It was June 25th, 1984, Prince and The Revolution released their first soundtrack album ‘Purple Rain’ which would go on to inspire a future generation of aspiring artists. Fast forward four years, and Jamie Lovatt was born and raised in home town, St. Brelade, in Jersey. From a very early age, Jamie’s family introduced him to sounds of the 60′s, 70’s and early 80’s, a flare in Jamie’s personality that still shines through today.
“I remember growing up, always being different from what was deemed the norm. It wasn’t exactly easy growing up in such a small place, being me, but I’ve always had a strong hold of friends and family support and encouragement.”
At the age of just 14, Jamie got his first band together in Jersey. “Every kid at school wanted to be in a band. Indie and Britpop was predominantly ruling the airwaves, but my friends and I were listening to Led Zep, Hendrix and The Doors. We didn’t just want to be in a band, we wanted to be rock stars. I knew what sort of performer I wanted to be from then, even if it was going to be quite some feat. I’ve always thought big.’
It wasn’t until Jamie moved to London at 18, that his musical aspirations were beginning to be recognised. Word was spreading about Jamie Lovatt’s new band, Romance, a band heavily influenced by Jamie’s love of Prince, The Cult, early U2, Billy Idol, to name but a few. “We’re certainly not trying to re-create what’s already been done, our influences are an eclectic mix. I’ve had people tell me I can be a bit cocky when I perform, but if being arrogant is putting your heart and soul into something you believe in, and demonstrating that, then I guess I am.”
It was that demonstrated confidence that caught the attention of legendary producer and label exec, Rick Rubin, as well as Polydor/Universal. “It was amazing to get Rick’s attention, however we decided to go with UK based Fiction records, it felt right at the time and felt like there was a connection with them. It was very exciting, we were about to go on tour with a band I idolised growing up, The Cult. When someone like Ian Astbury comes up to you, and tells you there’s something special about you and your band, it means a hell of a lot.”
Romance began work on their debut album, writing and producing the record with the likes of Jason Perry (McFly, A, The Blackout, The Subways, Kids In Glass Houses), Adam Noble (Placebo, RHCP, Guillemots, U2), John Mitchell (Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Lower Than Atlantis), BBC Radio 1’s Dan P Carter, and Grammy award winning Ted Jensen (Muse, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire).
“Sometimes these things don’t work out” explains Jamie after recently parting ways with Polydor/Fiction. “There’s so much that happens behind the scenes before things become public. However, I’ve no regrets, we find ourselves at the start of 2014 with a finished un-released album ready to go, that we’re really happy with and can’t wait to put it out there. That said; I won’t be happy with what we’ve achieved, until I have a ‘Purple Rain’ of my own, even if it does take 6 albums to get there.”
