Allman Brown is a London-based singer songwriter who announced himself back in 2013 with the wonderfully emotive and poignant single “Sons And Daughters”, a collaboration with fellow Londoner Liz Lawrence. To date, the song remains the bedrock of Allman Brown’s ever expanding catalogue, with over four million Spotify streams, half a million YouTube views, a number two placing on Hype Machine, numerous online cover versions and a raft of notable placements on US TV dramas, including the likes of Parenthood, Reign and Beauty And The Beast.
“Sons and Daughters was the first song I felt truly proud of”, reveals Brown. “It is honest, heartfelt and not afraid to be vulnerable. Seeing people all over the world respond to that means everything to me.”
Born in Hong Kong and moving to London at the age of 11, Brown was raised on a diet of Bruce Springsteen and Joni Mitchell, before latterly discovering the qualities of ever-changing male troubadours such as Justin Vernon, Ryan Adams, James Vincent McMorrow and Sufjan Stevens. Much like these lauded artists, Brown has never been afraid to incorporate new and different styles into his own music.
The likes of “Ancient Light” and “Palms”, for example, represent a sojourn into the world of soft and subtle electronica, whilst never losing the emotional punch of the folk-influenced works that set out his stall. The barnstorming “Don’t Let Me Go” and the driving “Fires”, on the other hand, is a venture into straight up AOR – the latter perhaps the most direct thing Brown has ever committed to record. “I like variety. I needed to write a bigger song and Fires is what came out”, Brown acknowledges.
It’s a formula and approach that has, thus far, paid dividends throughout Brown’s career – his material has been featured on high profile blogs such as Indie Shuffle, Hillydilly and CLASH, well known global Spotify playlists and the aforementioned TV shows. It has also seen Brown tread the boards at a number of sold out London headline shows, and stages as far afield as Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles and New York.
2017 has seen Brown finally release his debut full-length album, entitled ‘1000 Years’. The eleven-song record, a combination of old favourites and new songs (including latest viral single “Sweetest Thing”), represents an artist exploring his past, present and future with an ever expanding set of musical tools anchored by a beautiful, rich and distinctive voice. “This album represents and means a great deal to me. I hope that all those who listen will get a glimpse of the times and emotions it contains.”