Majesty Palm is a brand new duo based out of Glasgow. They have just released their very first single ‘Peace of Mind’ yesterday. It is an addictive tune that not only will make you want to hit the dance floor, but it will also live rent free in your mind. It will be hard to forget the melody! It’s catchy AF.
I was super thrilled to have a more in-depth chat with Cameron Robertson and Olivia McCosh. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Majesty Palm.
Congratulations on your debut release. Tell us about the journey until the moment your single ‘Peace Of Mind’ saw the light of day!
Cameron: We were talking about this recently actually… We think it’s been a song for about 3 years and it has gone through loads of different variations. It used to sound more like a 70s kinda disco, really guitar & bass led track that I decided to completely change and add synths too – which at the start I had to convince Olivia that it sounded good.
It was a guitar riff that I had and then as always I just developed it into a full track with drums, bass, synths, etc. which I then sent to Olivia. She had some vocal ideas and we pieced them together over the top of the demo. There’s always a bit of back and forth and collaboration throughout especially with the vocal parts just to make sure we’re both happy with it. Pretty much as simple as that!
You will always be remembered by the very first song that started your career. How did you know that ‘Peace Of Mind’ is the one?
Olivia: I think, for me, it was when we got the chorus, the song kind of fell into place at that point. We really liked the pre-chorus section, but we just needed that really catchy element afterwards, which I feel like we really achieved with that chorus. It was just one of those songs that was stuck in my head for days after we first started writing it and I could just kind of sense that there was something about it. It was also the first track Cameron sent me that was produced as a pop song and it just solidified the direction we wanted to go in with our sound, so I feel like it only makes sense that it’s the first single.
What does it mean to you to be launching your music career in this challenging time?
Olivia: It feels like quite a transitional period in music where things are starting to get back to normal, gigs are coming back, people are able to see each other and collaborate again. We’re in a better position than we were this time last year, which provides a lot of hope and makes you quite excited to get things going. So, in a lot of ways, it does feel like the right time to launch the band and start releasing music, especially with the prospect of being able to play the songs live a bit later in the year.
Can you tell us how the two of you meet? Do you remember the moment when you decided that you would like to work together?
Olivia: Cameron just messaged me on Instagram. I think he had heard my voice on a song I had previously done with another band and just asked if I’d be up for doing something together. He had sent like 4 or 5 different demos which I really liked the sound of and so, we just decided to meet and see if we could write something that we both liked. We ended up coming up with a song called ‘You’ which we had released as more of a collaboration as two separate artists, but I think once we realised we enjoyed working together and could recognise that the music we were making was something we both believed in, it was kind of just a natural progression where we decided to move forward as a band and start releasing music together.
Let’s talk about your name. “Majesty Palm” is also a species of tree in the family Arecaceae. From your photoshoot plants present too. I am sure this is not a coincidence. What made you decide to go with Majesty Palm and is there a secret meaning?
Cameron: It actually is a total coincidence! We just liked the idea of loads of plants for the photoshoot and then we struggled for ages trying to decide on a name, googling loads of things but couldn’t commit. Eventually we found ‘majesty palm‘ after searching plant names & liked the ring to it. That’s about as exciting as the story gets!
What would you like to be remembered for?
Olivia: I think just making music that resonates with people. I try to be pretty honest when I’m writing lyrics, but I also like to leave a lot of room for people listening to make their own interpretations and allow them the space to be able to relate the music to their own lives. Everyone goes through the same experiences in one way or another and I think music can remind people of that. I think if people can relate to your music in some way and enjoy it whilst doing so, then that’s the best thing you can aim for.
We would like to be remembered for making music that resonates with people.
MAJESTY PALM
I have to admit that the production of the song is so sick! It would be hard to believe that it is a debut single. How did you manage to achieve such quality and clarity on the vision where you want to go sound wise?
Cameron: Thank you! I think it just came from trial & error over years of making music. As I said, ‘Peace Of Mind’ has gone through loads of different variations but I think when we added the synths that really took it to the next level and helped define the sound more. I think we both overthink and are probably our own worst critics which is good but also bad haha, though I think it helps to get the best track we can. Also have to thank Jamie Holmes who did the mix cause he made a big difference on it.
What do you do to find ‘peace of mind’?
Olivia: I think just surrounding myself with good people to be honest, people who you can be yourself around without worrying about judgment or anything like that. Being around those kinds of people just helps you get out of your head a bit, get away from things that are stressing you out or whatever might be on your mind so yeah, I’d probably just say having good people around me.
Do you have a song that when you hear, you’d be ‘Damn I wish I’d written that’.
Cameron: So many to choose from it’s hard to decide. Recently I can’t stop listening to Tears For Fears so probably ‘Everybody Wants To Rule The World’ purely because I am a sucker for anything 80s. Just love every part of the song and it’s probably got loads of elements I subconsciously put into any song I make.
Olivia: Yeah, it’s definitely a tough one, there’s loads of songs that I could choose from. Maybe like ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac, purely because that song never gets old, it’s just a classic really. It’s one of those songs that even if it was released now, it would be massive, so I think it would be cool to write something that’s sort of timeless like that.
You are just starting but you already have 3 singles and live performances lined up. Impressive. Are you doing everything yourself or you already have a team of people to help you manage it all?
Olivia: Yeah, at the minute, it’s all us really. Cameron is better at all the planning stuff than me, to be honest, but we try and just figure out a plan that works best for both of us when it comes to releasing and social media and all of the organisational stuff. We just really enjoy creating and writing new songs, so I think it’s become kind of natural now that once we finish one song, we just want to get the next one started. I think that kind of mentality just keeps us constantly looking forward and evolving which I think, for a new band, is a pretty positive thing.
Once we finish one song, we just want to get the next one started
MAJESTY PALM
Tom Misch, The Ninth Wave, Sigrid, The Japanese House, The 1975 and even Dua Lipa amongst the inspirations. If you’d need to pick personally what are Top 3 artists that made the biggest impression on you while forming your music taste, who would that be?
Cameron: There’s a lot that have over the years from when I was younger, some of which I don’t necessarily listen to anymore but had a major impact on my music taste to date. Probably do have to mention Dua Lipa as one in terms of the type of music we make. Love her voice and the songs just sound so cool & I think appeal to so many different people. Chic would be another just for upbeat dance songs. They made me think I want to write music which makes people feel the same way I did when I first heard them. Other bands like Metallica had a big impact on me as a kid, being a guitarist and wanting to be the fastest I could be, they opened me up to so many other bands I eventually fell in love with. That’d probably be my 3 off the top of my head!
Olivia: I’ve always been a fan of Fleetwood Mac, especially as a teenager. I just loved Stevie Nicks and the way she tells a story with her lyrics. I think I’ve always looked up to that and was massively influenced by that when I started to write songs, so that’s definitely a main influence of mine. I would also have to agree and say Dua Lipa in more recent years, I think she has become such a key figure in pop music and has really dominated in that area for the past few years. She’s just a really influential artist and has such a vision for her music and everything surrounding that, which is really inspiring. I’ve also always been a massive fan of The 1975. I love how they’re constantly mixing genres, they don’t really fit a mold, they kind of just allow themselves to make the music they want to make, which is really admirable.
Not every idea you have will be worth using, but a lot of them are.
MAJESTY PALM
What is one advice you could give to your younger self when it comes to music business?
Olivia: Probably just to trust myself a bit more. It can be quite intimidating putting yourself out there creatively, because you always doubt your ideas and whether they’re worth sharing. I feel like I’ve realised that the more you trust yourself and your ideas, they’re usually received well. Even if they’re not, it’s really not that big of a deal, not every idea you have will be worth using, but a lot of them are. You need to kind of remind yourself that all the time though, it’s easy to forget, but it’s just part of the process.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
Yeah, just to keep an eye out for more songs coming in the next few months! We’re really excited about the songs we have coming up and can’t wait to just get them released, so any support is really appreciated.
Make sure to connect with Majesty Palm on Instagram » Twitter
We added Majesty Palm to the playlist of all the artists we interviewed so far. Don’t be shy to give it a listen!