Exclusive Interview with 'CERULEAN'

LP Warner, who goes by the stage name of Cerulean, is an indie singer-songwriter from Eastleigh, a town in the South Coast of England. He recently came out with his latest album, The Divided Selfie. This album release is exceptional because it functions well in both traditional and modern contexts. There are two genre-specific EPs for contemporary streaming: one pop and one rap, with the standout singles “Tip of my Tongue” & “Sunglasses” respectively. However, more in-depth music fans who purchase vinyl on Bandcamp and attend concerts can take a step back and view the bigger picture of an original concept album: a musical self-portrait with two sides and a pair of tracks for each of the five senses. Check out his latest album The Divided Selfie and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?
CERULEAN: I’m indie singer-songwriter Cerulean, born Laurence Philip Warner in 1995 in Eastleigh, a small town on England’s South Coast.

Growing up playing piano, I used to find inspiration walking to school in Eastleigh playing through noughties albums on my iPod Classic, and always dreamed of finding a voice for my songwriter’s brain.

I got into recording thanks to my rapper alter-ego MC Beastly – the chavvy teenager within seeking attention.

Though I’ve found audience in the YouTube age, and release the occassional ‘Double’ (A & Beast side singles) or collab, I’m still devoted to the concept-album, and am releasing 1, 2, 3 & 4 each summer of the 2020s ending in that number.

I’ll turn a new leaf in 2025 when I turn 30.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
CERULEAN: My foundation was the piano lessons as a kid. It was fun to invite my piano-teacher to my 1^st album launch when I returned to Eastleigh. She was quite surprised to see me pairing the keys with my more self-taught skills of singing and rapping: “wow you’re really putting those lessons to good use”!

I’ve had snippets of collaboration thanks to government funding: namely Music GCSE at my state-school and the MAS Records program where I made London Was a Vibe at SAFO Music Group. Unfortunately, Tory governments have stripped both sources of funding for the next generation of smalltown dreamers.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘CERULEAN’?

CERULEAN: Strongest Sonic Influences ️:
Pop: Elton for keys, Ed for heart, Lana for past, Billie for future
Rap: Skinnyman for streets, Dave (both) for wordplay, Beastie for boys

Radiohead gave me the inspiration to move between genres.

My birth-name Laurence is alright but I wanted to mix it up, and I love the cerulean shade of blue.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
CERULEAN: I’m the first pop singer-songwriter going record-for-record with my rapper alter-ego (MC Beastly).

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own Singer-Rapper-Songwriter **style?**

**CERULEAN**:
So my albums have two sides.
A-side: Songwriter Pop
Which sounds like: *Hrishikesh Hirway’s baritone singing authentic Sam Fender lyrics over FINNEAS’s bedroom-production for my Self-Esteem.*
**Beast-side: Smalltown-England Rap**
Which sounds like: *A Bad Boy Chiller, rapid Slowthai, 6’3” Arrdee.*

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?
CERULEAN:

All my music is autobiography (personal narrative) which others can enjoy (entertainment). This is most clear in my new record The Divided Selfie LP which is musical self-portrait in two enjoyable 15min sides.

Certain tracks do touch on specific social issues: ‘Sunglasses’ on cost-of-living, ‘Real’ on internet-addiction, ‘Spitfire’ on free-expression.

But they always stay grounded in my personal experience and sound sick.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
CERULEAN:

“I’m married to my double-albums b4 my 20s up” (‘Player’). I’ve got 2 more of these records in me before I turn 30, and then it will need to pay the bills, or it’s over. That will require ‘1,000 True Fans’ (who buy merch / see a show each year). A thousand YouTube Subscribers would help too, with the dozen+ music-videos there.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

CERULEAN:

I use #SavvyIndie creative tools like AirTable & Carrd to organize and share work-in-progress to gain feedback from a couple close collaborators. Songwriter Abhishek Pandit and engineer Matthew Large contributed to this record.

I’d love to feature some rappers & female-vocalists on both sides of the Atlantic on a future record I’m cooking up.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
CERULEAN: I kicked porn & booze habits, and survived a near-death experience as a kid, so I’m ready for what the music biz can throw at me

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

CERULEAN: Launching The Divided Selfie LP at The Railway Inn, supporting UK rap legend Skinnyman, and selling the first CDs. If I can get 20 pre-orders on Bandcamp, I’ll release it on vinyl for Xmas.

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