Q&A: Craig Stickland
ELOQUENT BUT POWERFUL - Every note Craig Stickland belts leaves his listener wanting more. Stickland’s emotive tracks showcase his captivating falsetto and heart pulling instrumentals. His debut album, Starlit Afternoon, centers around his personal experience, inviting the audience into his heart and soul. The Los Angeles-based Canadian recorded the project in self-converted sustainable Sprinter Van, giving his all to each track. Read below to learn more about the album, his influences and more.
LUNA: You wrote your first song at 15 - I imagine a lot has changed since this but other things have probably stuck. What is the biggest way you’ve seen your music evolve? What’s stayed the same?
STICKLAND: Songwriting is a craft and like any other skill, the more you do it, the more you improve. I think the quality of my writing has gotten a lot better through the years, and the tools that I’ve learnt from collaborators have stuck with me along the way.
LUNA: Can you share a favorite memory from the creative process for Starlit Afternoon?
STICKLAND: Because it was such a whirlwind journey that took a year of my life with many ups downs, when we started honing in on final versions and were getting mixes back, it brought me incredible satisfaction. Driving through my second home of LA listening to the mixes are moments I’ll always remember.
LUNA: Were there any influences, both musical and non, that shaped the flow of the album?
STICKLAND: For me music is like therapy, and when I’m feeling something very deeply I express it through my writing. It’s love that makes me feel the most, so the relationships I had during the process are what inspired me the most.
LUNA: Which track was the most difficult to make? Why did you stick with it?
STICKLAND: There were a few where sonically they had their challenges. Making sure that the production matches the song perfectly is never easy. "Good Love" took me the longest to write, and I stuck with it through the years because I felt something special with it.
LUNA:Your music has a really strong emotive pull to it. How has music served as an outlet for you?
STICKLAND: Music has always been something that I turn to when I’m feeling something very deeply. I love relating to an artist that has gone through something similar to what I’m going through and has found a great way to put it into words. As an artist I try to do the same for my listeners. I strive to be specific enough about something that happened to me, but broad enough that everyone can relate and understand.
LUNA: A lot of the songs stem from personal experiences, is it difficult for you to share that raw side of yourself?
STICKLAND: It can be at times, and I can often get emotional listening back to my own music. If I haven’t listened to a song of mine in a few years, when I re-listen it brings me right back to exactly what I was feeling when I wrote it.
LUNA: What has been inspiring you lately?
STICKLAND: I’m always inspired by my personal experiences, feelings and emotions. The daily things I go through in life, that we all experience in some form or another. I try to find the best expression of that and create it into a song.
LUNA: What do you want people to take away from album?
STICKLAND: I want people to connect to my album on a very personal level. It’s truly a journey through my life over the last few years. I hope people can relate to the songs and experiences I’ve written about.
LUNA: Big question so take it how you like - what intentions do you have for 2020?
STICKLAND: I hope this album spreads in a big way and that I’ll be able to tour the world sharing it with fans! I love being on the road and being inspired to write the next song.
