Graham Candy had no idea what awaited him when he boarded his Berlin-bound flight, leaving New Zealand behind him. The boy who skipped classes in school to play guitar and learn chords from his friends, wouldn’t have known that he would be chasing his dream as a man eleven time-zones away.
After being called into the school principles office, Candy was given the advice to attend his classes because he would need a Plan B in life to which he responded: “I don’t need a Plan B, because I’m going to do my Plan A”.
It’s been a while since the 25-year-old musician was recording “She Moves”. The song with Alle Farben reached gold status in Germany charting all around Europe and let him perform up to 2000-strong crowds, just months after playing acoustic gigs in tiny Auckland bars.
Candy’s debut album has been in work since he first stepped into Germany to create a colourful portrayal of his diverse music style and his intimate catchy lyrics.
Opening with the honest “Home”, Candy immediately welcomes the listener straight into his most intimate thoughts. “I want to go home, but not today” expresses the distance separating him from his former life. Fittingly, it was recorded with a 30-strong choir from his school back in Auckland.
But it’s not all dark. “Back Into It”, co-produced by Kenneth Harris, lead guitarist of Panic! At The Disco, is an anthem about hard work. The song shimmers with youthful energy and a gritty synthesizer staccato giving Candy a solid foundation to demonstrate his vocal range.
Quirky and honest, Candy’s voice immediately sets him apart from other contemporaries. Although molded around genre to genre, from a dance track to an acoustic performance, he still sounds like he’s constantly opening up some hidden door to his soul.
