A former Stratford-upon-Avon College student has released his debut single after spending 6 months working with producer Andy Strange.
Self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, Isaac Stuart, 21 from Banbury, knew the College was the right choice for him after attending a Taster Day: “I wanted to train as an actor and I’d only heard brilliant things about the College. I wanted my course to be practical and creative and it was just that and so much more. My lecturers were absolutely incredible.”
Isaac’s journey to releasing his debut single began when he was introduced to record producer Andy Strange, who started off his career at AIR studios as Sir George Martin’s assistant and has gone on to work with many great artists such as Robbie Williams, Elton John, and Paolo Nutini to name a few.
Isaac explains: “Andy is brilliant and knows how to make those classic sounding records that I grew up listening to. I went to meet him at his studio in North London and stayed there for a week to record a few tracks, one of which was ‘Do You Like It When We Lay Like This?’”
This was the first time Isaac had had the opportunity to record his songs in a studio, an environment he now feels completely at home with: “It has been a very surreal experience and the most rewarding. Being able to record on some beautiful instruments in front of some very expensive microphones was dreamy. One thing I learnt was that I sing best in the evenings, so we’d record all the instruments first and then wait until early evening to do a vocal. Sometimes though, your best take from a technical point of view is not necessarily the best; it should be about the ‘feeling’ of it overall.”
Isaac explains the intimate single was inspired by a conversation he once had with his former girlfriend: “‘Do you like it when we lay like this?’ was a genuine question I asked her one night, and I thought it summed up the overall feeling of the romance and young love that I was living through pretty well.”
The single has been played on various radio stations such as Radio 6 and Virgin Radio, and is available now to download on Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and more.
College lecturer, Kerry Downing comments: “Isaac was a wonderful student to work with, both as an actor and musician. His passion for the theatre was infectious and a joy to watch. His hard work and dedication are paying off and I look forward to seeing his amazing journey.”
