The richard cejer Soundcheck
I met up with British singer-songwriter Richard Cejer for a laid-back conversation between two music lovers, jumping from songwriting to influences, from industry realities to the quirks of studio life.
What struck me about Richard is how effortlessly he blends honesty, humor, and pragmatism when discussing his career. He’s fully aware of the challenges that come with being an independent artist, but there’s no doubt that music isn’t just a passion - it’s a necessity.
The Wonderwall Moment: A Childhood Realization
For many musicians, there’s a defining moment when they realize music is their calling. For Richard, it happened around the age of five. His family had gathered at his home in Lincolnshire when his father encouraged him to sing for their guests. The song? Wonderwall by Oasis.
“I was singing it all the time,” he laughs. “So my dad was like, ‘Hey, do you want to sing it before they go?’ And I did. And when they told me it was good, I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, that was pretty fucking good, wasn’t it?’”
It was a small moment, but it planted the seed. Richard realized he loved performing. “I liked the attention, not gonna lie,” he admits. “But it was also about the feeling of singing, of expressing something.”
From Lincolnshire to Utrecht: A Musical Journey
Richard’s journey took him from small-town England to the Netherlands, where he now lives and works. The move wasn’t initially about music - it was about avoiding student debt. “Tuition fees in the UK had just jumped from £3,000 to £9,000 a year,” he explains. “So I looked at my dad and said, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna do the Netherlands instead.’”
He ended up in Utrecht for business studies but quickly realized that his real education was happening outside the classroom - at open mics, networking events, and eventually, an internship that helped him break into the Dutch music scene.
Building a Career: Lessons from the Industry
Richard is clear-eyed about what it takes to make it in music. “At first, I thought, ‘I’ll just put songs on SoundCloud, and obviously they’ll blow up,’” he laughs. “But there’s more to it than that.”
He had to learn how to navigate the industry - networking, marketing, understanding the business side. “It’s not just about making music,” he says. “It’s about figuring out who to talk to, how to present yourself, how to keep people interested. And also - especially in the Netherlands - realizing that speaking Dutch helps a lot.”
The Songwriting Process: Inspiration, Simplicity, and Honesty
Richard’s songwriting is deeply personal, often shaped by real-life experiences. “I struggle with writing when I’m happy,” he admits. “When I was in a relationship and things were going well, I couldn’t write at all. But as soon as it ended - boom, the notepad filled up.”
He keeps his lyrics simple and direct. “I’d rather say something plainly and let the emotion carry it,” he explains. “Tom Petty was great at that - no overcomplicated metaphors, just a story and a feeling.”
Creating the EP: Spontaneity in the Studio
Richard’s latest EP was largely written in the studio with producer m. demian . “A lot of the songs started as beats he had lying around,” he says. “I’d take them into the kitchen, write some lyrics, and come back with something.”
Some of the tracks, like Demo and Down, were written almost instantly. “I heard the loop, and within half an hour, I had the chorus,” he recalls. Other songs, like 30, were built from personal conversations. “Midas (m. demian) was going through something at the time, and he actually gave me some lyric ideas. It was the first time he’d contributed to the storytelling (of a song).”
Easter Eggs and Studio Secrets
For Richard, the little details in his music matter. One of his favorite hidden moments is on the EP’s intro, which features a sample from Kind Hearts and Coronets, a 1949 British film. “It’s an inside joke with my mom,” he says. “it’s a classic film that we both love a lot, so it was my way of sneaking something personal into the record.”
But not all surprises are intentional. On Bella, there’s a moment where the vocal mix shifts noticeably. “We didn’t save the preset from the first recording session,” he admits. “So when I went back to fix a line, the vocals sounded different. Every time Midas and I hear it, we just give each other this look like “is it too late to do another take?”.”
The Holy Trinity of Influence: Tom Petty, John Mayer, and Tom DeLonge
When it comes to inspiration, Richard’s influences are diverse. “Tom Petty, for songwriting. John Mayer, because he made me want to take guitar seriously. And Tom DeLonge from Blink-182 - because he proved you don’t have to be technically great to write great songs.”
He credits Mayer’s Where the Light Is live album with sparking his interest in guitar playing. “I was already playing a bit, but when I saw that album, I wanted to really learn,” he says. But at the same time, DeLonge’s punk ethos reassured him that perfection wasn’t the goal - connection was.
What’s Next for Richard Cejer?
Richard is keeping busy, working on new music and experimenting with different styles. “I’m writing a reggae track, some folk stuff, and I’ve even been asked to do some toplines for house tracks.”
For him, success isn’t about fame. “If I can still be playing music every day when I’m 60, I’ll be happy.”
And with his talent, humor, and clear-eyed approach to the industry, it’s safe to say Richard Cejer’s music isn’t going anywhere.
ARTIST’s TOOLKIT: the cejer sound
Every artist has their go-to tricks. For Richard, it’s major 7th chords. “They just sound so good,” he says. “My bass player jokes that every song I write has an F#m7 in it.”
Lyrically, he has a habit of using the word just a lot - something he’s trying to cut back on. “I see it in every song I write. ‘Just a little, just enough…’ I have to go back and delete half of them.”
He also likes incorporating bits of British dialect. “There’s a line in a song I wrote recently that ends with ‘o’er.’ My co-writer was like, ‘What the hell is this?’ but I love sneaking those things in.”