Without industry ties, formal training, or even the certainty that music would be part of his path, Cavernal stepped into the spotlight with nothing but instinct, a sharp ear, and a little encouragement from a car ride sing-along. In this interview, he unpacks how confidence and anonymity intertwined to carve his entry into the music scene, why masked artistry gave him room to breathe, and how he moved from recording alone to performing alongside bands like The Revenants and Yo Titan. From demystifying the barriers of music production to championing BandLab and Discord as lifelines, Cavernal’s reflections provide a grounded and refreshingly honest take on what it really means to start from scratch.
Welcome to A&R Factory Cavernal, it’s great to have you here and to shed light on your story, especially for anyone considering making that first step into music without prior connections or experience. Your decision to start making music came without formal training or an industry network—what gave you the confidence to begin, and how did you find your footing in the early stages?
If I’m honest, I never thought I’d be making music. It wasn’t until I was singing in the car with my friend Dan, who said to me that I had a good voice and should give it a go. I think confidence is certainly a huge barrier, which is one of the reasons why I chose to be a masked musician.
The key to gaining confidence in music for me and to find my footing was by sending music I had made to my friends, who would give me their honest feedback. I was just lucky as the first song I sent, they loved, which was my first release “Blackout”, but my friends are far from ‘yes men’ as I’ve had a few after that which they certainly didn’t like!
You’ve gone from creating music independently to being played on BBC Introducing and performing live. What were some of the most unexpected tools or platforms that helped you gain momentum?
Like most artists, social media was certainly a big help with pushing my music out there for people to hear. Gaining a presence on these platforms is important and can lead to opportunities, especially performing live.
In terms of unexpected tools, if you are looking for different ideas or platforms to share your music and gain momentum, then the use of Chat GPT is great as it can provide you with countless informative websites to visit, submission websites, and people to contact.
BBC Introducing was a huge stepping stone, and never did I think I would be hearing something I had made on the radio, but this is a great thing to do if you are looking to get recognition and if you truly believe that what you have made is radio-worthy.
Many aspiring artists worry that they need a team, a studio, or a background in music to get started. What does your experience say about that assumption?
Times in music have changed, and a professional setup, although helpful, is simply not a necessity. There have been many artists with no team or music background who have made hit songs with nothing but a phone and wired Apple headphones.
Don’t get me wrong, to have a team behind you pushing your music with a big studio is certainly helpful, but I believe that if you have the drive to pursue music, then nothing can stop you. Plus, there are so many tools out there that can help push out advertisements and platforms that will get your music heard.
In your opinion, what’s the most accessible way for someone with nothing but an idea to begin creating and sharing music today?
For starting out, I would suggest using Bandlab and learning how to mix. Despite not needing a professional setup, you still want your music to sound professional and learning how to mix is what you need to take your music to the next step.
For instrumentals/beats, pick your genre and find beats that fit that genre on platforms like YouTube and Beatstars. There are plenty of people out there who are in your shoes, making incredible beats, but have not been heard yet.
The main problem I hear from other artists is their struggles with lyrics. Lyricism can be hard, but this is something that will just need practice. Pick a topic for your song, an emotion, and try to write about it is the best way I can put it. Even if you just write songs that you know you will never release or you don’t even have a beat for yet, do it!
Looking back at your earliest tracks compared to what you’re doing now, how has your creative process changed, and what’s remained the same?
I have certainly got a lot better with mixing, and I would say I have focused a fair bit on my lyricism. When I listen to some of my older songs now, I do find things I should have done differently. I also have touched on different genres over the last year or so, trying R&B and Rock, for example.
I think this is a great thing to do for new artists as it allows you to see what you like and if your voice fits the style you are going for. Something that I would say has stayed the same for me is certainly my topics are these songs. A lot of my songs focus on relationships and heartbreak.
What role has community, either online or local, played in shaping your progress as an artist without a traditional support system?
The online community, stemming from social media predominantly, has given me so much support, and I would like to thank those who have been engaging with my stuff! They leave feedback in my comments or private message me, which has really helped with developing my music and allowed me to try different things.
This is the reason why I push TikTok a lot, as you can reach people who love your music and build an amazing community whilst doing it. I also have a Discord server in which people will join, chat, share fan art, and be notified of upcoming releases, which in turn has led to building a supportive community.
Performing live is a big leap for many independent artists. How did you prepare yourself for those first gigs, and how has performing shaped your connection to your own music?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but I was also extremely excited. Performing my music live has always been something I have wanted to do. I had only a week to prepare for my first gig from when I found out to the date of it, so I had to order effects pedals, sort out travel to the location and pick the songs I wanted to perform. It also didn’t help that the week leading up to it I was ill, so I couldn’t even practice my own songs! The show was great, and the bands I performed under, The Revenants and Yo Titan, were incredibly supportive, so huge props to them!
Now that I have performed my songs, I have built confidence with live performing, and it has really made me feel like an established artist after building a deeper connection with my music and making the material feel more like my own songs.
What would you say to someone who’s sitting on unreleased music or ideas, waiting for the ‘right time’ to begin? What mindset helped you move from hesitation to action?
I would say the best time is now. If you have music in draft that you feel is complete and you want to release, do it! The main mindset to be in is that if no one likes it, then who cares? The only thing that matters is that you love what you do, and chances are, there will be people out there who will love it just as much as you do.
–
Check out Cavernal on Spotify, and connect with the artist via TikTok.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast