Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter Jack Stark has the perfect single to get us through the Winter, his calming deep vocals making 'As Feathers' one of this songs imbued with cosiness and warmth. As he revealed to us in an interview, all he wants is to connect to people with his music, and he's going the right way about it.

Jack StarkJack Stark

For those who may be new to your music, how best would you describe your sound?

Isolated at times, but wholesome. It's primarily me and an acoustic guitar but there is the occasional release of electric guitars, synths, keys and all sorts. Sometimes cheating and making a guitar sound like something else. 

What challenges have you faced in the music industry so far?

My biggest challenge is just making sure that everyone who would like this record gets to hear it. I want the whole world to sample it so the record can find more and more people who want to be part of this family that is connected by it.

How difficult would you say this career path is in terms of making a name for yourself?

It's very difficult. There's so many amazing artists and musicians out there that having your name said above the crowd is almost an impossible task, but only almost impossible...

How important is it for you to have creative control over the work you produce?

It's probably the most important thing. I spent a long time with this record, not really going through with the recording process but simply trying to find a place to make it come to life in the way I wanted it to. I eventually settled on recording it myself with the help of a buddy of mine. That meant we could stay away from sound-proofed studios that have only the best mics and instruments so we could make a record that sounded like it was actually recorded by people with their own hands. I want whoever's listening to my music to really feel like they're there with me, like I'm playing to them, not at them.

Where do you draw influence and inspiration from for your work?

A lot of my inspiration comes simply from my own experiences. There's a lot I don't know how to deal with at the time, when enough time has passed, however, I start to discover there's a part of me that is relentlessly crying out to be heard and a lot of what's looking to be heard is the person I was looking forward to being, not letting me completely get away with silently moving on.

If you could collaborate with anybody going forward, who would you choose and why?

Sigur Ros, hands down. They've always been able to make anything sound so angelic. I've actually chosen not to look into what goes into a Sigur Ros number because it's so magical to begin with that it's not something I want to materialise.

Tell us a random, funny fact about you that not many people know.

I have a strange accent, that up here in Scotland no one knows what to do with or how to place me. I do enjoy that.

Do you have definitive aims or goals for your career?

Selling out The Mash House in Edinburgh would be the dream! Though my aim is just to say exactly what it is I want to say and to have as many people hear it as possible, that's it. 

Where do you hope to be this time next year?

With the full record released by then... I don't know. We'll see what happens, I can never keep my mouth shut for too long.

What should we expect from you in the coming weeks and months?

I have a second single in the works that I'm very excited to release! That could be close to the end of January but I hope even more people get to hear it than how many got to hear 'As Feathers'. I want this family to grow because thus far the support has been amazing.