Elyar Fox on Bieber comparisons and debut single Do It All Over Again

New pop hunk Elyar Fox says he doesn’t mind being compared to the likes of Justin Bieber and Conor Maynard after making the jump from online smash to record label darling.

The 18-year-old Londoner is set to take over the airwaves this winter with his debut single, Do It All Over Again, and got signed to Sony’s RCA label after clocking up over 14 million hits on YouTube with his cover versions of songs.

‘They are both successful and doing really well right now. I would be flattered to be compared to someone as successful and making great music,’ the singer told Guilty Pleasures, saying he doesn’t object to comparisons.

‘What separates me is that I came from a rock background and I started out when I was 13 in a pop-punk band in high school and gigging doing all the messy pubs and bars and stuff. I think [it gives me] a different edge to the other guys,’ he said.

With his single’s lyrics detailing his lust to find a girl that ‘keeps me up all night’, Fox insists his track is perfectly innocent.

‘It’s not about shagging! It’s about partying!’ he laughed – with a knowing wink.

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures Friday 22 November 2013]

Conor Maynard: I won't kiss & tell

Conor Maynard might be back with a new song about an ex-girlfriend he needs to vent about, but he refuses to name and shame his former lovers.

The Brighton lad, 20, has brought out a bit of attitude with his infectious new tune R U Crazy, but he draws the line at how bad ass he will be.

‘I would never kiss and tell. I’m not that kind of person,’ he told Guilty Pleasures in an exclusive chat.

‘I think everyone has got their crazy ex relationships they need to vent about,’ he said explaining the lyrics of the tune, adding: ‘It’s about the situation where if you try to rekindle a relationship it becomes apparent it’s not going to work.’

While Conor might be keeping mum about his former conquests, he already has the perfect deflection plan should any unscrupulous ladies attempt to accuse him of writing the track about them.

‘I can pass the blame to Labrinth!’ he laughs, name checking the London record producer, adding: ‘I co-wrote the track with him so I can pass it to him and say it was all his idea. That’s my way out.’

Currently single Conor may be licking his wounds following a secret relationship that recently ended badly (‘It’s still a bit fresh’), would be admirers can start lining up as he wouldn’t dismiss a new squeeze in the near future.

‘For me it’s more about a connection,’ he told us, dismissing any preference for blondes over brunettes.

‘If they like the same humour or music, then it can work. The only thing I’m not too keen on is if they are taller than me. I’m five ten – so it can be embarrassing if they have heels on.

Relationships aside, the singer is looking forward to the release of his new single (out in October) and is hoping to match the success of his first album, in the new year.

‘There is a bit of pressure for the second album. You can’t top number 1, you can only match it. But the response for the new single so far has definitely been positive.’

With his debut album being titled Contrast, the star is also considering another pun-tinged title for his follow up.

‘I was thinking about calling the second album Continued, but can I really do that? He laughed, adding: ‘Or Contraception. Only joking.’

[Originally published Metro Guilty Pleasures 28 August 2013]

Conor Maynard

“A million is not enough anymore,” brags 19-year-old Brighton lad Conor Maynard – he’s not referring to outrageous earnings, though we’re reasonably confident that that too is on the horizon. The young singer found success online by covering popular songs on YouTube, his videos racking in high audiences. A cover of Ne-Yo’s “Beautiful Monster” scored a million views and video hits followed suit. “After that it just rocketed,” he beams, “I now have two videos that have over eight million views each, and others with two or three. It’s amazing.”
Discovering his talents, seemingly by accident, was a girl at school who overheard Conor singing the R Kelly and Usher song “Same Girl”. The following day word spread among the student populace and Conor found himself being hassled to sing all the time. Eventually he decided to upload his efforts on the internet and share his vocals more easily. As the online visits skyrocketed, it wasn’t long before interest came from a suspicious source.
“I was contacted by someone from New York who said they worked with Ne-Yo and that he wanted to sign me,” he recalls, “the caller sounded like he had such a typical New Yorker accent that I thought it could be one of my friends down the road. But we arranged to have a meeting over Skype, and one night I received a Skype call; it said ‘Santos calling’ or something, and I thought ‘Oh god, is it going to be all my friends having a laugh?’ – but it was Ne-Yo. He said, ‘Hello sir.’”
After one of the biggest names in R&B pop had shown interest, attention quickly followed from major record labels. “They were all asking, ‘who is this British kid that Ne-Yo wants to work with?’” Signing to Parlophone at the end of last year, he is now preparing for the release of his debut single. But wait, an internet star who draws the attention of a major artist and gets signed by a major label to release their own material… didn’t Justin Bieber live this modern fairy tale already?
“If I am going to be compared to one of the biggest artists in the world right now, then it’s not a bad start,” Conor ripostes. “But the album will cut through the comparison,” he adds confidently. Working with major names across the globe, including Jermaine Dupri who produced Usher’s, one of his idols, albums, his pop-infused, hip-hop-tinged beats will see him closer to his ultimate hero, Justin Timberlake (“he has done everything I want to do with my life”). But he’s already well on his way to success with awards – he was granted the MTV Brand New For 2012 gong even before he released his debut single, “Can’t Say No”. And with a 175, 000-members Facebook fan page and a YouTube channel that’s the 7th most watched channel in the UK, he’s got his online fans’ unwavering support on his side. But has he received any suggestive emails or tweets from fans yet?
“I don’t think I’ve had any cases of that just yet,” he laughs. “But someone once told me that they conceived a baby while one of my songs was playing in the background. Which must have been a beautiful moment. But it’s kind of weird at the same time.”

[Originally published in Rollacoaster Issue 4, February 2012. Photography by Ben McDade.]