大象传媒

Six months ago, Doug was like many other Mancunian artists, taking small steps towards a debut single, The Mystery, when he decided to take the plunge and go for it by getting himself a radio plugger. Little did he know that his decision would utterly change his life.

"I was going to do a small self release and was trying to find someone who would just take a retainer to get out there and get the music on the radio. So I went down to London to meet with some people and I thought that as I was there, I might as well go round a few stations myself to kind of up the anti.

"I never thought it would work. You have your crazy dreams, but I never expected him to play it. People have been saying to me that it was a brilliant idea, but it wasn鈥檛 really. I just stood outside a radio station and handed a guy a CD, it wasn鈥檛 the most inventive idea, and I only actually came up with it on the way down to London 鈥� but it worked, which is really bizarre."

Bizarre or not, he definitely handed his CD to the right person. Chris Moyles liked it so much, he didn鈥檛 just play it once, he gave it a spin three times that day, and it didn鈥檛 end there.

"He played eight times across the week and he鈥檚 still playing it. Only this morning he was going on about me again 鈥� it鈥檚 mental!"

'A proper brain-box'

As a result of that airplay, Doug鈥檚 phone started ringing and his MySpace went mad. Within a couple of months, he found himself signed up to one of the world鈥檚 biggest labels and in a studio with Coldplay and Starsailor producer Danton Supple, who Doug says was amazing to work with.

Danton Supple

"He鈥檚 an absolute gentleman and a proper brain-box. His dad worked for NASA and he鈥檚 got the same sort of brain, but he applies it to mixing desks, rather than spaceships.

"It was a privilege to work with him and we just blasted through the stuff. We rifled through it in four weeks and that includes a week鈥檚 break when I went off to New York to mix the first few tracks we鈥檇 recorded."

So what does he make of the results of the sessions? In typical Doug style, his response is one of refreshing honesty.

"I鈥檓 very happy with the album. I mean, come on, it鈥檚 my debut album and I鈥檝e waited long enough for it. I never wanted to put out an album until I knew it would be good enough. I always hoped my debut would be a big deal and that I鈥檇 sell some records. I鈥檝e never been one for saying that I just want to sell a few."

'Just decent pop songs'

There鈥檚 no denying that Doug has worked for it. For the last few years, he鈥檚 been dragging his guitar around Manchester and beyond, trying to get some interest and find his place in the musical world 鈥� something that he says has been quite difficult at times.

Doug recording some vocals

"I have felt like giving up at times. In fact, just before I went to Radio 1, I felt a bit hopeless, because everyone knows that without radio play and without some media support, you鈥檙e not going to sell more than a handful of records.

"You have to remember that my stuff is just pop songs. There鈥檚 nothing new or fresh, it鈥檚 not the new hip sound of 2008, it鈥檚 just decent pop songs.

"My frustration has always been, even in Manchester because of the cool indie scene, that I feel like a bit of an outsider, a bit excluded, because I鈥檓 not the cool, new thing and it can be hard for people to get an angle on it.

"But I always knew that my songs were good enough to play on national radio and that I could do it. I guess it鈥檚 just a case of having blind faith, blind belief in yourself."

Doug Walker is living proof that such faith can pay off, that dreams can come true and that sometimes, good things do happen to good people. Be prepared to catch him smiling out of a TV near you soon 鈥� after all, there鈥檚 no doubt that he鈥檚 ready to enjoy his time in the spotlight.

The Mystery is out on Monday 10 March. Doug Walker plays Night and Day on Friday 15 February and Thursday 28 February.