Barns Courtney: People underestimate the power of failure
- Published
"Rock bottom is an extremely motivating place."
As he finally releases his debut album, The Attractions Of Youth, Barns Courtney reflects on the 10 years it's taken to get to this stage.
The British-born singer has been dropped from a record label, been homeless and pleaded with producers to make his music.
"People vastly underestimate the power of failure," he says.
Rewind 10 years and a then 19-year-old Barns was making an album with Red One, one of Lady Gaga's producers.
Barns Courtney is British-born but grew up in Seattle
He spent three years in Los Angeles, only for the album to never see the light of day.
"It was crushing. I thought I had made it. I felt I was going to be a rock star, then I had the rug pulled out from under my feet."
He was let go from the label and became - essentially - homeless.
Living in London where he could, he spent the little money he had on "kale and sardines" (which he says is a "very nutritious" way of living) and working odd jobs here and there.
Barns was later signed for a second time and was saved from being dropped - again - because his song Fire was used in a little-seen Bradley Cooper movie called Burnt.
Warning: Third party content, may contain adverts
"The film bombed but a radio DJ in Seattle heard Fire, started playing my records and it spread across the US."
The song was made during his three years of limbo, begging a producer to help him with the original mix and then using his own laptop to finesse it as best he could.
"I spent 10 hours in Starbucks in east London cutting one mix on to another. The version on the record is the Frankenstein copy-and-pasted version I made in that coffee shop."
So - finally - the debut is out and he says he's grateful for everything that happened to him as it's given him "something real to write about".
He also has a tiny cameo as one of the artists in Charli XCX's Boys video - he pops up after Joe Jonas to blow a gum bubble.
One of his biggest fans is his grandmother, who lives in Saltburn, North Yorkshire.
After his song was used in a trailer for Coronation Street, she told him "that's something to tell smug Julie about".
Barns is less of a fan of Corrie.
"It's the most boring soap opera. Even the theme tune knows it's boring. It's borne into my subconscious and reminds me of being bored out of my mind."
Find us on Instagram at and follow us on Snapchat, search for