January 4 2015
A SONG made in a Nottingham bedroom has reached Number 2 in the first singles chart of 2015. Wish You Were Mine by 21-year-old Philip George from Chilwell beat a host of major music stars in the Official UK Singles Chart, announced last night on Radio 1. They included Kanye West and Paul McCartney, Take That, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Olly Murs and X Factor winner Ben Haenow.
It was kept off the top spot by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, which had its second week at No. 1.
“It’s unreal,” says the DJ, who quit his two part-time jobs at Next and Chilwell Manor Golf Club just three weeks ago to pursue his music career full-time.
“I’d have been buzzing for it just to get in the Top 10 so to be Number 2 with my first single is beyond anything I could have imagined.
“Uptown Funk is an amazing track.”
It would have been the first Number 1 single by a Nottingham artist in 23 years.
Listeners to Radio 1 heard him join presenter Jameela Jalil in the studio for the news.
She said: “What a sweet guy. I wish it had been No. 1.”
Wish You Were Mine was released last week after regular plays on Radio 1.
“I’ve been posting tracks on Soundcloud regularly,” he says of the music website where anyone can upload their own songs to be listened to for free.
“Out of nowhere Wish You Were Mine just started getting plays. People liked it and shared it among their friends on the internet. There was no big publicity machine behind it.”
The track has been played over three million times on the site, while the video has had more than a million views on YouTube.
“I had no idea it was going to be this big at all. It’s gone through the roof.”
The success of the track caught the attention of dance label 3 Beat, who released it last week. Radio 1’s Fearne Cotton and Greg James have been championing the song, a 90s-style house track that samples Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour.
“Stevie Wonder apparently likes it and wants to meet me.” says Philip.
“That would be mint. And there is talk of it being released in the US on Motown, which is Stevie Wonder’s label.”
Philip, who DJs around the UK but has yet to do so in his home city, started playing the piano at the age of five.
“My mum said the first song I learned was Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You, which is so freaky.”
As well as studying the piano to Grade 5 level, he also played drums but the first music he made in his bedroom studio was drum ‘n’ bass before friends got him into house music.
“I went to Ibiza and it was incredible. That darker side of house, it changed my whole vision of music. I decided that was what I wanted to do.”
He adds: “There are no musicians in the family. My mum works at a dance studio and for the council, my dad is a handyman and gardener.
“My grandma thinks she can play the piano,” he laughs.
“I think I have to hand it to my mum because she saw me playing around an old keyboard from my grandma and decided I should have piano lessons.
“I’m always making songs, that’s how I relax, as well as it being my job now. I’ve got loads of songs finished which I want to get out there.”
Philip, who says his dream collaboration would be Sam Smith, will be making his Nottingham debut as a DJ at Stealth on January 17.
Nottingham’s last No. 1 single was Please Don’t Go by KWS in 1992, although Sherwood songwriter Paul Joyce was responsible for the tune, Can We Fix It?, a Christmas No. 1 in 2000 for Bob The Builder.
The last album to reach the top was Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut three years ago.
A SONG made in a Nottingham bedroom has reached Number 2 in the first singles chart of 2015. Wish You Were Mine by 21-year-old Philip George from Chilwell beat a host of major music stars in the Official UK Singles Chart, announced last night on Radio 1. They included Kanye West and Paul McCartney, Take That, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Olly Murs and X Factor winner Ben Haenow.
It was kept off the top spot by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk, which had its second week at No. 1.
“It’s unreal,” says the DJ, who quit his two part-time jobs at Next and Chilwell Manor Golf Club just three weeks ago to pursue his music career full-time.
“I’d have been buzzing for it just to get in the Top 10 so to be Number 2 with my first single is beyond anything I could have imagined.
“Uptown Funk is an amazing track.”
It would have been the first Number 1 single by a Nottingham artist in 23 years.
Listeners to Radio 1 heard him join presenter Jameela Jalil in the studio for the news.
She said: “What a sweet guy. I wish it had been No. 1.”
Wish You Were Mine was released last week after regular plays on Radio 1.
“I’ve been posting tracks on Soundcloud regularly,” he says of the music website where anyone can upload their own songs to be listened to for free.
“Out of nowhere Wish You Were Mine just started getting plays. People liked it and shared it among their friends on the internet. There was no big publicity machine behind it.”
The track has been played over three million times on the site, while the video has had more than a million views on YouTube.
“I had no idea it was going to be this big at all. It’s gone through the roof.”
The success of the track caught the attention of dance label 3 Beat, who released it last week. Radio 1’s Fearne Cotton and Greg James have been championing the song, a 90s-style house track that samples Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour.
“Stevie Wonder apparently likes it and wants to meet me.” says Philip.
“That would be mint. And there is talk of it being released in the US on Motown, which is Stevie Wonder’s label.”
Philip, who DJs around the UK but has yet to do so in his home city, started playing the piano at the age of five.
“My mum said the first song I learned was Stevie Wonder’s I Just Called To Say I Love You, which is so freaky.”
As well as studying the piano to Grade 5 level, he also played drums but the first music he made in his bedroom studio was drum ‘n’ bass before friends got him into house music.
“I went to Ibiza and it was incredible. That darker side of house, it changed my whole vision of music. I decided that was what I wanted to do.”
He adds: “There are no musicians in the family. My mum works at a dance studio and for the council, my dad is a handyman and gardener.
“My grandma thinks she can play the piano,” he laughs.
“I think I have to hand it to my mum because she saw me playing around an old keyboard from my grandma and decided I should have piano lessons.
“I’m always making songs, that’s how I relax, as well as it being my job now. I’ve got loads of songs finished which I want to get out there.”
Philip, who says his dream collaboration would be Sam Smith, will be making his Nottingham debut as a DJ at Stealth on January 17.
Nottingham’s last No. 1 single was Please Don’t Go by KWS in 1992, although Sherwood songwriter Paul Joyce was responsible for the tune, Can We Fix It?, a Christmas No. 1 in 2000 for Bob The Builder.
The last album to reach the top was Jake Bugg’s self-titled debut three years ago.
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