Graham Ko – New music
Hello, Phuket meet Graham Ko.
Where are you from and what do you do?
I’m originally from Calgary, Alberta but am now based in Toronto doing music professionally.
What triggered you to do music and work with this genre?
When I was in high school I lacked direction in what I wanted to do with my life so I signed up for any course I thought
might interest me. However, as I was about to register a choir recruiter tried to persuade me into joining the choir.
I was a little hesitant at first but then she told me it would be a great way to meet girls and that’s how it all began. My first day in choir opened my eyes to the music and triggered a special connection within me. I had come for the girls but stayed for the music.
From that day on I put my effort into improving my skills and working in the field.
Walk us through your creative process, how do you create music, where do you do so? Do you have any rituals that help you creatively?
When it comes to creativity, inspiration can strike from any direction, be it books
I’ve read, the news, poems, or the interactions I have with people. One of my favourite ways to create though is to make up a story and write music to it.
For some reason, I always get inspiration right before I fall asleep, so I always keep paper and pencil near my bed in case inspiration strikes me, that being said songwriting and creativity come much easier with practice. One of the most common things I’ll do to practice my craft is to take the chords from a song I like and write new lyrics and melody over it.
If you had the chance to collaborate with any artist in the world who would it be and why?
I would be incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to collaborate with Carole King. She’s a master of her
craft and just has this ability to perfectly convey emotion through song. I think that we’d be able to
create something very special if the opportunity ever arose to collaborate.
Which track of yours do your fans HAVE TO listen to (what is your favourite track) and why?
The track I would say fans have to listen to is, “All Mine.”
I feel like this was one of those songs where everything came together organically; from the songwriting, recording, to mixing and mastering. This song is very special to me and for me really expresses a feeling of profound love.