Wolfgang Valbrun Talks New Album, His Voice And More

American singer-songwriter Wolfgang Valbrun has released his new album ‘Flawed By Design’ out now on Jalapeño Records. We wanted to learn more from the man himself and he kindly agreed:

When did you begin songwriting?

I began writing in highschool but got serious about it with my first band Marvellous, in ephemerals I was not the songwriter but I collaborated with GUTS and Kraak & Smaak around the same time, honing the craft. Flawed By Design is a collaborative effort with an amazing band but also a true reflection of my voice and lyrics.

What is your earliest musical memory?

It will always be my mom listening and singing music around the house, she is clearly the person that gave me my musical education. It was really varied from Bob Marley to Bobby McFerrin, Billy Joel to Elton John and Charles Aznavour to Grace Jones.

Your new album ‘Flawed By Design’ is out now on Jalapeño Records. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

I wanted it to be very organic. Really wanted it to be between me and my friends. Meet up, write repeat kind of thing. About half the band are based in Bristol so we would meet up there for songwriting sessions and recorded an early version of the album in Fitz’s studio that we took to our label.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

We went to a place called Rockfield in Wales, that our bassist, Charlie Fitzgerald suggested. We produced the album in house but credit him , James Graham our keys and Thierry Lemaître our sax as the production team.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

I think of the whole thing as a week with great friends just chilling, cooking good food and making good music. Would have been a great backdrop for a rom-com. We didn’t have a ton of money so time was limited and we recorded day and night but we cam away very happy with the result.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

I’m not a technician, but I’m pretty sure the guys had fun using all that was at hand. My instrument is my voice and I just concentrate on making sure that’s working while the guys mic the drums and all that jazz..

One of the tracks is the new single ‘Love Yourself’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Love Yourself was one of the first tracks that I wrote for the album. It was my mantra during COVID and it got me through a lot of tough times. The song is about getting to know yourself and accepting all your flaws as an essential part of life. Accepting my own flaws gave me hope when things looked dark and I want the song to give hope to those who don’t have any and maybe give them an idea that there is a way through. Or maybe that’s too deep and it’s just a song.. but I hope not.

Was it a difficult album to write?

I mean, yes and no. It was a tough time in my life so in that sense yes, but I think it was therapeutic for me. There was and still is a lot riding on this album so we knew it had to be good. We made quite a lot of changes from the demo album we recorded in Bristol to the final album we recorded in Rockfield and we had to fight with our label about some of those changes because they had got used to the demo versions. But in the end we came to an album we were all happy with and we are about to release a track from The Bristol sessions too so our label is happy..

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest would have to say Love Yourself

Angriest think it’s flawed by design

Most reflective Some Day

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

I always hope that I’ve put all of me into a performance and that I’ve touched people.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Recently I’ve been testing mics and I have been having fun the Ksm8 from Shure. Love the sensation when I sing with it.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

I mean today I consider my hometown to be Paris even though I was born in New York and lived in Spring Valley. Paris in five words, beautiful, relentless, seductive, delicious and capricious.

How do you look after your voice?

I try to drink herbal teas, lots of warm ups, keeping bad habits to a minimum and sleep – the most important thing to me at least is rest.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

I have a ton of musicians that inspire me, there are the classics Bill Withers, Al Green, James Brown. Big fan of Bowie. It’s kind of hard to pinpoint really. I love music in a general sense. I know it may seem like a cop out but many different things can be inspiring – I think it depends on circumstance and mood more than anything.

Who created/designed the album artwork?

I worked with a good friend Julien Raffin, he’s an amazing artist and a great human being to work with. We really went back fourth until we found common ground. And the photos of me that he used were taken by another good friend of mine, Nina Cholet.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2024/2025?

We have a tour planned for Spring 2025 in the UK and Europe. We should be announcing the dates in the next couple of months.

What makes Wolfgang Valbrun happy and what makes you unhappy?

Think what makes me happy today is knowing that the people I love and esteem are happy and healthy. What makes me unhappy, and I know it’s very unoriginal is the injustice that we live through as human beings.