Chichester-based singer-songwriter Chris Simmons could just be in the running for the Christmas number one with a heartfelt new track dealing with grief.
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00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor for Sussex Newspapers. It's always
00:06lovely to speak to Chichester musician, singer-songwriter Chris Simmons. And Chris, you've got a…
00:12Hey Phil, how are you?
00:14I'm fine, thank you. You have a Christmas single out, and it's one with a really serious
00:19underlying message, whilst being, as you say, a joyful, positive song. Tell me about it.
00:25Yeah, the song's called A Cold December, and it's about how Christmas isn't always
00:32an easy time for people. I've suffered a bit of loss in my time, and the song, the
00:40whole writing process of the song, sort of came from that personal experience of, you
00:45know, there being an empty chair at the table, and how remembering people can be a positive
00:54thing, and also just, like, looking out for your friends.
00:56Absolutely. And in nine years, as you say, you lost your brother, your mother, your dad.
01:02Is the song helping you to cope with the loss, or have you reached that point where you're
01:07coping?
01:10I don't think you… I don't think writing the song helped me, really. I think it would
01:20be sort of nice if it helps other people, people who listen to it. I'm getting a lot
01:25of messages to say that it is, which is great. I think songwriting, in general, is like a
01:31cathartic experience. It is, you know, committing stuff to the page does a lot of good for you.
01:38So in terms of my own…
01:41I don't think your writing really does count, doesn't it? It really matters.
01:44Oh, massively, massively.
01:45Objects such as this, doesn't it?
01:47Well, it's like, yeah, the whole reason I, you know, most songwriters write is because
01:53they want to connect with people, and they want to articulate thoughts that, you know,
02:00you might share with people. And so, yeah, the fact that this song really seems to be
02:06resonating…
02:07Yeah. How can you write a song that was born in such loss, but it's still positive? How
02:14do you manage to be positive?
02:17I think through, like, lots of drafts of lyrics, it's very easy to go the other way with a
02:25song like this. So I think you've just got to be… you've got to really tread carefully
02:28and just think about, like… well, for me, I was just like, what am I trying to say here?
02:35I don't want pissy, and I don't think… you don't want to labour a point. I wanted to
02:41make a song that was about Christmas, that also highlights that it isn't an easy time
02:47for people. And that is, you know, that can be a hopeful thing. And…
02:52But the positive is that you're not alone, isn't it?
02:57Absolutely. And there's warmth in remembrance. There is, you know, it can be a warming thing.
03:05And I don't think we look at it like that in our society that much. But, you know, when
03:10I think of my mum, my dad, my brother, and my best mate, Gareth, who passed this year,
03:16and when I think of those people, I feel happy and warm that, you know, they're in my life.
03:24And I think, you know, as a culture, we don't really talk about it in that way. But, you know,
03:30personally, you know, I think they would like to be spoken about in that way. And
03:37that's how I carry them anyway. So, yeah, the basic essence of the song is that
03:44remembrance is a positive thing. And, yeah, just keep an eye out for everybody. And
03:50Christmas can be a good time.
03:52That was a fabulous, beautiful, important song. Congratulations on it. Where can people hear?
03:57On the usual platforms, is it?
04:00All the usual platforms, yeah. And quite a few of the local radio stations have playlisted it. So,
04:07hopefully, you'll be able to hear it on the radio as well. So that'd be lovely.
04:12Brilliant. It's a cold December. And it's out now, then?
04:17It's out now.
04:19Brilliant. Well, lovely to speak to you, Chris. Thank you.