Conor Maynard says he’s very different to Justin Bieber
Conor Maynard has notched up 53million views on YouTube by performing covers from his bedroom – sound familiar – well that’s were the similarities to Justin Bieber end, as this 19-year old insists his sound is very different to that of his Canadian counterpart.
“I’ve kind of gone for a very urban root with some quite British inputs as well,” said Maynard, who has been snapped up by EMI’s Parlophone. “In terms of music, it’s very different.”
Earmarked as one to watch in Guilty Pleasures, he has caught the attention of Nerd rapper Pharrell Williams, who flew him out to his Miami pad earlier this month.
Before he set off, Maynard said, “Before last year I had never been abroad. I didn’t go abroad when I was younger – my family had caravan holidays. It’s crazy for me going to America.
“Obviously, Pharrell’s a bit of a dream for someone like me to work with. He saw my videos on YouTube and reached out to my label and said “Do you look after this kid, who is he?”
“It was all sorted out through him pushing it. It’s just cool. Saying ‘I worked with Pharrell’ is just insane. He’s an amazing person to have believe in you.
“It is kind of cool to think I did a lot of it by myself and through YouTube and I had to pick what covers I did and recorded it myself in my room and make the videos myself. I feel like I got here with not much help.”
Conor won’t be letting fame and hanging with the likes of Pharrell go to his head, as he admits his parents and friends have his feet bolted firmly to the ground as his single Can’t Say No is expected to take off in 2012.
“Even when you have reached amazing success, my parents are very cool. They are like, ‘What’s happening next?’
They are very grounded. It’s good to have them around,” he said.
“My friends are exactly the same. They are not going to take it from me if I turn into a diva. It’s not like that. They’ll be like, ‘You’re just Conor’.”