Quiet daydreamer turned Glastonbury star Changing Currents brings authenticity to music
When 25-year-old rising music star Changing Currents was growing up in England he would frequently miss his train stop on the way to school as he stared out the window daydreaming about DJing at the world's largest events. Growing up in the small town of Lancing, just outside of Brighton, he passed that very same rail station in June on the way to his debut performance at the Glastonbury Festival, where thousands of people cheered him on.
Little did they know, the DJ and producer was lost in thought about his youth and his upcoming performance while taking the train to the world's largest music festival, again missing his stop on the way to the event. Of the showcase, he said, "This one's for my younger self." Writing on social media, "I wish I could hug that kid and tell him, 'We did it.'"
It is this down-to-earth nature and authenticity shines even brighter than the ambition that has brought him to stages from Canada to India, where his ability to connect with fans across different cultures and continents is clear. The artist, who is vocal about his queerness, is a beacon of self-acceptance to his fans.
Just a week after his set in Glastonbury, he played shows in Amsterdam, first at the Melkweg and then as the closing act at the Vunzige Deuntjes Festival. The outdoor set was so disrupted by rain that just two people braved the downpour.
Instead of letting it get him down, Changing Currents saw it as a moment to tailor his set specifically for the couple, a sharp contrast from the throng that jumped in front of the Glastonbury stage. This was also a "beautiful moment," he said of the slow-dancing man and woman. "Never worry about the people that aren't there, and worry about the people that are there," he wrote in an Instagram post liked by about 100,000 fans.
He stopped by the the Dam Yankee Podcast, in partnership with NL Times. With his sunglasses on and his guard down, Changing Currents broke down how he snagged a stage at Glastonbury, his view on musical collaborations, and how he found his identity.
Dam Yankee: You’re fresh off a great set at Glastonbury from just a few weeks ago. How do you get on a stage like that in the first place?
Changing Currents: Do you know what? It was mental. I got the offer—I think it must have been like a month before. And when that email first came in, I was surprisingly very chilled about things because I've never been to Glastonbury. Obviously, I know it's a huge festival, but me getting booked for Glastonbury—I just assumed I'd be in like a little small tent, you know.
It wasn't until I put the poster on my Instagram that I was like, okay, this stage might be a bit of a deal. It was not a small tent. I was absolutely shocked just to walk up on that stage and feel what I felt. All of the comments leading up to it just got me so ready, because yeah, like I said, I was not expecting it.
DY: You were performing with somebody also?
CC: Yes, F.S. Green, who's from Amsterdam. Absolutely love F.S. He's been one of my inspirations for years. Ever since I was like—you know, I say young, but maybe like 17, 18 is when I was really sort of looking up to him. And just to be able to share the stage with someone that I looked up to for so many years, and then just to be surrounded by these people as well now, is such a great feeling.
Obviously, it was quite a quick rise to get here. Social media and stuff helped me rise. So, just to be surrounded by people that have inspired me, it's just such a cool feeling.
DY: When you're not playing Glastonbury, how large are the venues you play?
CC: Oh, honestly, every show is so different ... It can range from like 200 to 500. But I played a festival the other day, and I was closing, and it was raining and there was no shelter on the stage where I was playing at. And I was DJing to a couple. To two people! And this was a week after Glastonbury.
Everyone had gone, so I just scrapped what I was playing and then I just started DJing for this couple in the crowd, who were dancing in the rain. I started playing Sade. So like no matter how big or small the event is, I always enjoy it. And I always sort of look out to the crowd, like, who can I latch onto? And it was quite nice to create a moment for that couple.
DY: It also must have been a little humbling in a way. Here you've just had, you know, 10,000 people at Glastonbury, and then there's two.
CC: Very, very humbling. But do you know what though? It was stuff I already knew about where I'm at because, that set at Glastonbury is great. It's amazing! But I am very self-critical and that isn't the the be all and end all yet, because not everybody that was in the crowd knew who I was, right? And I want to get to a point where i'm playing to a crowd like that but they know who I am, all of them. There's still a lot of work to do. So yeah, when that happened where there was two people? I wasn't downbeat at all. This is where I'm at, and that's okay.
DY: What is your approach to making music now?
CC: My approach to making music now is—I like working with other producers now as well. When I first started, I was just making music on my own for days, and I'd never leave my bedroom. But now I'm working with other producers, and I get real inspiration from collaborating with people.
I've noticed, just from being in Amsterdam and stuff—all of these people, they all help each other. They all help each other with their music and where they want to get to. That's something you definitely don't do in a smaller town. That's why it's nice to come here, because you get to see these DJs and producers working together really nicely. That's how I like to work now.
DY: You’ve spoken about struggling with your identity in the past. Did that ever have an effect on your relationships?
CC: God, yeah. Massively. I didn't know myself. I was a different person day to day, and I just don't think people could hack that—and I don't blame them. I was a bit of a nightmare, actually, at school. I don't think people understood me, because I definitely didn't understand myself.
I was just a bit of a mess, and I think it was very obvious to people. It was definitely a struggle—to make friends and maintain friends.
DY: And is that better now?
Yeah. It is better now. I'm so comfortable in my own skin. It's actually crazy, the difference. And I think it's just, again, through doing what I love and having these experiences and seeing the whole world. It's really made me who I am. I look back at my old self, and I hated him more than anyone. The difference is crazy. I'm so happy that I found myself the way I have, and I can be really grateful for that.
DY: And I think I also saw somewhere that that's kind of the origin of your stage name, Changing Currents?
CC: Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Because I am always changing and always evolving.
Listen to this entire episode of Dam Yankee wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the full videos on YouTube. The DJ goes on to talk about being queer, being Christian, and addresses the school teacher who told him he would never make it as an artist.
Changing Currents' Amsterdam show has passed, but keep an eye open for Asia tour dates in September and October followed by a headline show in London.
