6 months to write this letter... and its for you!

Check the end of the post to WIN tickets to a SUPER SPECIAL Sofar London gig this January! PHOTO: Emily Elizabeth

My goodness. It's taken me a long time to finally put this down in a post.

My last post was the night before my EP release. If you've got me on Social Media, then you know just how MENTAL last year was once the EP came out! But if you missed it...

Rob Green EP, released on Friday 13th May, debuted at #34 in the iTunes Album Chart and #3 in the iTunes RnB Chart. Overwhelmed; I performed very emotional shows at two sold-out EP launches in Nottingham and Leeds. The success of the EP (and the viral video of us celebrating by dancing in Nina Smith's living room) helped me attain interviews with international publications; including the esteemed Blues and Soul and Gay Times Magazines. The exposure boosted the Blue music video (now with over 23,000 views) to be featured as part of a number of film festivals and international film maker's reviews.

On the live shows front BBC Introducing East Midlands championed the EP and invited me to join the Y Not Festival line-up (Thank you Dean Jackson and the team!). We started with a half-full tent, which by the end was at full capacity (see it for yourself here, I warn you now, there were tears...). We skyrocketed from the few summer gigs we had secured at the start of the year; to performing at what turned out to be over 100 confirmed fixtures by the end 2016.

I ended the year performing some of the biggest and most intimate shows of my career. Including for a company I have long respected, Apple, at their Regent Street Store in London; for what has been their largest crowd to date (THANK YOU!) and doing my first #RobGreenRoom performances in the living rooms of the awesome Stacey, Chris, Mahalia and Hannah with their friends and families.

Honestly, 2016 has been such an inspiring and motivational year, because of YOU! The love and support you've shown, sharing posts, tuning in to livestreams, catching gigs and pre-ordering/buying the EP in the first place. I just want to say THANK YOU. SO MUCH. I can't fully express how thankful I am to have such powerhouse support!!

THANK YOU!!

I can't wait for you to hear what's coming next...

Big love and see you very soon ;)

Rob x

Fancy winning tickets to catch Rob's SUPER SECRET gig hosted by Sofar Sessions London later this month as part of their VIP Alumni line-up? Click here to enter!

What you DIDN'T know about pre-orders could make you nervous

Rob in session for BBC Introducing last Saturday

Pre-ordering a release from an artist is, on the timeline of music history, a relatively new concept. The notion of it is very simple. Click a pre-order button and on the day the EP is released it automatically downloads to all your digital devices. The digital music marketplace has been saved by this new feature and artists are liberated by it's flexibility - but there are a few things most people DON'T know about pre-orders and why they are the source of so much excitement!

IT RAISES THE PROFILE OF INDEPENDENT MUSIC

Music award bodies, such as MOBO and the BRIT awards use data collated about pre-orders; like the iTunes Bestselling Pre-orders Chart to monitor interest in a particular release. The first week Rob Green EP was released; YOUR pre-orders took it into the Top 20. This week it has creeped in at number 31, making it one of the few unsigned EP's this year to enter the Top 40 twice. YOU did that!

IT PACKS A PUNCH!

If Sally pre-ordered in March and Jamie pre-ordered today, they will both get their pre-orders on the same day. Although the download is automatic, The UK Official Charts will document the sales of the EP as if we all manually went and downloaded it at 1 am Friday morning; which makes a much bigger impact statistically than if the sale was counted at point of order. Pre-orders give small timers a greater opportunity than ever before to contend with the big dogs on the music playground.

THERE'S MORE MYSTERY THAN YOU'D THINK

Certain rules currently prevent Tunecore (the service that unsigned artists can use release their music onto online marketplaces) from disclosing pre-order numbers to artists until the release date. Meaning that neither I or any other person using the service knows how many orders have been made until release day.  

The anticipation is REAL; as is the TENSION. Nothing will be revealed until Friday...

SO at this point; before the home-stretch I just wanted to write a post to you all to say I am SO grateful for the support and your AWESOME VIBES throughout this whole process! I can't stress enough how significant it is - Everytime you shared the Blue video and EP pre-order link you helped grab attention, worldwide; which it could not have gained without you.

This is my first release in four years, my first pre-order and almost the last time I will get to say...

 PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY OF 'ROB GREEN EP' HERE! 

BUZZING TO SEE YOU ALL THIS WEEKEND!!

BIG MASSIVE LOVE

Rob x

COMING TO THE NOTTINGHAM LAUNCH FRIDAY? SEE WHO ELSE IS GOING HERE 

COMING TO THE LEEDS LAUNCH ON SATURDAY? SO ARE THESE PEOPLE! 

Breaking up with Joe Dempsie (43 times!)

The week Rob Green EP went on pre-order, Dean Jackson playlisted the first single Blue on BBC Introducing and your EP pre-orders made it break into the iTunes Top 20 Bestselling Pre-orders Chart (Thank you!!). In response to the incredible support for this song I really wanted to make a video. But with no treatment written and almost no time; it was definitely going to be a challenge to make it a reality. 

A day later, sat in Broadway with Matt and Mark Daunt (the dynamic duo behind Lace Market Media), I pitched the treatment idea I had come up with the night before and from that point we ran with it. It was to be shot in my house, it was to be done in one continuous shot and it was easily going to be the most technically challenging video we have ever made together. Oh, and it all had to be done within the fortnight deadline. We were excited.

I first met Joe Dempsie when we were both at Nottingham Television Workshop, and although we have never acted together before (though he did have a 'proud' cameo in my first video; Cardinal) he has always been incredibly supportive of my music. I called him to run the treatment by him and true to form, and despite being crazy busy filming other stuff, he was in! Joe is an incredible actor and with Ben Welch, Lucy Manning and Greg Lonsdale jumping on board to action the behind the scenes work; I was confident, whatever the outcome, we were all in a for a wicked time.

It was all hands on deck from 8am last Saturday. Mark, Greg, Lucy and Ben learned how to practically gut my house within 40 seconds, whilst Joe, myself and Matt rehearsed and re-rehearsed the *VERY* acrobatic break-up/camera routine. It took 43 takes, six hours of shooting and a LOT of stamina! The fact that it has come off the way it has is a testament to the integrity and drive of everyone involved. I'm so honoured to have worked with them on this and I cannot wait for you to see it TOMORROW AT 5PM!! (Friday 15th) 

Big Love

Rob xx

PRE-ORDER ROB GREEN EP NOW FOR AS LITTLE AS £1.50! 

MY EP IS FINISHED!

 "The only thing holding you back is the thought that something is holding you back" (Ralph Marston)

Today I was handed the final master of an EP that I never thought would be made. 

For the last twenty-one weeks I have been pushing myself to the LIMIT! Musically directing Sheep Shoup's latest research and development week, running songwriting sessions around the country, performing and gigging, working a part time job and finding any time (and money) I could to get up to Bradford to work in a DIY studio built in the attic space of a converted church building to make this work (Shout out to the incredible Brathay Trust for that one!).

It is impossible to recount all of the highs, lows and trials of this process. Working with two artists who I dearly love, Christella Litras and Jonnie Khan; we assembled recording equipment, set up heaters (!!!) and began working on what I can honestly say is my most personal recording project to date. 

I have never been so overwhelmed as the moment I heard it mastered (by the wonderful Tom 'T's Myth' Smith). We all worked right up until the last second and in truth it has inspired me to create so much more. I cannot wait to tour this work and see how it is received, after developing it so privately.  

This process has taught me so much but mostly is qualifies the Ralph Marston quote that inspired this whole project.

To Jonnie and Stella. Who invested their talent, expertise and (most valuable) their time into this project; it cannot be overstated what you have done for me. You made a dream a reality. You are both miraculous. 

Thank you; to everyone who has supported me throughout this process, to all the people who have heard this work through it's development and all of the people who have been tweeting/Instagramming your support! I really don't know how I would have achieved this without all of you!

BIG, BIG, BIIIG LOVE

Rob x

CLICK HERE TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THE PRE-ORDER IS AVAILABLE