Overview
George Sheppard, lead singer of the band Sheppard has headlined with incredible artists and toured all over the world. He talks about what they did as a band when they first heard one of their songs on the radio, and why relationships are critical in the music industry.
Topics Discussed
- The start of the band was a gradual process and there were different phases.
- He originally wanted to do theatre and film, and not music.
- At what point did your ambition change from doing songs for fun to becoming serious about music?
- They performed at an event and got an actual gig.
- A friend came in town to play with them and just stayed to write music and work with the band.
- What took you to the next level?
- It always starts with the music itself.
- Their primary school music teacher knew a major music producer and sent their music on to him.
- In 2012 they met Michael Chugg and got to play music for him.
- Michael emailed them a few months later asking to go to a show they had.
- He took them on as a band and was their manager.
- Is acting still your dream?
- He still loves it and would like to jump back in eventually.
- How important are relationships to success?
- They’re everything. You can be the greatest musician of all time, but it’s a team effort.
- He enjoys meeting cool and interesting people, not mercenary networking.
- George talks about hearing their song on the radio for the first time.
- How do you know when a song is going to be a big hit?
- You can never predict it – it starts with the song, but then there’s a host of things that have to go right.
- A band needs a story, it’s not enough just to release a song.
- What artists do you look up to and get along with?
- Robbie Williams was a huge inspiration for them and Sheppard was a support act for him.
- Robbie waited for them after the show and mentioned collaborating on songs with him.
- Robbie Williams was a huge inspiration for them and Sheppard was a support act for him.
- How do you get into a flow state?
- It’s more realistic to treat it like a job and show up every day to write.
- Creating new music gets George most excited.
- How important has consistency been in contributing to the quality of your music?
- The more you do something, the better you get at it.
- If you spend your time getting your mind focused and show up every day, you’d be surprised at how much more seriously you take it.
- Do you believe that who you know or what you know is more important, and why?
- Who you know is more beneficial in terms of benefitting your career.
- While he didn’t grow up doing music or have formal education, they take their craft seriously.
- What event was the most fun?
- Rockin’ Rio in Brazil
- They had 100,000+ people in front of them and around the stage.
- What does backstage at the show look like?
- They don’t always get to mingle with the other artists, the biggest names try to separate themselves a bit.
- How has it been learning the business side of what you do?
- In the beginning, they had to figure it out as quickly as possible.
- What’s next for Sheppard?
- They’re in the pre-planning stages for album number three.
- They’re writing, recording, and returning to Europe.
The Random Round:
- What profession other than your own do you think it would be fun to attempt?
- Acting
- If you could sit on a park bench with anyone for an hour who would it be, and why?
- Chris Martin from Coldplay
- How do you like to consume content?
- Audio and movies
- What’s a movie you’d recommend?
- Hereditary – a psychological horror film
- Give us a glimpse of your morning routine.
- Wake up, roll over, hit snooze 7 or 8 times.
- He’s not a morning person.
- What is something that you are not very good at?
- Mornings
- What is your go-to pump up song?
- Bonfire by Knife Party
- BLKKK SKKKN Head by Kanye
- What is one place where we can find you the most?
- wearesheppard.com
- YouTube and Instagram at We Are Sheppard
3 Key Points:
- To achieve success you need to know the right people for the job and talk to as many people as you can.
- You need to treat everyone like they’re the VIP because they very well might be.
- Consistency is key, without it you begin to lose your edge.
Tweetable Quotes:
- You can be the best musician in the world, but if you’re not releasing music that people want to hear it’s not going to lead you anywhere.” – George
- “Success is a team effort.” – George
- “The people who win in the long run are the ones who like to genuinely connect with other people.” -Travis
Resources Mentioned:
- Visit Travis’ website at Buildyournetwork.co
- Join the Build Your Network Facebook group BYN.media/fb
- Find Sheppard on like at wearesheppard.com
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