I had the privilege to talk with up and coming British R&B/Pop sensation Conor Maynard recently! We talked about all his accomplishments thus far and what he has planned for the release of his debut album, Contrast, here in the United States.

Hailey Sager: Hey Conor, why don’t you go ahead and tell us a little about yourself, and how you got started in music.
Conor Maynard: Hey, my name is Conor Maynard. I am a singer that got my start doing YouTube covers. I posted a cover of Ne-Yo’s “Beautiful Monster,” which he saw and he reached out to me and became my mentor.

HS: When I originally wrote my questions in April, your videos had 50,000 views. I was extremely impressed then, but now four months later those same videos are at 20 million views. What does it feel like knowing that your music and videos are reaching so many people?
CM: It’s a crazy thing. When I posted my first video, I only expected my mum and my nan to watch them. But it’s a great feeling knowing my videos are reaching so many people.

HS:  Since April, you have not only played your first live show, you have also released your debut album, Contrast. How does it feel to work with such prominent people in the music business such as Pharrell and Ne-Yo.
CM: They have been my inspirations for so long I am very fortunate that I get to work with them! Working with them has been some of my biggest accomplishments thus far.

HS: You’re in America now, on a small press tour, correct?
CM: Yes, I’m in Texas currently.

HS: Do you have any plans for a full US tour soon?
CM: Yes, definitely! In December I plan to come back, for a longer stay. The fans will be able to pick which cities I get to visit.

[Editor’s note: You can choose Conor’s December tour dates now by going to http://mayniacmap.com]

HS: You and Anth [Melo] have formed such an awesome duo for YouTube. Do you plan on bringing him out to perform with you at some of your shows?
CM: I would love to have Anth perform with me. We made a name for ourselves together and I think it would be great for the fans to get to see us perform live together.

HS: What are the top three songs on your iPod right now?
CM: Top three songs um I would say Thinking About You by Frank Ocean, Marvin’s Room by Drake and, hmmm what is the third one? Right now, Fill Me In by Craig David.

HS: Wow those are really great options!
CM: Thank you!

HS: I see that you are really interactive with your fans on your social media sites, so I decided to ask them some questions.

Mary Kate wants to know, “If you could be one cartoon character who would it be and why?”
CM: If I could be one cartoon character um, I think one of my favorite cartoons growing up was Spongebob Squarepants. So, if I could be him that would be amazing ‘cause he’s always happy and ready to go and I have to get up really early sometimes so I’d love to be like that and not want to punch everyone.

HS: Yeah, I’m not a morning person either.
CM: Yeah, I’m definitely not!

Rose wants to know, “What did you want to be when you were younger? Did you always want to become a singer or is it just something that happened?”
CM: I didn’t actually, funny enough. What I really wanted to be when I was really, really young was a balloon. My dream was to be a balloon, but then I grew up and realized that wasn’t going to happen.  But then I actually wanted to be an actor growing up. Until about the age of fifteen I was really into drama and really into acting. It was just what I enjoyed. For me what really switched it up was as I got older, I started finding my own voice, finding my own style in terms of music and yeah it just switched at that age. But until about 15 I really wanted to be an actor.

HS: That’s really interesting! I’m actually filming a movie right now behind the scenes and the whole experience is really amazing. I can see why you wanted to get involved with it.
CM: Yeah, I’ve done some filming over in the UK some TV and film and stuff and I enjoyed it so much so that’s what made me want to get into it.

Margaret and Kim asked, “If you could be any piece of clothing on a celebrity what would you want to be and who would it be on?”
CM: [Without hesitation] Kim Kardashian’s jeans. I think that would be a lot of fun, for me. And I’d definitely enjoy that so yeah.

HS: Is there anything you would like to share with your fans and new listeners before we go?
CM: Yeah, I would just like to say a massive, massive thank you to all the fans that have been so supportive in the US so far even though it is so early in my career. I really really hope I get to see them and meet them in December. It will be a party!

HS: Thank you so much for talking with us at Musiqtone!
CM: It’s all good! Have a great day!

HS: Thanks, you too!