Linda Jobling talks to Jack Savoretti about his latest album and big-time touring

HAVING been thrown in at the deep end of the music industry as a fresh-faced, 20-year-old singer-songwriter, Jack Savoretti is dedicating his new album, Sleep No More, to everybody and everything who has helped him reach the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel during his struggle to find himself.

“There’s a lot more gratitude in this album, there’s a lot more confidence. It’s a sort of thank you letter to everybody that’s been loyal. There’s a sort of awakening I guess, a bit more understanding of what’s actually important in life and what isn’t," says Jack about putting a lifetime of emotions in one release. “It’s kind of about all the things that keep me up at night. I think it’s about growing up and having different responsibilities,” he adds.

Jack will be showcasing the album on an upcoming tour, which includes Newcastle’s O2 Academy on Wednesday. “We’re really looking forward to playing these songs live,” he says, adding that the tour will also include the evergreens as a tribute to those who made it all possible. “Oh, I don’t forget old friends and the guys that got us here,” he adds.

Asked about how he first became interested in music, Jack says: “I was given a cassette by my dad, and it had Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel on it, and that was kind of it.” While he credits Paul Simon with being largely responsible for him becoming a singer-songwriter “from the beginning”, he admits to taking inspiration from a variety of musical sources around him. “Everything I listen to is an influence,” Jack says, sounding like an old poet who sees the beauty in all things. “I grew up listening to a lot of Mediterranean music, and a lot of music from California in the 1960s was kind of my favourite point of reference.”

He's has made no secret of the fact that his journey to success has been a labour of love – long and painstaking. “That’s what this is all about. I think it was never going to be easy, easy come, easy go. I’m very grateful that this was a bit of a struggle, but we made it and you know we’re gonna be doing these tours and venues that, actually, I’ve played before. Then, I was always supporting other people and it’s taken ten years to get there on my own and I’m glad we’ve done it because now I know why we’re here and nobody gave us anything,” he says, speaking in the plural to indicate his support team.

Jack recalls the moment when he finally knew he had “arrived” in the music business. “It was when I was recognised at passport control. Someone asked him if I was related when spotting the Italian name on my passport. So that was that," he jokes.

Now a family man with two young children and not much time for leisure activities, Jack is appreciative of the simple things in life. “Being at home is relaxing” he says, “That’s definitely where I get to feel human again”.

There must have been some challenging times during his tempestuous career. Who helped him survive them? “The people around me,” he says without hesitation. “The people around me are the reason I’m still here, I’ve got my wife, but also everybody I work with from the people on stage with me, to the people behind the stage. Nobody is here because they have to be here, they’re here because they want to be, and that’s what’s really amazing. Life is what you surround yourself by, they’re the people that give you the memories, protect you and stand with you.”

Jack reveals that he has a blank canvas when it comes to ambition. “I kind of took ‘achievements’ out of my vocabulary, it’s like a dirty word to me, because I think when you set yourself these finish lines you also set yourself up for disappointment. I’m rarely disappointed because I have no expectations.”

  • Jack Savoretti – O2 Academy, Newcastle. Tickets available from:

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/jack-savoretti-newcastle-upon-tyne-16-11-2016/event/370050FBA5B32895?artistid=33646&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=60