In the fourth LD Systems Live Session, powered by Headliner, Cam Holmes performed his debut single Roses acoustically at The Pioneer Club, St. Albans - a live music venue which strives to support aspiring and emerging talent, as well as the local community. Cam performed with his band through an LD Systems MAUI G3 rig, and brought Headliner up to speed on his musical journey so far…
What have you been up to these last few months?
The last few months have been very busy and very stressful. I’ve been working on my project, particularly my first single, to make sure the music is where I want it to be. I've been working on music for about two years now; I didn't want to rush it and I wanted to make sure I had the right people around me, so the last few months have just been getting those final steps in place and making sure everything runs smoothly.
When did you first realise you wanted to work in music?
I've wanted to be a musician since I was eight years old because I grew up in a very musical household. My mum and dad broke up when I was younger, and my way of connecting to them was basically while I was with my dad, I’d listen to music that my mum listened to, and then when I was with my mum, I listened to the music that my dad listened to.
So I remember from a young age thinking that music in itself is quite mad in the way it can bring people together and evoke emotion, and that's kind of why I want to do it – to bring some sort of emotion to people, whether it's happiness or sadness or anger.
What was it like transitioning from being a reality TV star to creating your own music artist project?
It’s been difficult, because obviously people are always going to know me from Too Hot to Handle, which is fine. I'll never say I regret doing that because it got me to where I am today. It's a big advantage because I've got fans and people that will support me, which is amazing, and I'm very appreciative of that. But it's difficult having to try and change that label, which is why I just put all I can into my music and hope that that does it for me. So people go ‘okay, this is undeniably good music, so we can't really say he's just a reality star.’
Tell us about your creative process and how your first single came together.
I feel like the process now feels a bit more like work. Obviously when you're writing and you're in the studio, that's creative time, which is very fun. Putting out all the content for the project is a lot, but I'll take it and I'm here for it. The last few months have just been spent trying to get content ready for TikTok and trying to make sure we're hitting all the platforms.
The song itself, Roses, is about relationships, and the idea that I grew up always thinking that if you can buy someone gifts like roses, bags or perfume, that it will fix your relationship problems.
As a man I had to learn that those mistakes that I made, the things that I haven't done and the times that I haven't been present when I should have been can't just be made up by giving someone presents or buying their love. A lot of the time you have to look at it like, ‘okay, why have I done this? Why did I make these decisions? Why am I the way I am?’ and try to resolve that in a more personal, emotional way. It’s not about just giving gifts to make up for it; it’s saying, I will frame my shame until I'm forgiven.
How did you find performing through the LD Systems MAUI G3 rig?
The LD Systems setup was amazing to work with. The sound felt very balanced around me and it was just a nice experience overall to sing and hear the guitar through it; everything about it felt very professional. The system looks amazing as well – very sleek, but with really good sound output. I would definitely recommend the system to anyone!
