Underground Press had the opportunity to sit down with Seth Cort, who has just dropped his debut single, 'Hold On', currently available on all streaming platforms. We sat down with him ahead of the big day to get to know him a little more. Seth Cort is a singer-songwriter-musician whose acoustic folk-pop sound is guaranteed to get your ears itching for more. 

For those who have not heard of you just yet, how would you describe your music and yourself as an artist Seth?

I’m a storyteller, singer-songwriter-musician, that transports audiences through a musical journey. I aim to tell people's stories through my own perspective, with hopes of creating a space where my listeners can relate to these stories in their own lives. I would describe my sound & genre as: very acoustically orientated Folk-pop.

As an upcoming solo artist playing a varied range of styles and instruments, how important is it to have a versatile command of various genres and styles, and do you have any personal preferences?

I feel it’s very important to have this versatility, because by understanding and drawing inspiration from many different styles and genres you can create music that can be interpreted and enjoyed by many different listeners with different music tastes. Learning multiple instruments has helped expand my musical knowledge and playing style drastically, as well as helped me develop my unique sound by fusing these sounds together into my own songs. I recently played a Mandolin and I’ve completely fallen in love with it. I’m planning on investing in my own personal Mandolin very soon.

Looking back at the giants of the past, who inspired you most to become an artist, and what have you incorporated most from their contribution into your own style and offering?

The artists that inspired me aren’t from that far back in the past. I’d say that a fusion of The Lumineers, Matthew Mole and Jeremy Loops has helped me create my style. The Lumineers taught me how to write songs & tell stories with my songs, Matthew Mole and Jeremy Loops have inspired a lot of my song writing and guitar playing.

Your debut single ‘Hold On’ is out today. When and where did you record and produce ‘Hold On’, and who were all the instrumental artisans working with you in recording, producing, and mastering to bring your debut single to life? What also stands as absolute highlights from this period?

The song was recorded, produced, and mastered at Havoc Studios SA by me and Mark Haze. I recorded the main vocals and backing vocals, as well as most of the guitar work. Mark handled the keys, bass, percussive work and created the distinct choir that is heard in the song with multiple recordings of his voice. During this period, it was tough to make time to get into the studio, because I was extremely busy with Matric exams & tests, but I would say the highlight from this period was listening to the final product after all the producing and mastering was finished. I was just so filled with excitement for the future to come.

How, and where did you meet the legend that is Mark Haze, and how did you come to work together?

I met Mark after one of his shows, and we were chatting about what he was doing during the covid lockdown when the music industry was entirely shutdown. From this he told us how he started doing producing and studio work, and just like that the connection was made!

Would you say ‘Hold On’ sets the tone for the rest of your upcoming singles?

Not completely no. I specifically made ‘Hold On’ to have a more Pop sound with hopes that it would be more widely accepted by radio, and I plan on releasing more music with this sound, but I can also guarantee that I’m going to explore and release more of my songs that have a much larger folk & acoustic presence.

Give us some insights into your ideation-and-creation process. How do you craft your songs and sound?

Normally I come up with the music first (this being a guitar progression), but many times it all just flows out at the same time. I will simply just start playing my guitar and I’d start singing as the emotions and lyrics come to me. My mind is usually all over the place hearing ideas for riffs, harmonies, melodies, and lyrics in everything around me. Sometimes lyrics are even inspired by the words of a text message.

What excites you the most about playing live?

Playing live shows is my favourite thing to do in the world! I love the energy and adrenaline I feel when performing for big crowds, while really connecting with the audience and the music I’m playing.

How do you believe changes in the Music Industry over the past decade influenced Artists, per example the advent of Streaming Services? Do you believe they have been beneficial or adverse, and how have you as an Artist adapted to survive and thrive?

I feel that the ability to stream music online has definitely made music more accessible for listeners all over the world and streaming platforms such as Spotify make it easier for new artists to get recognised. Unfortunately, this concept has a good side and bad side. The bad side being that it ultimately causes artists to lose out on potential earnings that they would have made from selling CDs or Records, because this is an almost non-existent practice in today’s online streaming world. Even though artists do make some income from streaming platforms when their song is streamed, the truth is that the large corporate businesses that own these platforms end up getting the better end of the deal and claiming most of the profits.

Getting my name and music out there has been a challenge. I’ve found that the best way to share my content out there is through social media posts and marketing, but also through word of mouth and live performance. Unfortunately, social media can only get you so far and I’ve found that having an actual audience that you can address and play your music to is a very effective method of sharing my music out to the public.

What else have you got on your radar, beyond the release of ‘Hold On’ as a single? Is anything also planned as eye candy insofar as possible Music Videos? And what have you got planned for the near future, insofar as shows where can present-and-new fans see you live?

There is a music video in the works and it’s currently in the finalization phase, and it can be expected to be released relatively soon after the single has dropped. I’m always busy creating a few new demo tracks in my home studio that will later be transformed into future releases, as well as, learning the ropes of producing and marketing. Another project that I’ve started is a band named ‘Sons Of Selemi’. The band is relatively new and over the next few months we are hoping for it to gain some more traction, and so you can expect to see the band performing in Cape Town and the surrounding suburbs.

Where can present and new fans catch you live, and where should they go to visit and support you online?

As for Seth Cort shows, more information regarding them will be shared on my social media accounts:

• All Links linktr.ee
• Facebook: facebook.com/music.seth.cort
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/seth.cort
• Twitter: twitter.com/seth_cort
• YouTube: youtube.com/channel/UCQTKh6pj2mA0Q6YgdFd3vnw
• Debut single 'Hold On' produced by Mark Haze is available from today Friday 21 April at hypeddit.com/sethcort

Any final parting words of wisdom, or special shoutouts?

The release of my single has been a very exciting but overwhelming experience and so, for me only being 18 years old

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