There are some vocals that are just burned into your brain

Vocals you have sang at the top of your lungs at shows or festivals, or they are soothing you during your weakest moments. Richard Bedford has provided vocals for the highs and lows of the last two decades. Imprinted on our souls, his rich vocals have taken on meanings as they become the soundtracks to our lives. From Anjuna and Armada to a new release on FSOE, Richard Bedford continues to be the leading male of vocals in trance. I had a chance to sit with Grammy Award nominee British singer/songwriter and dive into what he is working on.

First, thank you for taking the time to sit with me today. I am incredibly honored to be talking with you. How are you doing? How has 2023 been so far?

Thank you for inviting me, Danielle. I’m good, 2023 still seems very new honestly, I moved house at the tail end of last year, so I am still sorting some of that out, but I have been tinkering creatively too.

Your newest single, Edge of Tomorrow with Aly and Fila was just released. How did this project come about? Your vocals are incredible, and the lyrics are powerful. What does the meaning of the lyrics mean to you? Do you feel that you were able to express that emotion in this song?

Myself and Aly & Fila had talked over the years about a potential collaboration together but with one thing and another it never materialized, I had a song idea that Chapter 47 was working on, and we decided to join forces with them to create the new single. In terms of meaning, it kind of started with a visual really, someone sleeping in the back of a driving car with no idea where they were going. I guess I wanted the narrative to give a sense of two people moving forward with purpose while facing an uncertain future, show the strength they have and the sense that if they stay together everything will be fine.

You have worked with music royalty and arguably one of the most known male vocals in the trance scene. You have some of the biggest songs in the trance world, Thing Called love, Sun and Moon, Northern Soul, Love Never Came, just to name a few. How do you top these great songs? In electronic music, there is always a debate of vocal vs non vocals. In your opinion, how does your vocals increase the feelings and emotions of a song? Have you ever turned down a track to not add vocals to it? If yes, why? If no, would you ever do that?

I have been incredibly lucky to work with so many talented people over the years honestly, but I think trying to top the last song kind of gets in the way of being creative and I don’t really rank the songs I have done; they all have a special significance. I love electronic music both with and without vocals honestly, I connect more with vocal tracks being a singer myself but several of my favorite tracks are instrumental also, Signalrunners’ Meet Me in Montauk, Super8 & Tab’s Helsinki Scorchin and Hawk’s Need for Cognition, were huge tracks for me when I was first introduced to the scene.

I have had a wide collection of tracks sent over to me over the years, some were fantastic just as they were and didn’t need anything from me and I always try to be honest about that. I find that often tracks are just not written with songs/lyrics in mind, I actually prefer to write the song first and then work with the production team to bring the best out of the song rather than trying to make an instrumental without a song structure into a credible song.

You are currently working on you artist album. How is this process coming along? What can fans expect? What is your target release date for the album?

I don’t have a specific date. I have been working with a friend of mine on a project called Humaniq which is more electronica rather than built for clubs, the project was somewhat delayed through Covid and then my creative partner Jase moved to Portugal so then there were further delays, but we are back working on the project and hoping to start sharing this year.

In terms of my solo album, it is a similar story, I have a large collection of songs I am exploring and was working with a wonderfully talented producer, but Covid also complicated that, but work has started again, I guess it is a case of watch this space, the backroom is busy.

You are a Grammy nominated singer songwriter. You were so close to winning and I can only assume that to be that close is both rewarding and sad. Since being nominated, what were your emotions like right after? Does it create drive for you to reach that goal of becoming a Grammy winning singer songwriter?

Honestly it was amazing to be nominated, of course it would have been nice to win but just to be acknowledged by the industry and your peers is mind-blowing really. It was an emotional experience but not really in terms of winning and losing, I got to share some quality time with my brother Jakey and the Anjuna team in LA and felt very blessed to be involved. In terms of winning a Grammy in the future, of course it would be nice but while I am driven, my focus isn’t really competitive, more wanting to challenge and develop myself creatively.

Finally, if you could only live by one motto what would it be and why?

Good question… Be the change you want to see… I guess making positive changes starts with a small step that feels like a giant leap into the unknown.