Question Time With.....James Cottriall

He is a British singer/songwriter living in Vienna, Austria and now it's Question Time with him. Ladies and Gentlemen, we give you JAMES COTTRIALL!!!

1. You live in Vienna, Austria and you have entered the Austrian charts many times but what brought you to Austria?

I studied German as my degree at Nottingham University, the third year had to be spent in a German speaking city, and I ended up in Vienna. I’d never been to Austria before my year abroad and I have to admit, it is one stunning country.

2. How did you feel when your debut single 'Unbreakable' first entered the chart in Austria?

It blew my mind. I’d spent about two years playing in any pub that would let me sing and busking on the streets to build up my fan base and when I released “Unbreakable” I sent them all an email saying please support me and buy the song. Their support overwhelmed me and it felt so amazing to hear I was in the top 40 between Robbie Williams and Pink. It took me a long time to get my head around it. 

3. You have recently started promoting your music in other countries such as Great Britain and Holland, what has been the reaction in those countries towards your music and gigs?

The reaction has been amazing. The great thing about social networking is people tell you what they think immediately and it’s always the raw truth. I love the direct contact with my fans, so far it’s all been really positive and the shows are getting busier and busier so I’m definitely going to be doing lots more shows in the UK and the Netherlands soon.

4. You are originally from Stratford upon Avon in England, is there anything you miss from home and what are the biggest difference between England and Austria?

Every time I am back in the UK I always buy the biggest jars of Marmite and Branston Pickle you can get. I also miss real bacon sandwiches with brown sauce! But my family and friends never need much of an excuse to come and visit me in Austria or on the road when I’m on tour and I’m really lucky to have a really tight-knit family and friend circle. I think the biggest difference between Austrians and Brits is the sense of humour, in Austria it is extremely dry and it took me a while to figure out if they were being sarcastic or funny.

5. In Austria you have been featured in many music magazines such as Xpress and Cool! as well as performing at many well known festivals, what has been the highlight of your career so far?

That’s a tough one as I’ve had some amazing experiences as a musician like supporting Bryan Adams and Justin Bieber, but the best was playing to over 80,000 on the main stage at the Donauinselfest, Europe’s largest festival. Hearing that many people sing my songs with me is something I will never forget.

6. If you weren't a singer, what do you think you would be doing now? 

I’d be bored sitting at home living on benefits. I put more than 100% into my music and the thought of it not being a possibility for me is something I can’t even begin to think about. 

7. Usually artist worry about releasing their second album but your album went top 10. Do you now feel under pressure working on the third album?

Your right about the pressure on album number 2, I was very nervous about how well “Love is Louder” would do, but thanks to my great team and unbelievable fans the singles from that album spent almost 100 weeks in the charts! I’m currently working on my third album and trying lots of very different things out. The pleasure of album 3 is people have expectations of what it will sound like, so I’m going to do my best to throw those right out of the window and hit my audience with something new, unexpected but still true to what they know and love. 

8. We know you have been working on the next album but what else do you have planned for 2014?

Aside from the album I’m going to be touring for most of the year, kicking off in Germany at the end of January with 31 shows and then more in the UK and the Netherlands after that, and then off to the USA for even more - I can’t say too much, but 2014 is gonna be an extremely busy years with a lot of surprises. 

9. There are a lot of talented artist in Austria but they don't seem to be as successful outside Austria, why do you think that is? Do you listen to any music from Austrian artists?

I think the music scene in Austria is getting better all the time, but the problem is so many artists try to sing in english and then it becomes a question of authenticity as they have to compete with UK, USA, Australian and Canadian artists, which makes it really hard as they are singing in their second language. People want to hear songs that really matter to the artists, so most of the Artists I listen to sing in German like Julian le Play, Christina Stürmer or Trackshittaz.

10. We absolutely love your music and hope more people around the world get to hear it. How can people find out more about your music?

 I’ve got a brand new website full of cool new videos and stuff so definitely check that out www.jamescottriall.com and be sure to say hi on twitter @jamescottriall and I’ll give you a shout out! I’ve also got stacks on videos on YouTube and am on FaceBook :D Thanks!