I'll Be is out now!
Image: Caity Krone.
Indie-songwriter, Fletcher Kent recently unveiled his debut single, I'll Be. To celebrate, the musician has curated an exclusive playlist for MILKY full of tracks that inspired his latest release.
“I’ll Be seemed to just fall out…" Kent shares of the single. "I didn’t even think it was a song at first: more of a poem, a personal manifesto. I feel there’s more of me in this song than maybe anything I’ve ever written. It’s about my life - all of it. Passion, purpose, family, love, grief, connection. It’s a look towards the future, a pledge to become the person I want to be, my intentions on how I want to live this life and exist in the world.”
Last night, the musician kicked off his Summer Sunday Sessions residency at The Royal Bondi. The run of shows will continue on January 19 and 26, and will end on February 2. I'll Be marks the Kent's first release single signing with AWAL and Kobalt Publishing.
"Being my debut single as Fletcher Kent, I’ll Be is the culmination of a lot of years of reflection- both personally and musically. Here’s some songs that have influenced its creation!"
DAY ONE (INTERSTELLAR THEME), HANS ZIMMER
This soundtrack and movie as a whole moves me more than maybe any other. In writing I’ll Be, I wanted it to have a similar feeling- a simple chord structure that repeated and built into an emotional crescendo, with arpeggio and lyrical motifs. I love how the themes of the movie are very grand yet also so personal, I sought to capture this.
SAY YES TO LIFE, GANG OF YOUTHS
I’ve seen Gang of Youths five or six times live and I love how anthemic their music feels. The end of this song where Dave is chanting “Say yes to life” feels like an outpouring of gratitude and perspective which was of strong influence on me.
MY WAY, FRANK SINATRA
A reflection on living life to the fullest, and maintaining a sense of authenticity throughout. This sentiment is woven into I’ll Be.
SOMETIME AROUND MIDNIGHT, THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
I first heard this song after writing I’ll Be, however it became pivotal to its journey. A producer I was working with played it to me, which lead me to sharing I’ll Be with him. We did a demo there and then, which Mike Taylor heard and then joined my team. That lead to signing with AWAL and Kobalt and releasing it!
SOUL BOSSA NOVA, QUINCY JONES
There’s a line in I’ll Be; “say yeah baby, Austin Powers”. This song is the theme song in those movies, which were incredibly formative for me growing up. I wanted moments of levity and humour in I’ll Be to counterbalance the more heavy and emotional lines.
EVERYBODY’S FREE (TO WEAR SUNSCREEN), BAZ LUHRMANN
I came across this song on a TikTok edit years ago and loved it. It’s essentially a spoken word poem that juxtaposes very serious and thoughtful life advice with comedic injections. I totally forgot about it, and then came across it again after writing I’ll Be. I realised how it had influenced my writing, even to how I didn’t think I’ll Be was a song at first and more of a poem.
THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’, BOB DYLAN
Bob’s writing has been such an influence on me for a long time. The way he contemplates and reflects his views of life and the world. This song is timeless and reflects on the idea of change, which was something I wanted to channel in I’ll Be as it looks to the future.
GRACE, JEFF BUCKLEY
Jeff’s vocal tone and emotional connection is a big inspiration for me. We also really referenced the drum and bass parts in this song, aiming to create a sort of alive and unhinged feeling in I’ll Be.
I’LL BE, FLETCHER KENT
My debut single, the manifestation of these influences and my intentions in music and lyrics.
I'll Be is out now!