On Thursdays Del Osei-Owusu sits down with an artist on the FOTN radar and gets them to tell their origin story over a cup of tea and biscuits. This week it’s the turn of The Music Of Sound which features two members of the FOTN team Neil March and Sherry Sahayaraj and their friend Elena Trent, they brought chocolate digestives.

Del: Hello Neil, Sherry and Elena how are you? Tell us about The Music Of Sound.

Sherry: Hi! I’m doing great. I joined The Music of Sound in 2024, and honestly, it’s been an incredible journey ever since. Being part of this band has been nothing short of transformative for me, not just musically, but personally too. I’ve always dreamt of singing on stage, and this band has turned that dream into a reality. The energy, the creativity, the shared passion among us; it’s something really special. Every rehearsal, every gig, I feel like I’m growing and learning so much.

Elena: Hello! I joined the band in 2023, so I’ve been a member for several years now. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunities this band gets to perform with each other, and that we have such a unique sound! I understand over the years there’s been a variety of musicians taking part in this band, but I am really enjoying where we are currently and that we all musically blend so well!

Neil: The band was originally formed when I was invited, as a solo artist, to play the BBC Introducing Stage at Latitude in 2017 and I wanted it to be a band thing. So I recruited two very long-time friends and one of them recruited his two young sons. Back then we were a contemporary classical/industrial project. The line-up changed numerous times after that but always with younger female musicians (which was not a deliberate thing, just who I was making music with at the time). We signed with Dimple Discs in early 2022 and released an EP and 2 singles but then moved to Monochrome Motif Records in 2024. Elena had joined the previous year when Anya (Hazy) Sofia had taken a step back to focus on A-Levels. When Florie Namir also stepped back after having a second baby, Sherry came in and the band’s transformation was complete.

Del: Your sound melds classical, dream pop and cinematic elements, what’s been the most surprising source of inspiration for you?

Sherry: Honestly, I believe Neil is the best person to answer this. His musical vision really shapes the core of our sound, and he draws inspiration from such a wide and unexpected range of places. But from my side, what surprised me most is how naturally everything blends together – classical, dream pop, cinematic it just works.
Being part of this band has opened me up to new ways of singing and feeling music. Sometimes inspiration comes from something as simple as a memory, and a shift in mood.

Elena: As a musician myself, I regularly listen to the performances of a variety of flute players. I am particularly inspired by performances of Valerie Coleman and Mimi Stillman. However, when playing the music for the Music of Sound, I like that I get to create my own sound that blends this classical background into a cinematic pop soundscape.

Neil: That’s a tough one because we can hear that our influences come from all kinds of places that other people would probably find baffling but we can recognise little references and ideas. I feel like recently we have been taking some inspiration from the likes of Donna Summer in Giorgio Moroder period and a few people comparing us to Saint Etienne has inspired me to listen more to them again. The Cocteau Twins influence is always present but it’s not obvious because we use piano instead of guitar and flute instead of synth. But also it’s the individual members who shape what I write. Sherry’s beautiful, pure voice and accent and Elena’s unique, virtuosic flute playing.

Del: You’re having a whirlwind of a year…. What’s been the highlight so far?

Sherry: It has been a whirlwind in the best way! For me, the biggest highlight has been stepping onto the stage as part of this band for the first time. That feeling of singing live, connecting with a real audience, and just letting the music breathe in the room it’s something I’ve dreamt about for so long. Also, seeing how people are responding to our songs has been emotional in ways I didn’t expect. And being part of this creative family, where everyone brings something so different but so beautifully aligned; it’s honestly a dream come true.

Neil: Oh wow thank you Del. I think Cold Weather Man initially passing 19K streams and then suddenly picking up a bunch of algorithmic playlist adds and passing 25K was pretty amazing. We have experienced such a good partnership approach with our label Monochrome Motif Records. Going on a short tour is definitely a highlight. It has been so hard to organise even though it’s just 5 dates and 9 acts in total but we are so excited about it and it’s given us a real focus. We love how Monochrome Motif Records came up with the idea of the UK Roadtrip EP which will only be available on CD at our live shows and has five singles on it. Andrew’s support is inspirational.

Elena: So far I would agree with Neil in saying that I am so excited that Cold Weather Man has passed 25k streams. However, with the tour coming up, I am very excited for these performances as a way to celebrate our achievements!

Del: You released an album of 12 tracks plus a remix project, what was the story behind it?

Sherry: For me, since I joined after the album was made, it feels like I’m looking at it from the outside. I know things have moved on since then, and the sound is evolving, but I think the album still shows the roots of what The Music of Sound is about honest, heartfelt songs with real meaning behind them.

Elena: As Neil is the main composer, I will let him take the lead on this question. A key note is that all of our songs have such a great story behind them which I feel sets us apart from other music projects.

Neil: Technically it was 11, hence the title Eleven Short Stories. I may get linched for saying this but I kind of wish he hadn’t released it. The album was originally our previous label, Dimple Discs’ idea and it was recorded in 2023 but, because they were experiencing some temporary issues, the release kept getting put back. By the time it was released, we had moved labels and we didn’t even have the same line-up plus our sound was rapidly changing. I feel bad for Andrew of Monochrome Motif that he spent money on putting it out. We should have shelved it even though it was a lot of work and cost (for me mainly) to make. Sometimes you just have to recognise that you’ve moved on and you want your debut album to be an exciting culmination of events, not a summary of your past and who you used to be.

Del: What are your favourite tracks from them?

Sherry: One of my favourite tracks from the album is definitely Second Light. Even though I didn’t sing on it, there’s something really special about that song. It feels emotional and cinematic.

Elena: I think a personal favourite song from the album would be Aanandi, just because of how beautifully Neil has written the music. However whilst not on the album, I really enjoy playing Cold Weather Man. I think all three of us have such high energy when we play this song, and I can see that our audience really seems to feel that as well!

Neil: I preferred the remix album to be honest. It was amazing to hear how other talented artists re-imagined our music. Every one of them did a fantastic job so I don’t want to single one out but the remixers included Minimums, The Happy Somethings, Paul F Cook, Andrew Hartshorn, Alien Alarms, Poetical Nadz, Arpraxis, Sharon Katta and Hello Midlands. On the original version of the album, I guess my favourite track was probably Second Light because I felt it was the most imaginative representation of that postclassical period of the band with the Beatles-meets-Borodin instrumental break that appears twice and a soulful vocal. We don’t play any of the tracks from the album in our set now though which tells you how quickly we have changed and moved on.

Del: You’re about to head out on a mini tour. How have preparations been going for that?

Sherry: Preparations have been really exciting. This is my first tour with the band, so I’m taking it all in. I’ve been rehearsing a lot, especially working on vocals and stage presence, because I really want to give people a performance that feels honest and graceful. I’m just really looking forward to being out there with the team and connecting with people through the music.

Elena: I have found preparation going well. For me I have just been practising the music a lot and feel very confident for the performances. I have to mention how grateful I am that Neil has been able to organise the tour, as I understand that it has taken a lot of hard work and dedication from him.

Neil: I have a newfound respect for anyone who organises a grassroots music tour. It was such a lot of work sorting out just five gigs, each with different acts and different promotional relationships. We are grateful to Melita Dennett of BBC Introducing for helping us source the line-up for Redhill. Preparations are going well. We have been rehearsing hard, liaising with the venues and artists, getting posters done and working on promo. We have also been building a really good team around us. And we’ve had amazing artwork from Paul F Cook and Sherry’s sister Sanuja (or Sanu).

Del: Tell us about the acts that will be supporting you.

Neil: We are so chuffed to have these amazing artists joining us. In Redhill, a gig promoted by a friend from ICMP and his local charitable organisation Redstart, we have phenomenal singer-songwriter Izzii Grace and exciting rap artist Twivee (who made the Listening Post recently); in Hemel we’ve got cool young Indie Rock band Red Shift and the Oddfellows’ owner, landlord, sound engineer and singer-songwriter Brett Hulme playing a rare set of his original solo tracks. In Camden we’re supporting FOTN faves Lost Chimes who we have previously put on at one of our gigs so we know they are amazing. It’s also a Talentbanq gig and we’ve been friends with them for a long time too. Then we’ve got teenage sensation Sofia Gillani (who we last put on at one of our festival events when she was 15) supporting us in Woking. And, in Brighton, we have our lovely friend Adam Kidd (lead singer/guitarist with Fragile Creatures) and a talented teenage Alt Rock artist Lynnie Snow and her band, sourced by my close friend Andy Maclure (of Sleeper) who has been her tutor at BIMM.

Del: Sherry, being a relatively new member to the FOTN team, who are the top three acts that you’re so glad you’ve discovered so far?

Sherry: It’s been such a joy being part of the FOTN family. I feel like I’ve been introduced to a whole new world of incredible music. If I had to pick just three acts that really stuck with me, I’d say Bloom de Wilde, Olivia Miceli, and Nicolas Lewis. Bloom de Wilde has this magical, otherworldly sound that just pulls you in. Olivia Miceli brings such amazing energy and motive to her songs. And Nicolas Lewis, one song that stuck in my mind is I saw a bloody rose. The chorus is still stuck in my head. I feel lucky to have discovered them through FOTN.

Del:  If you could add one dream venue to the tour where would it be?

Sherry: Honestly, performing at any festival would be a dream for me. There’s just something so magical about the energy of a festival crowd. People really come for the music. For now though, just being on tour at all feels like a dream come true.

Elena: A dream for me would be performing in a festival, specifically Latitude as I used to go there a lot when I was younger!

Neil: Well if we are talking ‘dream venue’ it might be Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff. We tried to get Le Pub in Newport for the tour because I have family there and my niece reckoned she could bring a crowd but, even though I could see they had opened our emails, they never bothered replying to them which I thought was quite ignorant really. We did really want to play in Basingstoke because Sherry lives there but Woking is just down the road. We will try to play in Basingstoke later in 2025. I guess another ‘dream’ venue would be somewhere like Latitude (where it all began), Glastonbury or any of the big festivals. Elena’s mum and dad told me we should play a festival called First Light on the beach in Lowestoft so that is a serious aim for 2026.

Del: What are you looking forward to doing once the tour has wrapped?

Sherry: I am really looking forward to enjoying every moment of the tour and reflecting on it after it’s all over. Creatively, I’m already buzzing about what’s next. There’s so much new music we’re working on, and I’m especially excited about Butterfly Heart. It feels like a step into something fresh and bold for us. And of course, the last day of our tour is Neil’s birthday so celebrating Neil’s birthday with the team in Brighton; that’s going to be such a lovely way to wrap things up!

Elena: I love that Neil and Sherry are always creating new music, so I’m excited to see the new directions that they take us. I’m also excited that we get to celebrate Neil’s birthday on the last day of the tour!

Neil: The last night is my birthday and we are staying over so I hope we will get to chill out on Brighton Beach the morning after! We have a new single called Butterfly Heart coming out shortly after the tour ends and we think it’s our most exciting one so far. We also have another two or three tracks possibly earmarked to be singles and we keep writing new ones. It will be good to keep writing and developing our sound. We will also be headlining at our own Brilliant Brent event upstairs at the lovely North London Tavern in Kilburn in October and Sofia Gillani is going to join us for that one too.

And our super talented label mate John Serrano has made an amazing remix/reimagining of our current single Never Let It Die so we can’t wait to be able to share that with everyone too.