Where creativity meets connection
Armed with a collection of songs that truly transport you to other places, Cameron Saul has just released his debut album.
His music offers a vibrant reflection of our world, both its vast and vibrant landscapes and its many peoples and traditions. This is a collection of songs formed in a diverse range of cultures – from the Amazon rainforest to East Africa and the Himalayas. As an artist, Saul blends his folk roots with contemporary production and global textures, creating something that resonates with audiences seeking something with meaning, depth, and connection.
Saul’s debut album, Simeo, follows on from two incredible singles: Dance Alone and Bahia. The records opening track lays out an ambitious mission statement for all the songs to follow. River Flowing is a gorgeous stripped-back piece of music, detailing the process of surrender and letting go. As a whole, the album is an unabashedly intimate, reflective, and authentic.
His insightful lyricism paints powerful imagery throughout, drawing together conversations about the world around us. Alongside this is a vivid soundscape, packed with sensual strings and sweeping, elongated harmonies, creating an album you can truly get lost within.
All 12 tracks on Simeo carry the listener on a journey, encouraging us to look within just as much as outward. An insightful interpretation of living with love, presence, and intention in a rapidly shifting world, its lush, resonant instrumentation lures the listener into an upbeat and captivating universe.
He started writing music while living in Uganda in 2000, where he played with the Nile Beat Explorers. Back in his native Somerset, he has performed at Glastonbury, while extensive travel and performances in Brazil have inspired his sound.
This debut album was produced by Fink, and was elevated by global collaborations - including a remix by rising UK electronic producer K-Lone, bridging folk, soul, and underground dance into a unique and compelling sound.
Beyond his music, Cameron is a powerful and respected voice in the global sustainability movement.
He is also the co-founder of BOTTLETOP, a sustainable luxury brand, and #TOGETHERBAND, a worldwide community of citizens working to achieve the United Nation’s 17 Global Goals. As such, he regularly speaks at major platforms, like COP, the UN General Assembly, and the World Economic Forum.
Now that his debut album has finally dropped, we talk to this multi-talented singer-songwriter and sustainability advocate to find out a bit more.
Your debut album is finally out! How do you think it turned out? Did you have to make some compromises, or has the process enabled you to exceed the original ambitions?
I’m so proud of the album and how it sounds. I gave a lot of creative control to the musicians who played on the record. They are all enormously talented, so it became a shared project between us, and I loved the magic that everyone delivered, with each person bringing their own unique ideas and signature elements.
Did any of the songs on Simeo take on new meanings during the recording? Music has a funny habit of evolving as our relationship with it strengthens.
The meanings of the song didn’t change during the recording, but the sound evolved beyond my expectations, with so many layers and rich detail. When we passed the body of work to Fink to produce in Berlin, he then took the songs to another place sonically, adding a whole new dimension. We also edited the song structures together in some cases, and I loved the whole process as the material evolved.
Do your songs get replicated precisely at gigs, or do they shift and change according to which musicians are with you that evening?
Some songs are very true to the recordings in terms of how they are performed and some are very different. It’s been a lot of fun experimenting with what works live as a band versus what we feel should stay on the album. The lineup of musicians also has a real impact. Having the full squad, including violin, viola, and cello, is the dream!
As society seems to be increasingly retreating to an isolationist position, is it becoming more important to include a diverse range of stories and influences in the art we consume?
Art endures and reaches people in different ways; sometimes it's subtle and sometimes it's very overt. In these challenging times we are navigating as a society, I believe that art, and particularly music, is more important than ever to connect us and help us to explore often complex issues in other ways. The more diversity in anything in life, the better, and that’s definitely true with music.
You’re pretty well-travelled, but has there been a culture that particularly impacted you personally and your art?
Each culture that I have had the good fortune to come to know has impacted me differently. My journey began in East Africa, and that inspired everything I have done since, but I have now spent most time in Brazil, and certainly Brazilian music, culture, and nature have inspired me deeply. There is such originality to it. They are very much their own people, and musically, they have forged so many of their own styles and sounds.
Looking at the damage human activity has done to this planet, does it ever seem like the tasks at hand are overwhelming?
Yes, I often feel overwhelmed by the damage we have caused and the scale of the challenges we face, which is why music is such an important refuge and balancing mechanism for me. It helps me to connect to the magic of life and live life from a place of hope and action, which is fundamental. We cannot afford apathy at this time; we need everyone to play their part and art is critical in uniting us to keep going.
There’s no tentative talk of peace and rebuilding in Gaza. Are you optimistic about the region’s ambitions for proper statehood, or even basic survival?
There is now a very, very fragile ceasefire, but sadly, that’s all it is right now. A peace plan has to centre on Palestinian self-determination and statehood. Without that they will continue to be at the mercy of Israel and the Zionist regime. The only way to reach a lasting peace is a two-state solution, which has to afford the same levels of freedoms to the Palestinian people that Israelis enjoy.
You’re the co-founder of BOTTLETOP, which is proving that luxury brands can also be sustainable. Can you tell us more about your goals and how we can all make informed choices?
Our work with BOTTLETOP and #TOGETHERBAND is focused on creating economic opportunity for economically marginalised women and Indigenous communities through the design and creation of products using a wide range of sustainably sourced materials.
Our focus is on both growing our social impact through our supply chains while creating educational campaigns around our designs to help the public engage with the issues we champion and feel connected to solutions.
Do you think someone can ever stop learning?
I certainly hope not! People will only stop learning if they close themselves to the beauty and wonder of life all around us.
Cameron Saul’s debut album, Simeo, is available now, via Tenwest Group.
Mark O'Donnell
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