When Bruno Major set out to release a song a month for one year, he said at first nobody cared. But then he noticed things started to change.
"Six months in, people started listening and then it did cross my mind 'what if I can't make a song this month' and obviously once you have a negative thought it breeds negative manifestations and I did have a couple of months that were pretty edge of the seat," he told Newshub.
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The twelve tracks form his debut album A Song for Every Moon, and the unique concept paid off.
It all led to more than 250-million streams, a support slot with Sam Smith, and now a sold-out debut New Zealand show at Auckland's Tuning Fork.
"It is slightly hard to get my head around, to be honest mate!" he said.
And it's all been done without much commercial radio airplay.
"I feel like social media, and Spotify and Apple Music and all of those DSP's, they are kind of traditional media, they've won the battle and they're here to stay," Major said.
A lot of Major's lyrics are emotionally intense and confessional.
"Somebody very wise once told me if you're afraid to say it, it's probably the right line. And I think it's a really good thing to live by as a songwriter," he explained.
The soulful British singer-songwriter said those lines have become a form of musical therapy for his listeners, and he often spots people quoting them on Instagram.
"I think it's the job of artists to explain feelings that other people have that they can't necessarily explain for themselves as astutely as an artist can."
After two and a half years touring the first album he was exhausted. He spent nearly six months trying to get his head around creating again, and now he's back in the flow for album number two.
"This time I want it to be all about the music. I'm taking my time with it and I'm just gonna make sure it's ready when it's ready and I'm just gonna put it out as a body of work," he said.
And while this one also has a concept, that's one thing he's still keeping to himself.
Newshub.
