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He's penned songs for the likes of Beyonce and Mark Ronson, but now Scott McFarnon is launching his own solo career with forthcoming EP Crazy Heart. For Gigwise he shares how he became one of the most sought after songwriters in the industry.
Originally from south east London, he remained underground for years before eventually being discovered by internationally renowned singer-songwriter Amanda Ghost who encouraged him to write for artists including Kelly Rowland, Mark Ronson and Kanye West.
McFarnon was nominated for both a Golden Globe and Grammy Award for his collaboration with Beyonce for 'Once In a Lifetime' which featured in the 2008 film Cadillac Records.
Whatsmore, Daniel Merriweather's version of McFarnon's song 'Red' was a UK hit reaching number five in the charts after being released in 2009. Soon after, the singer-songwriter signed a deal with Sony Epic and began work on his debut album.
His most recent venture sees 'Crazy Heart' as the soundtrack behind the world's largest loop-the-loop challenge ever cycled as part of a stunt for Microsoft Lumia's digital assistant Cortana.
Watch the stunt here:
Gigwise caught up with the man himself to discuss live sets, soundtracks and songwriting.
What is the ideal track you'd use to soundtrack a stunt of this magnitude?
Scott McFarnon: ‘Testify’ by Rage Against The Machine. Something to really get the blood pumpin'. The Battle Of Los Angeles was a hugely anticipated album at the time. I remember cranking it up for first listen and this track just about took my head off! Bone crunching riffs and an intensity that has kept it fighting fresh for years ever since.
What track sums up what it's like to be a songwriter for Beyonce?
‘Something Good’ by Alt-J. Writing the track with Beyoncé was an amazing opportunity. We picked up Grammy and Golden Globe nominations from it - but it was all a bit surreal. I’ve got a good perspective on it all now. My past is a great asset to me. This song by Alt-J tells it like it is – It was definitely something good.
What is the best new band you've heard recently?
I'm loving the debut album by Jungle. The track that really caught me was 'Time’. It sounds amazing. There’s so much happening sonically inside those synths! The vocals are totally unique. Funky as hell, can’t wait to catch them live.
What obscure track needs to be better known?
Not really ‘obscure’, they do have legions of fans, but a track called ‘I Still Do’ by I Am Kloot always blows me away. Beautifully performed, the writing on this is just superb and John Bramwells voice is magic. A perfect song.
Who is the best band you've seen live?
I remember seeing Radiohead playing live a few years ago. The attention to detail, the lengths they went to in creating all the sound-scapes from the album. They were exceptional. They made it all look so easy. They played ‘No Surprises’ from ‘OK Computer’ and ‘Paranoid Android' which was perfect.
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