 How did Dr Fabola come to be?
It’s been a long, zigzag road getting here, and yet it’s only just beginning. When I was younger I enrolled in music summer schools and took music courses during term time as well. It started just as a way to pass the time and I originally learned the piano and bass guitar just to look cool. Though I didn’t realize this at the time, it laid a foundation for me which I’ve built on over the years. I later picked up the guitar and got really into fingerpicking, started writing songs, then performing in music venues, then releasing music, and that brings us here really :) I picked this stage name – Dr Fabola – by combining my professional title (Computer Science PhD) and my surname (Fabola) for uniqueness ;) Do you have any releases coming up this year? Yes yes yes :) I’m releasing my 8-track “Good Times EP” pretty soon; the first single will be out on June 25 th (2021). The EP is a collection of old songs, written at a time that’s not so long ago but yet feels like ages because of all we’ve been through recently, hence the “Good Times” title, which is a homage to a time when all of what we’re going through now was practically inconceivable. It takes me back to a different, pre-pandemic time in my life. I’ve also got many more tracks which we worked in the studio at the end of last year. Keep an eye out on my socials for latest updates and more info :) What is something you want listeners to take away from your music? I hope that my music listeners feel good. I hope listeners get a warm, fuzzy feeling in their core, a feeling that reminds us of what it means to be human, to take pleasure in the little things and to be kind to each other. Above all I hope they enjoy it and find it relatable :) With everything that is going on in our world what is one cause or organization that you are passionate about? I know you asked for one cause, but I’ll give you 3, sorry :)…I’m passionate about (1) sustainable living and protecting the environment (2) human rights & wellbeing, and (3) animal rights. As for organizations, I prefer to not be prescriptive on this; if you care about any of these issues (or any other issues really), you can support the organizations that are close to your heart or those that operate in/near your geographical location :) What is your writing process like? It’s difficult to articulate my writing process because I don’t exactly have a formula for it and it isn’t set in stone, at least not in my mind. The thing is I generally write a lot, sometimes for writing/journaling sake to help process my emotions, and sometimes I write with intention and purpose to create a song. I also play around with ideas in my mind while walking or running. There are times when I start a song by just chilling with my guitar, playing around with melodies, and then I come up with lyrics based on how I’m feeling in the moment, or what’s on my mind. Other times I take some words I’ve written and come up with suitable melodies based on the vibes the song is headed in. Sometimes everything comes rushing altogether, all at once. That’s when I know for sure that I’m on to something, and it’ll be rude to not tune into it :) To follow up with the last question, what inspires your sound? My sound is largely inspired by Folk, Blues and Jazz music, blended together in predominantly acoustic fashion. At the center of it all is my West-African heritage and early exposure to Hi-life and Reggae, which I’ve combined with classical guitar techniques and my love of Folk storytelling, Blues guitar and Jazz improvisation. Over the years I’ve been heavily influenced by some of my favorite artists like Tallest Man on Earth, Passenger, Tracy Chapman and Jack Johnson but I like to think that the aforementioned blend and combination makes me and my sound unique. Any tours coming up soon? I’ve not got any full tours on at the moment, got a few gigs lined up here and there though. If you’re in Manchester on Saturday June 19 th , come to WitchKingsRum in Ancoats to hear me play a full set in a fantastic cocktail bar :) Anything you would like to tell our readers? Yes…thank you for giving me a moment of your time, thank you for taking a chance on new artists like me, and thank you for supporting musicians in these trying times. If you’d like to keep up with what I’m up to, please check out my socials, I’m @DrFabola everywhere :) www.instagram.com/drfabola www.facebook.com/drfabola
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