Walthamstow singer Pallab Sarker can’t believe his luck at finding success in the US with his debut single, Morning in Brixton.

The 39-year-old, was inspired to write his track after being inspired by the morning skyline after travelling home from a gig in Brixton.

Despite being a homage to London, the song has been well-received in the States and has been played on a number of college radio stations, including The College Underground Radio Network, the number one internet radio station chain for American colleges.

American music magazines have since been in touch with him, as well as Full Access Magazine, which is best known in Florida and Detroit, and he has recently signed a contract with Bongo Boy Records.

Pallab grew up in a musical family, as his mother was a poet and storyteller when he was growing up and wrote a lot about her youth in Bangladesh.

He explains why his own interest in music began after being bought a guitar as a child and immediately feeling an emotional response and connection with the audience after his first gig…

Can you describe your sound and style of music?

I originally started out in an indie rock band, formed just as I was leaving university. It began as me and a friend from university. We did that for over ten years, recording and gigging, but as I got older, got married and had kids it became increasingly difficult to keep such a strong focus on the band. At the same time, like many people with access to musical instruments and intrigued by how modern technology was liberating home recording and making solo recording a richer and deeper experience, I began exploring that.

As I’ve grown older I suppose the music has too. The best description is probably acoustic indie though I don’t think its genre specific. It’s less heavy than when I started out in a band, more mellow and soulful. To broaden the musical palette I brought in some of the musicians I’ve met more recently in Walthamstow. This includes classically trained musicians playing cello on the record. Grey Day is my first solo album and it took about a year to put it together. Morning in Brixton is the first single from the album.

What was your inspiration behind your new single, Morning in Brixton?

It was Brixton itself – this song was originally written about 10-12 years ago, when I spent a lot of time going to gigs in Brixton, and would often stay over with friends. The light was stunning, one summer morning as I left a friend’s house to travel back to Walthamstow. That’s the beauty of London – you can really see the changing colours in the skyline. I began having this melody going around in my head so as soon as I got home I sat down with a guitar and wrote the basic outline of the song in about 15 minutes. It’s very difficult to just sit down and write a song but sometimes a song calls and you have to set it free.

My passion for performing began after playing for the first time in front of an audience and getting this immediate emotional response and connection. That feeling you get from playing your songs live to people and them reacting to it is probably the most enjoyable thing in the world. Performing really only started for me when I moved to London at the age of 21; I played open mic nights and found it so nerve-wracking. I still do, but that immediacy of the audience response makes it completely addictive.

What are your plans for the rest of the year? More touring or releasing new singles?

Morning in Brixton is the first release – so I expect to release two or maybe three more singles from the album and be touring around the UK, as well as the US later in the year.

Visit pallabsarker.com to find out more.