Music saved my life. That’s not hyperbole or marketing speak—it’s the truth. This project exists because when everything else failed, when words couldn’t capture what I was feeling, when the world felt too loud and too dangerous, I had melodies. I had chord progressions. I had a way to process what I couldn’t say out loud.

I grew up with an abusive father. My childhood was defined by fear, unpredictability, and violence. My mum was extraordinary—she protected us in every way she could, often at great cost to herself. She was our shield. But the damage was done. By the time I was a teenager, I was already struggling with severe social anxiety and mental health issues that have stayed with me into adulthood.

In March 1999, at 14 years old, I attempted suicide. Music didn’t just help me cope—it literally saved my life. Writing songs gave me a reason to wake up when I couldn’t find one anywhere else. It showed me that even in the darkest moments, you can create something meaningful. That you can come back from the brink and build a life worth living.

When you grow up in that environment, you learn to make yourself small. You learn to avoid attention. You learn that being seen can be dangerous. That never really goes away, even when you’re safe. Even now, at 41, with a wife and kids and a life I’ve built that’s full of love, social situations are overwhelming. I avoid them whenever possible. The thought of performing, of interviews, of being in the spotlight—it’s not just uncomfortable, it’s impossible.

WHY I’M DOING THIS

For years, I convinced myself it was enough to just write. That the act of creating was the point, and whether anyone heard it didn’t matter. But the truth is, it does matter. Not for ego or fame—I genuinely don’t want that—but because music is meant to be shared. These songs deserve to exist beyond my hard drive.

So I’ve built NG20 around what I can do, not what I can’t. I can produce. I can write. I can collaborate remotely with vocalists who bring these songs to life. I can stay behind the scenes where I’m comfortable, while the artists I work with take the spotlight they deserve. This isn’t me hiding—it’s me finally finding a way to participate in music on my own terms.

THE SOUND

My influences are all over the place because music has always been my escape, and I’ve escaped into everything. Classical to house. Elvis to Lady Gaga. Oasis to Queen. I don’t want to be boxed into one genre—alternative pop is the closest label, but I drift into dance, electronic, even country when the song calls for it.

My debut single, Stringshire, is a solo instrumental that blends strings and piano with pulsing house rhythms. It’s a reflection of where I come from—the borders of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, hence the name—and it’s a statement about what NG20 is: a collision of classical training and modern production, structure and chaos, control and release.

WORKING WITH ARTISTS

I’m looking for vocalists and artists who want to collaborate, whether that’s as a featured artist on an NG20 track or as someone who wants to take one of my songs and make it their own. I have a catalog of fully written songs across genres—pop, country, band tracks—that are just waiting for the right voice.

I’m an open book. I’m honest about my limitations and what I can offer. Splits, credits, creative input—I’m flexible because this has never been about control. It’s about making something real together, even if we never meet in person.

WHY ANONYMITY MATTERS

Some artists are anonymous for mystique. For me, it’s self-preservation. This isn’t a brand choice—it’s the only way I can do this. I need the music to be separate from me because I can’t handle being the story. The vocalists I work with should be the face of these songs. They’re the ones performing, connecting with audiences, living in that world. I’m just the architect.

I’m sharing all of this because I want people to understand that this project isn’t about ego or hiding from criticism. It’s about survival. It’s about finally finding a way to contribute to the thing that saved me, without destroying myself in the process.

NG20 • Producer • Songwriter • Collaborator
Based on the borders of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire
Available for remote collaboration worldwide