They captured the hearts of the nation when they sang their way to the final of Britain’s Got Talent last year, and now Loveable Rogues are poised to take the music charts by storm. Signed to Simon Cowell’s record label Syco, Eddie, Té and Sonny are releasing their debut single, What A Night, this April. We caught up with Sonny and Té just before they headed off on tour with Olly Murs to find out how it’s all going so far…
You guys have had a really busy year! How does it feel looking back at the last 12 months?
Sonny: It’s weird thinking about it. We’ve done so much, but it goes so quickly. You try and think of all the gigs we’ve done since the show and we’ve done close to 100, maybe more. We’ve been in the studio as well in between – it’s mad how much you can fit into a year.
Will you be watching Britain’s Got Talent this year?
Té: Yeah! We went to the auditions so we’ve seen some of the fantastic people there already.
Was it a bit weird going back?
T: Yeah – it was awful! It was totally gut-wrenching. You know how the other people are feeling before they go on stage. I’ll never forget that feeling. It’s strange.
Who was your favourite judge?
T: I’m going to go with our boss man Simon Cowell. He’s probably one of the reasons we went on the show in the first place. To music, he’s so highly valued. But we do love all the judges. They were all really supportive of us, for all different reasons. Alesha was amazing. She’s resilient. She’s been dropped, she’s come back up again. I really respected that. David as well, he’s incredibly funny and personable, and Amanda is a musical theatre queen. They were all really interesting. It was a privilege.
You’re signed to Syco now – what’s Simon like as a boss?
S: Everything you’d imagine him to be! And more.
T: Like the Seven Wonders of the World in one person! He’s really cool, he’s really good at his job.
S: It’s quite cool to have him in your phone too!
Your new single What A Night is out in April. What’s it all about?
S: It’s a bit of fun to be honest! It’s a collection of different stories about parties that we’ve been to, and all put into one story to make it feel a bit madder than it actually is!
T: It’s for younger people. If you’re our age, you’re going to know that you’ve been to a party like that. I think that’s just what it’s about.
You’ve been working on your album as well. What can we expect from it?
T: It’s a lot of variety. We keep the three essentials of the ukulele, guitar and vocals, but we like to experiment. There’s a lot of different sounds to it – there’s rock, there’s soul, there’s pop, reggae. I like that we can dare to do that. There’s something for everyone.
When will it be out?
S: I think it’s looking towards summer, which will fit perfectly with the album because I think it’s quite summery. Look out for it around June, July time. There’s no set date yet though.
How would you describe the Loveable Rogues sound?
T: We used to say it was kind of urban pop, but I think it’s more our modern take on pop. Pop music has a reputation for being quite generic but what we’re trying to do is something different. There’s influences of reggae and rock and all sorts, but we’re trying to call it modern pop.
S: It’s a reflection of all our different influences put into one sound. Eddie’s been brought up with rock music, Té’s always been so R ‘n’ B influences and I’ve always been pop, so put that all together and you’ve got Loveable Rogues.
Are you looking forward to touring this spring?
T: Yeah man!
S: We can’t wait!
T: It’s so strange, because it’s, like, massive arenas. I’m taking it it’s the SECC in Glasgow? We’ve played that before – it’s huge. We can’t wait to get on those stages and for people to see us.
S: I’ve heard that Scottish fans are the best! I’m looking forward to playing in Glasgow.
T: We’ve been in Scotland a couple of times, but I can’t wait to just have some bants. It’ll be fun just walking around in Glasgow.
What’s the best thing about being in the band?
S: I just really enjoy making music. I would never have got to opportunity to do it without the band, and you don’t know you’re going to enjoy it so much until you’re actually doing it.
T: It’s kind of the same thing for me. It’s amazing where we’re going with it and what we can do with it. To create a sound that has a lasting effect on people, it affects how they feel, is an amazing power to have I suppose.
S: We’ve got a great job now. I used to work behind a bar. So I’m happy that I’m doing something I love.
What are your fans like?
T: They’re dedicated! Very dedicated! We’ve got a cool mix, there’s a variety of different people. There’s a load of different types of people, it’s cool that they can all come together and have a common denominator in us.
S: They’re wicked.
What are your hopes for the future of the band?
T: Worldwide domination! [laughs] I don’t know. Keep going on an upwards slant I suppose. Do I mean a slant? A hill?
S: A mountain? That’s bigger.
T: Yeah. Well, just to keep going up. As long as you’re going up, you’re not fading, are you? That’s what we’re most excited about. Going up. Going international would be fun too. To gig in other countries would be cool.
Loveable Rogues’ What A Night is out on 21 April.
