press play, that artist has an opportunity to grow their career and grow professionally. I cannot stress enough how important it is to support independent artists. Many mainstream greats started out as independents, and thousands more, who are very talented people, never go anywhere because they don’t get support. If you like someone’s music, share it, like it and support it.
Many thanks to Bill Barlow for speaking with us. Find out more about Bill Barlow on his Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Soundcloud and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
