Exclusive Interview: Conor Maynard Talks “Dance With Somebody”, New Music, and His Upcoming Tour

British pop singer-songwriter and actor Conor Maynard has captivated audiences across mediums. Whether he’s starring on the stage in Broadway productions of Kinky Boots or climbing the UK charts, Conor is a multifaceted artist whose talent knows no bounds.

His latest single, “Dance With Somebody”, finds the gifted creator reimagining Whitney Houston’s GRAMMY award-winning hit. He masterfully pays homage to the original while making it his own.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Conor about his interpretation of Whitney Houston’s “Dance with Somebody”, his upcoming album, and when fans can expect to see Conor back on the road!

PC: There are so many different facets to your talent. How did you initially discover your passion for the arts?
Conor: I feel like my mom realized it before I did. At a really young age, my mom quickly discovered that I was definitely one that enjoyed performing. I wasn’t shy about getting up in front of people and doing things.

One of my earliest memories is when my mom used to take me to the doctor’s office. In the doctor’s waiting room, most kids would be huddling behind their mom, whereas I’d go off into my own world or stand in the middle of the waiting room and just start singing. I think that she realized at that age, “This kid is kind of weird. Maybe we should utilize that.”

Around the age of seven, she started sending me to a part-time drama school, where I’d go every Saturday. Originally, I wanted to act—acting was my favorite form of the arts. I really enjoyed doing these drama classes every Saturday. Then, singing came a bit later. I could always sing growing up, but I think only after I hit puberty and my voice broke did my voice start to sound a bit more unique. Around that time, I started enjoying it and started recording songs at home. I started neglecting my schoolwork a little bit and my parents were a little bit like, “What’s going on here?” Luckily, it all worked out.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Conor: There are loads of things that have had influence. A lot of artists I grew up listening to had a huge influence on my musical sound and career. I remember one key person—I’ve even told the person in question about this. A lot of people didn’t know I could sing, especially at school. It wasn’t considered cool to sing, especially for a boy. It was maybe a little less normal to enjoy singing or whatever, so I didn’t really tell anyone. No one really knew.

Around the age of fourteen or fifteen, there was a girl that I used to bus home with every day from school. One of my friends knew I could sing, and he could also sing as well. We were messing around, singing this song. We were singing a song in front of this girl. She overheard and she turned around and was like, “What on Earth? You can sing?” Her reaction was this complete shock. The next day, she told every girl in my year. I remember thinking, “Oh, the girls are talking to me suddenly.” I was buzzing. I was like, “This is funny.”

Then, all these different girls in my year were asking me to sing. Around that time, I realized, “Okay, I don’t need to be embarrassed about it anymore or shy about it.” As we got older, even the boys in my year thought it was quite cool as well. It just all flipped. As we all got older, it became more of a thing. That’s when I started really going for it.

PC: A couple of years ago, you made the decision to go independent. What challenges/freedoms has that provided you as an artist?
Conor: It’s given loads. Freedom-wise, I don’t have to answer to anyone. I release music as and when I want. The sound is completely controlled by me, which is obviously a lot of fun. I still rely on the opinions of my friends and my new manager. We’ll always go back and forth on what we think is the best next step, etc.

It’s a lot more work, though. All the promotion, the marketing, everything comes down to me and the team I select. I instruct the whole thing. It’s a lot bigger workload, but the reward is a lot higher. It takes up a lot of my time, but I wanted it that way. I’m really happy that things are the way they are now.

PC: Speaking of that reward, you’ve had a lot of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out to you?
Conor: Getting a number one album in the UK was an amazing feat to have achieved. Touring in the States for the first time was amazing, or any country, really. Going to any other country than the one I grew up in and being able to stand on a stage and perform to people is an amazing feeling. Sometimes their first language isn’t even English, and all of a sudden they’d be singing all these songs back to me. There have been so many moments that I’ll never forget. I’m very thankful for everyone that listens to my music for allowing me to experience those amazing moments.

PC: You just dropped your interpretation of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Can you tell us about the process of reinventing this song, flipping it on its head, and making it your own?
Conor: Of course. I had the idea a long time ago. I’ve always loved the song “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. I always had the idea that, although this song is very uplifting and the original is very happy and dancey, I always felt like the chorus could lend itself to quite a sad song. I felt like when I was going through my most recent breakup, I remember feeling like I so badly want to go out, party, and dance with my friends, but it was so difficult because of the pain that I was feeling. I felt like I wanted to sing the song to say, “I want to dance with somebody, but I can’t because I still miss you. I still think about you.”

I really wanted to flip the song on its head and turn it into my own because I’ve always loved the song. People always love listening to something where there’s an element of familiarity. I took the song, completely stripped it back, and made it my own. When we were looking for release date, the song was meant to come out in January, but there were a few mishaps and the track got pushed back. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but today (February 11th) is the 10th anniversary of Whitney’s passing, which felt like the stars completely aligned. We were like, “Oh my goodness. That’s such a perfect day to put out the song.” We reached out to the Whitney Foundation and made sure that they were okay with that, and they gave us the green light. They really loved the interpretation. That was really cool. Now, I feel honored to be part of the legacy. It was really cool.

PC: During the pandemic, you’ve been working on a new body of work. How will this next chapter differentiate itself from your debut album Contrast?
Conor: It’s been ten years since my first album came out. I feel there has been a lot of growth, both personally and musically. It’s much more so coming from me now. Before, when I was much younger, I viewed everyone around me as my bosses—the producers I was working with, the management, the label. I was like, “They’re in charge, whatever they say goes.” Now, I feel like I’ve definitely come much more into myself and more into my own. Now, I have much more creative control. I feel like it’s coming from me. I think that it feels much more personal now. It gives a higher reward when people like it.

PC: You’ve given us a little glimpse of this new chapter with the release of “What I Put You Through”. It’s one of your most personal songs to date. Has it always been easy for you to tap into that vulnerability?
Conor: I’m someone that when I’m going through something or if I’m struggling with something, I like to talk about it. I like to be open with my emotions. I like to process it and make sense of it through talking to my close friends or talking to my family, etc. I find it almost therapeutic to put it down into my work. I’m someone who doesn’t shy away from being honest with what I’m going through and what I’m feeling.

It can often be a lot harder when you’re writing about something that’s much more personal to you because you want to be so particular and precise in what you say. I always want to get the message to be exactly how I feel. I don’t want to be lenient and put any old line or anything in it; I want every single line to be exactly what I’m going through. That makes the writing process a lot harder. If you’re writing something that’s a little bit more general, then you can throw any old line in there, and if it sounds good, it sounds good. That’s great and all, but as I said, it can be a lot harder to get the finished product. But it does feel amazing when you’ve created something that’s genuinely true to yourself.

PC: Something that I really appreciate about you is that you’ve used your platform to bring awareness to mental health. Why has that always been so important to you? How did you discover your voice as an advocate?
Conor: I think it’s when I started struggling with it myself and I realized how important it was and how much of an impact it can have on people’s lives. Before I ever struggled with it, I took for granted how ignorance was bliss, how I really didn’t understand. Some people who were close to me were struggling with mental health, and I was like, “Why? What’s wrong? There’s nothing wrong. You’re not going to die. What’s going on? I don’t understand what you’re so worried about and why every day you wake up and think, ‘I don’t feel good.’” I didn’t get it. As soon as I started feeling it myself, it was like, “This is real.”

This is something that can be so powerful and can be so damaging to anyone. It was in that moment I realized, “I need to make sure that I allow other people who are going through the same thing to feel assured that they’re not alone.” I wanted them to feel assured that it is common to go through it, even when it feels like it’s not. One of my biggest issues when I’m going through it is that I feel like, “No one else is feeling the way that I’m feeling right now. There’s no way anyone else feels this low,” but the truth is, they do. People are going at hiding it. People are good at powering through it. People learn to manage it. For me, it’s about trying to remind people that even when they’re at their lowest and going through difficult times, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

PC: You’re gearing up for a massive 2022 with new music and a potential tour. What can fans expect from you this year?
Conor: Exactly that: a lot of new music and a tour at the end of the year—a world tour—which I’m super excited about. I can’t wait to get back on the road. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve been on the road. It’s going to be wonderful to see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of new faces. I’m really looking forward to getting back out there and showcasing all the new music that is yet to come this year.

PC: Is there a different appreciation heading back on the road, just given the fact that we’ve spent now two years where you couldn’t do so?
Conor: It’s going to be surreal. It’s going to feel so weird getting back out there on stage and seeing everyone. It’s going to be quite emotional; it’s going to be quite an emotional moment. I’m probably going to cry in the first show. I’m really looking forward to it.

My previous tour came to a bit of a somewhat odd stop because I had a moment on my last show—I actually posted about it at length on my Instagram when it happened—I felt a bit anxious for some reason on the last show. I ended up not enjoying the last show. I’m anticipating this next tour because it’s going to be really refreshing to get back on stage and go for it again.

PC: Of all the music that you’ve released, or are set to release, if you had to pick one song that best describes who you are as an artist, which would it be and why?
Conor: I don’t think there is one particular song; it’s all about the body of work and everything tied to it. Even with my listening habits, one day I want to listen to a really sad song, and then I want to listen a trap song, then I want to listen to a club song—my wants, in terms of listening, always change. It’s the same with my writing. Sometimes I want to write a really sad, down song or sometimes I want to write something a bit more inspirational or whatever. There isn’t one particular song that portrays me as an artist, entirely. I think it’s all about the body of work.

I remember I named my first album Contrast because I felt like all the songs were so different and really contrasted each other. There was a lot of diversity within that album. I was really happy with it when I put it out. I’m hoping the next album achieves the same thing.

Pop-Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Conor: I’ve got a lot of guilty pleasures. I have so many old-school Disney bangers on my phone. The soundtrack from Mulan is a classic—that always gets bumped, no matter where I am. Even if I’m throwing a party, if I say we’re listening to a few Disney bangers, we’re listening to a few Disney bangers. [laughs]

PC: First album you bought?
Conor: I believe it was Good Charlotte’s first album.

PC: First concert you attended?
Conor: Tinie Tempah. I was eighteen when I went to my first-ever music concert. I never went as a kid or in my early teens. I never went to see anyone live, which is quite strange when I think about it now.

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Conor: I love Channel Orange by Frank Ocean. It proved to me how timeless a piece of work can be and how much it can grow on you. I remember at first hearing it and being a little bit underwhelmed and thinking, “This isn’t as good as I thought it’d be.” Then, fast forward a few months later, I knew the words to every single song and every song back-to-back. I remember how much it grew on me. I remember thinking that was what I was striving for. Sometimes we all strive for songs or pieces of work that instantly hit you, and sometimes those songs you can get bored of quite quickly, whereas the songs that grow on you last a lot longer. That’s what I was going for.

I feel like it’s much harder to write songs that are less immediate, especially now. I feel like we do live in such a world where people want that immediate euphoria type thing. When they hear a song, they want that immediate, “Wow, this song is amazing.” They don’t have the patience to give the song time. I want to produce a piece of work and put out work that grows on people.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Conor: The O2 or Madison Square Garden—those are two that I would love to perform at. I’ve performed at the O2 many times, but never as my own show. I don’t think I’ve ever performed at Madison Square Garden, full stop. That would be amazing.

PC: A must-have on the road?
Conor: My gaming laptop. I take my gaming laptop everywhere with me—even if I’m on holiday, I take my gaming laptop and I sesh Rocket League. That’s what I play.

To keep up with Conor, follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.