Isaac Stuart reveals the advice David Gray gave him on starting out in the music industry

Virgin Radio

9 May 2022, 11:30

Isaac Stuart (left) David Gray (right)

Credit: Getty

Rising star Isaac Stuart has revealed the advice he got from idol David Gray after meeting him on Virgin Radio’s Big Thank You Tour.

After the success of his latest single, Cut Me Down, Isaac Stuart is going from strength to strength as he rises through the ranks of the music industry.

It’s no secret that being a musician can be quite a full-on job with incredible rewards, but it also takes a lot of dedication and perseverance, and when Stuart got to meet one of his idols David Gray on the Big Thank You Tour, the singer had some nuggets of wisdom to share.

Stuart admitted he had been a big fan of Gray’s ever since he was a kid, and meeting him was a surreal experience when he spoke to virginradio.co.uk backstage on the tour.

He said: “I was watching him in sound check, and I was getting goosebumps watching him. He is absolutely an incredible songwriter, and I was a little bit young, in fact, I don’t think I was born when White Ladder came out.

“But obviously, since I’ve become a songwriter, I’ve gone back and listen to it. So I came off [stage], and I was speaking to my managers, and I said ‘I’d love to meet him’. And then I did and it was great.”

Stuart then saw his opportunity to get some advice from David, who has just under twenty years of experience in the music industry.

Isaac Stuart when he appeared on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show With Sky:

He added: “We spoke about songwriting and his tour coming up and touring and how he does it. It was actually just fascinating to sit and listen to him and have the opportunity to hear what he’s got to say about it all. It was really great.

“I’ll definitely remember that for a long time.”

We also caught up with David Gray before his set on the last night of tour in the OVO Arena Wembley, and when asked what pieces of advice he gave Stuart during their conversation, he simply said, “it’s tiring”.

The Babylon singer added: “You know, you've got to find a way to kind of manage your energy and I think when you're the singer, you know, that beam of energy is the voice, and it’s the most fragile part, the most human fragile part, of the whole equation.

“So, for me personally, as my career has gone on, I've just had to try and find a way to manage that. So basically, not go as mental, that's one part of it. Choose your moment.”

Also performing on the Big Thank You tour were 90s icons Ash. You can read what they had to say about giving back to key workers and being the youngest act to headline Glastonbury, here.

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