Putting us straight into our feels, with their serene new track is Aaron Smith with “Giving Up”. Ushering us in with slow-burning piano chords, the artist puts on a powerful display with soft intimate vocals. Accompanying the release with a warming music video, we see the artist take to the famous Shakespeare Cliff as he unravels a complex relationship filled with lost love and loneliness.

Speaking on the release, the artist, “The song is about trying to get over someone. Despite any hurt and pain you might have caused each other, you still can’t be apart and are still madly in love with them, but ultimately the relationship has to end. This is something I’m sure a lot of people have had difficulty going through. I think the video that Henry Dean has made perfectly captures that.”

Having racked in over 70 million streams with his debut single “Unspoken”, the artist has gone on to top various Spotify playlists and charts. With his headline tour on the way, we spoke with Smith virtually talking all things music.

Check out the interview below…

Hi Aaron, how are you? Where are we talking to you from right now?
Hey! I’m great, thank you. I’m actually out in LA writing at the moment which is amazing!

What is your first memory of music?
My first memory of music is getting my first guitar. It was a Finlayson acoustic which I still do a lot of writing on.

Who do you cite as your musical inspirations? Do you have a favourite album of all time?
My musical inspirations are John Mayer, Chris Martin and Bon Iver. I’ve been listening to a lot of R&B and dance music which has been a real inspiration to me. My favourite album of all time is ‘Only By The Night’ by Kings of Leon. It was my mum’s favourite album and she used to play it in the car all the time.

Congratulations on the release of your track, “Giving Up”. Talk to us about the meaning behind the track!
Thank you so much! “Giving Up” is about trying to move on from someone or something that you love but you just can’t. I struggled a lot with alcohol and it was really about my relationship with that.

Classic instrumentation also featured on the track, do you play any instruments yourself?
I worked with an amazing producer called Lostboy which is why the track sounds so good. I mainly play guitar and piano but really try to find my way around any instrument. Apart from drums. I’m hopeless with them. One day perhaps!

And, it comes accompanied by a very intimate music video! What inspired the visuals?
We wanted to capture a very cinematic video. Henry Dean was the director and I think we’ve got a perfect concept that works so well with the track. There is definitely a nod or two in there to the film ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’ which was one of the inspirations behind the idea.

What was it like shooting against the beautiful backdrop of Shakespeare Cliff?
I loved filming at Samphire Hoe. It was such a beautiful setting, but very cold when we shot it in December!

How do you want people to feel when they hear the track?
I want people to take their own meaning from this track. It might be a sad song but I also think there is a lot of hope in it too

What is next for you, do you have any big plans for 2022?
I’m very excited for 2022. I’m looking forward to getting more music out, doing my first headline tour, playing festivals and just being happy and feeling fortunate for the year ahead

“Giving Up” is out now via global artist services company Platoon