Rising Irish star Tim Chadwick shares the exciting announcement that he will be releasing a new EP, Timothy, on March 12th.

Irish musician Tim Chadwick has just shared news of his newest musical chapter, which will come in the form of upcoming EP Timothy. Following on from his past releases of If I Gotta Run and Only Me, the EP will feature three yet unreleased tracks to offer an exploration into the feelings of loneliness, introspection, and finding your inner confidence to be with yourself. Penned over the months of lockdown, the body of work was not originally planned but the difficulties brought on by recent times led to a deep self-reflection that feeds into the intimate nature of the EP. From a piano-driven ballad in Search Party, to the euphoric and almost triumphant Only Me, you’ll be taken on a dizzying journey that will not only help you understand Tim better, but discover more about your own character as well.

Explaining the themes underlying the EP, Tim shares:

There’s a huge difference between being alone and loneliness; these songs explore what it means to be uncomfortably comfortable with yourself. The EP goes through the ugly but beautiful challenge of looking at yourself in the mirror, and being okay with what you see; the good and the bad.

Following on from the exciting announcement, we caught up with Tim to chat more about his inspirations and experiences that led to the making of this EP.

What’s a motto you live by?

I don’t necessarily live by a motto. But one phrase that has always resonated with and followed me around is by Anaïs Nin, who wrote “and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” It always just reminds me that life begins outside your comfort zone and that staying the same can hurt more than change.

If your sound had a colour, what colour would it be?

That’s a really difficult question. I think the beauty of creating music is that you take colours from every palette depending on the song and your mood. If I had to pick one based on my upcoming releases, I would have to say…peach. I spent a lot of time making the visuals for Timothy around last summer, which involved lots of morning hikes and late night drinks in the park. The EP feels like the end of a chapter (or the start of a new one depending on how you look at it!) So a sunrise-esque palette feels appropriate.

If you could set Timothy to a TV show or movie, what would it be the soundtrack for?

There’s a track on the EP, the final track, called In Another Life. For some reason I had imagined it playing in the background of ‘Call Me By Your Name’…or if I’m lucky, the sequel. It’s about finally feeling like you’re ready or maybe even deserving of something/someone new, but the world snatches it away from you. Relationships sometimes just aren’t meant to be and that feels very ‘Call Me By Your Name’.

As you mentioned, the EP explores the difference between being alone and loneliness. What are some of the things you enjoy about being alone?

I love not having to be “on”. Being on can be exhausting. I think it’s common as well for artists or anyone in the public eye to feel a sense of pressure to be as entertaining as they are online in person. I’ve also recognised that in the past I had a sort of “plate spinning, knife juggling, monkey dancing” behavioural pattern – to ensure everyone else was feeling good and entertained. I found I was left with zero energy for myself at the end of the day. I’m working on it and that’s come with learning to be by myself and look after myself first. It does mean that I have become extremely boring, but I sort of love it.

What helped you to find a comfort and confidence in being alone?

Honestly, isolation. This whole pandemic. It gave me no other option. I took the world shutting down very personally. It felt like it took away so many opportunities, which in fairness, it did. But a lot of those opportunities were actually just distractions. I hadn’t sat with myself in what truly felt like years. I had to find comfort in the discomfort. It’s so easy to ignore the things you need to work on when there’s more fun things to do. So, while this pandemic has been awful, there’s been some real wobbly days, it has forced me to talk kinder and listen to myself more than I ever have, which has only been positive.

How do you grapple with feelings of loneliness?

I embrace them. I think I used to be afraid or even embarrassed of feeling lonely, like it was the greatest social faux pas. But it’s just like any other emotion. It exists. I still have days where I feel lonely, but now I don’t beat myself up about it and I try not fill those days with things that will only make me feel worse, i.e. social media.

What advice would you give to someone who was struggling to differentiate between the two, and feeling uncertainty as a result?

I’ve tried to re-image the word alone as ‘independent’ and lonely as ‘craving (genuine) connection’ – that’s helped me. I would say there is nothing wrong with being alone. There is power in it, albeit tough to find at the beginning. If you feel lonely, all I can say is reach out. Alone or not alone, we are social creatures. I’ve needed countless FaceTimes, messages and socially distanced conversations with friends to remind me how normal and acceptable it is to feel lonely. It’s honestly a rollercoaster some days and I find myself thinking, “ah, so we meet again!”. It’s also good to recognise that loneliness doesn’t just exist among single people. That shows the true reality of the natural emotion. No one gets a “get out of jail free card” when it comes to it.

And finally, slightly cliché but what does music mean to you?

*sad X-Factor music starts to play as my sob story begins* haha! Music has taken up so much of my life and my mind over the years now. I love writing songs, performing them, connecting with people, creating – the works. I love all those aspects of music. But like some things you love, there are two sides to it. Music keeps me sane, but it also can push me over the other side too. I care deeply about it which means I have to take the good and the bad. The highs are high and the lows are low, it’s just all part of it. If it didn’t test me, I’d think it wasn’t challenging enough and nothing should ever be too easy, I feel.