Justin Bradford | en

Songwriter and composer Justin Bradford originally started a solo project recording acoustic songs in his bedroom on his brother’s old four-track tape recorder. These recordings were not an entirely lost cause, he wrote his first song, a folk ditty called 'Little Black Book' in 2007 along with many other rough ideas and eventually got his own recording devices. Bradford’s arrangement origins are heavily influenced by video game music which he experienced and loved as a child. Over the next three years Bradford was active in both writing and recording many songs from home as well as performing at the local busking festivals and was mentioned and shown in the paper numerous times along friend and collaborator Lee McKenzie.

In 2010, Bradford decided to join the music course at the Bay Of Plenty Polytechnic under the suggestion of his good friend and post-graduate Ashley McKinley of pop/metal love affair ‘Spork,’ and Bradford decided to craft his own musical experience and knowledge.

Through the certificate year at the polytechnic he underwent singing, guitar and drumming lessons as well as learning about music theory, technology, performance and local culture. Applying new knowledge towards compositions and experimentation Bradford's production, performance and writing had vastly improved from the days of the rough and inexperienced demos.

Writing catchy and emotionally grasping pop ballads like Lay Low, Summer and With You, Love hasn't always been the case for Bradford, as he has often experimented with different sounds and genres but the inspiration is heavily rooted within the sound of pop music and echoed within the 60s.

Bradford started off as dark folk with a rock influenced background, he recorded a collection of 10 acoustic based demos entitled 'Better Days,' (reoccurring themes being loneliness, pessimism and depression.) and is currently working on a debut studio album with many of the songs influenced by love, relationships, heartstrings and optimism. .