Hailing
from rural isolation on a sheep farm in the Scottish Highlands,
ONR (pronounced “honor”) is carving his own lane in pop with
new track “Sober” (feat. Carina Jade), out now. Aglow with an
‘80’s-inspired throb, “Sober” is his debut release on Warner
Records and the first off his forthcoming Must Stop EP,
out May 15. The EP features four sparkling synth-pop gems with
an anthemic rock undertow that are almost entirely written,
played and self-produced in his home studio in Dumfries and
Galloway. An official video is also out now.
March 2020, ONR will embark on a UK/European tour with Jake
Bugg, making stops in Liverpool, Edinburgh, and more, before
performing at the prestigious Reading & Leeds Festival this
August. See dates here.
ONR is singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and self-taught
producer born Robert Shields. Inspired – not to mention bored
– at his family’s farmhouse on cliffs overlooking the North
Sea in Scotland, Shields began writing and performing his own
songs aged 12 or 13, teaching himself piano on a battered instrument
missing half its keys that he uncovered in the family shed.
While still at school, he had his first break: he won a songwriting
competition, judged by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and was later
offered a place at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts,
founded by Sir Paul McCartney, which he declined. With such
an isolated childhood, his songwriting was his form of escapism,
a craft he was intent on perfecting first and foremost. His
hard work caught the attention of a manager who flew him out
to LA – his first time out of Scotland ever – culminating in
a label war, yet he understood the heat of success and still
didn’t feel quite ready, both mentally and musically, and turned
all of it down. He continued to hone his skills by fine-tuning
his songwriting and perfecting his live show, performing hundreds
of gigs across Europe, eventually touring with acts like Bastille,
while immersing himself amongst Scottish hit-makers Lewis Capaldi
and Calvin Harris. Now Shields has finally figured out who he
is as a songwriter, making music that is true to himself, of
which he is proud.
Watch/Share “Sober” (Video) HERE
Listen/Share “Sober” (Audio) HERE
Pre-Order/Pre-Save Must Stop EP HERE
Photo Credit: Brian
Ziff
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