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Three hours and twenty-five minutes. That’s the average flight time from Malta to London. It doesn’t sound like long, but if you’d packed up your entire life to chase a dream with no solid plan, it would feel like forever. And that’s exactly what Maltese singer/songwriter Shaun Farrugia did.
‘I was an estate agent, trying to sell property… badly,’ he laughs. Taking a leap of faith, he sent British DJ and record producer Sigala some of his demos, which led him to London for an initial meeting. Seizing the opportunity to start a new life, Shaun sold his car, packed his belongings, and boarded the plane. ‘I showed up to the studio in London with all my luggage, and I think Sigala felt a bit bad – he was like ‘you know this is just a meeting, right?’ But I was desperate for a publishing deal.’
Flash forward four years and Shaun has signed a record deal with Polydor, gained over 30 million streams, and had his music featured on one of the UK’s biggest reality TV shows. The gamble paid off.
Inspired by the early 2000s alternative rock era of Coldplay and Keane, Shaun’s signature sound overlays his original piano compositions with raspy vocals and melodic choruses, backed by a steady guitar beat. His deeply personal debut releases, I Don’t Wanna Fall Asleep Yet and Dear God delve into the complicated emotions of a long-distance relationship as Shaun navigated life in London without his girlfriend, who was back in Malta. ‘It was close to our anniversary when I wrote Dear God, and I’d just found out that my girlfriend couldn’t make it to London and I couldn’t go to Malta. It was a horrible day,’ he recalls. ‘But the good news is we do live together now!’
Each track that Shaun writes tells a story. His heartfelt narratives create a special connection between him and the listener, and it’s not something he takes for granted. ‘It’s honestly the biggest honour I could ever hold to be a part of someone’s peace and healing through music.’
Shaun kicked off 2023 with his new single Count on You – an emotional yet uplifting song about accepting support during difficult times. ‘Last year, just before my music got released, I was at my lowest moment. My anxiety was through the roof. I was having a mental breakdown,’ he remembers. ‘That song was me thanking everyone, and they know who they are, who grabbed me by the shoulders and told me I could get through it.’
Exploring the complexity of mental health, Count on You also acts as a reminder that there’s no shame in reaching out for help, with lyrics such as ‘so I’m calling, I’m calling, I’m calling again, I’m needing a friend, needing a helping hand’ encouraging others to open up the conversation. ‘I feel like men in particular are sometimes too proud – they feel the need to look like they have everything under control,’ he explains. ‘To be honest, I don’t have everything under control. I’m a walking mess sometimes. One day I’m so confident, and the next morning I struggle to get out of bed, and I’m not ashamed to say that happens to me.’
In addition to Shaun’s solo tracks, his collaboration with world-renowned Dutch DJ and producer Martin Garrix has seen great success. The pair worked on the single Starlight (Keep Me Afloat), along with Dutch DJ duo DubVision, and the track has amassed over 3.4 million views on YouTube alone. ‘Me and Martin have become besties,’ Shaun laughs. ‘Obviously, he’s changed my life. He gave me a platform. The song still gets played, and people have the lyrics tattooed on their chests! To see a lyric we wrote in a studio in Amsterdam on somebody’s chest – that’s crazy!’
Last summer, Shaun travelled back to his home country to play on stage for the first time at Malta’s Isle of MTV festival, which attracted a crowd of over 40,000 people. ‘That was scary,’ he says. ‘Seeing all those people the first time I ever performed on stage… the nerves were up there. I never even knew there could be so many people in one place at one time.’ And as for his next bucket list venue? ‘I’d love to play Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Playing another festival would be amazing too.’
From the beautiful sunsets of Malta to the bright lights of England’s capital city, Shaun Farrugia is just getting started. But stardom isn’t his ultimate goal. If you’re ever lucky enough to meet Shaun Farrugia, you’ll find a kind, humble, compassionate songwriter who cares deeply about his craft. ‘I still feel like I’m just a boy from Malta, with his mum shouting at him to do more schoolwork than music… I try and remind myself every day why I’m doing this, and today, I’m feeling extra grateful.’
Shaun’s new single Count on You is out now.
