Alex Van is a Belgian independent singer-songwriter who began to play classical guitar at the age of 9. Quickly, his musical style started to shift towards folk, blues, and rock music, where his talents took him to Brighton, the UK in 2015 to study songwriting and discover a love for busking.
During his second year, a tragic family incident shook up his life, when his older brother unexpectedly passed away and shaped him personally and as an artist. His honest lyrics and up-front melodies invite the listeners directly into his heart. Through his music, he sets out to channel his energy into a creation true and inspiring while covering topics like heartbreak, grief, and mental struggles.
The pulsing warmth radiated in his most recent single, “Countdown to Love,” leaves us embracing the authentic dimensions of Alex Van’s talents that are effortlessly conveyed. There are various traits fused together in the soundscape of this song that pull inspiration from Folk, Blues, and modern-day Pop.
Locked into his undeniably comforting vocalization, we hear a profound message that sends rays of adoration beaming down on us gracefully. Sometimes less is more and the mid-tempo instrumentation focuses on the simplistic rawness of delicate acoustic guitar chords strummed and the rhythmic spirit of the jaunty percussion setting the tempo. Sprawling lyrical motifs such as “No one’s here but you and me, our heartbeats match the melody,” throughout this heartfelt composition, we find ourselves falling into the charm of Alex Van that much more.
You become one with his buttery croons that have your spirits elevated in a feathery exploration of newfound heights. Musically, Alex van creates pieces that are timeless. Executing his flairs in a way that lather his songwriting techniques in divine sincerity, “Countdown to Love,” has Alex Van on the rise as he remains one to be on the lookout for in the music industry.
Welcome back to BuzzMusic, Alex Van. “Countdown to Love,” is such a beautiful song. What moment or story inspired the creation of this buoyant ballad?
Thanks for having me, the story behind this song is a rather funny one. I was finishing my songwriting course in Brighton and due to procrastination, I was a bit behind on my deadlines. One of the deadlines was writing a song in collaboration with another artist. I asked my friend Migle if she could write a melody and lyrics on a chord progression that I wrote a few weeks back. We sat in the living room along with a couple of beers and very quickly we came up with the song structure. I practically bullied her into writing a song (laughs).
How long did it take you to write “Countdown to Love?" Could you please take us into what the creative process looked like when bringing life to this track?
The writing of the song took an hour approximately. it all came out so naturally. For the instrumental part of the song, I inspired myself from one of my favorite bands Milky Chance (a band from Germany). I took a lot of pleasure in arranging and producing the demo of the track. The recording of the track in the studio went very fast because I already knew exactly what I wanted.
Do you happen to have a favorite part of the creative process that you enjoy more than others? Why?
Overall I do enjoy any creative process, throughout the years I noticed that there is no magical formula to write a good song. Every song that I wrote came out through a different creative process. But if I had to choose it would be the preproduction of the song.
When the song structure is defined then it's like I have a blank canvas in front of me and then the fun begins.
What has been the highlight of your artistic career to date?
So far I like to say that I had many highlights, but the biggest highlight for me personally was when I managed to get 10 000 euros through a crowdfunding campaign. For the first time in my life, I really had this opportunity to release music professionally.
What's next for you?
The next step in my career will be to finish my album, what will happen after I don’t know for sure but I would love to work as a songwriter for other artists alongside my own projects of course. But the plan is to keep making music and growing within the music industry.
