Dan Gillespie Sells’ approach to making music has changed over the years because he thinks it’s “slightly ludicrous” to be a 45-year-old pop star.
Last week, the singer-songwriter returned with The Feeling’s seventh studio album, ‘San Vito‘, and many of the songs on the record tap into subject matters that are deeply personal to the star.
Lead single The Right Wrong is an anthem celebrating queer freedom, while the Lucie Silvas duet I Won’t Sleep Tonight deals with the intricacies of relationships, but when it comes to the meaning behind the material, Dan’s reluctant to divulge too much.
“I don’t want my version of the song to be the reason you like it – I want you to just be able to hear it and bring something to it,” he reflects in RETROPOP’s May 2024 edition. “Sometimes I write a lyric that is pretty on the nose and it’s really obvious what the song is about, but sometimes I write a lyric that is a bit abstract and lets people in so that they can bring something to it.
“I can’t really say anything more than what you’ve heard, because it’s not designed to be anything else. It doesn’t need a plaque; it’s not one of those pieces of art that needs an explanation in order to make sense of it. That’s not what I do.”
That’s not to say his writing hasn’t changed over time. “As I get older, my songwriting either gets playful or there’s a serious amount of tongue-in-cheek, because I’m aware that a 45-year-old man making pop music is slightly ludicrous,” he giggles.
“I’m always aware that, even if I sing something really poppy, it might seem a bit earnest, so there’s always a bit of tongue-in-cheek with it and I try to make sure that comes through as well. I want that to come across.
“Sometimes I want to do something that is really pop and almost stupid – and I still want to be able to do it – but I’m aware that I’m a 45-year-old man. You know, some artists are like Peter Pan, right? They stay in this childlike state. But I’m not one of those people; I’m aware of my age and I’m aware of where I’ve come from, wherever I’m going.”
However, he maintains: “I love pop music and I will always make pop music – I see it as a high art form – but I’m also sometimes singing something that’s just delightful and a bit stupid, so I’m happy to do it and I’ll commit to it.”
On their seventh and most-recent album, the band jetted off to Southern Italy to craft a collection and influenced by the local culture, food and pizzica music – and, of course, the titular patron saint of dancers and entertainment.
“It sounds more fabulous than it was,” laughs Dan of their European adventure. “We were in a town in Puglia, which is quite trendy but also quite a scrubby, beautiful, but properly rural part of Italy.”
They made several visits to the town, starting last February – “It was completely closed – the idea that we were living this glamorous italian life is not what it was,” he chuckles – and visiting several times throughout the year, in March and September, totalling four weeks altogether.
“We found a studio near Richard’s house down there and we just fell in love with it,” he beams. “We knew it was a great opportunity and the guy who owned the studio let us just have the run of the place, which was amazing. He literally said, ‘Here’s the keys – enjoy!’”
Creating with just the five band members – Dan, Richard, Kevin and Ciaran Jeremiah (guitars and vocals, respectively) and Paul Stewart (Drums) – in one room, without external producers or engineers, is a setup familiar to the band over the past two decades, and it’s that sense of knowing that’s kept the group going for two decades.
“Making another Feeling album, for me, is a celebratory thing. It’s comforting,” smiles the singer. “And it’s a great outlet for me; they’re a great bunch of musicians who allow me to express myself musically and facilitate that in a way that is really nonjudgmental.
“I feel really safe creating around them and saying what I want to say around them because they just get me, so it’s a nice place to be. I feel like I’m going home when I go and work with the boys.”
