Twenty-three-year-old Shaun Farrugia from Kappara is not your average budding musician harbouring dreams of making it big in the music industry.
Hailing from a family with a music background, Farrugia’s father Martin, was a founding member and keyboard player of highly popular and successful Maltese rock bands ‘The Exit’ and “Getting Closer” back in the 1980’s and early 90s. Getting the music bug seem inevitable.
At 17, Farrugia started dabbling in music production and song writing, though he admits music production was something he was told to give up as his strengths were in song writing. Eventually he started writing material for some Malta’s most popular artists, the likes of Gaia and Christabelle.
Despite the possibility of not making any progress in the international music scene, Farrugia took the plunge earlier on this year and left Malta to set up base in the London in the hope of building a network within the industry and meeting his idol, British DJ Sigala, to whom he had already sent some of his work.
As luck would have it, Farrugia is a long-time friend of Emma Tranter, a fellow Malteser with connections to Sigala – Tranter is Sigala’s official photographer. Tranter put the two in touch. From then on it was a roller coaster of events and emotions starting with a songwriting camp where Farrugia rubbed shoulders with some of the best singers, songwriters and producers the music industry has at the moment.
This week, Farrugia’s determination to start the road to success was rewarded with the signing of a publishing deal with Sigala, who certainly does not require any introductions. Songs like “Lullaby”, “Came Here for Love” and more recently Becky Hill’s “Wish you Well” are some of the hits played during jam packed sets.
“This is certainly a dream come true for me. Part of me part of me is very much in cloud nine, but I am very much aware that my feet have to be kept very much firmly on the ground. The music industry is a tough one and as much as it is hard to break into it, it is much easier to fall out of favour” explained Farrugia during a short visit to Malta.
Farrugia admits that it is tough being away from his family and friends but he is looking forward to returning to London and straight into the daily routine of music writing sessions.
Farrugia will definitely be one to watch!
