Felix Rockey
French-British artist Felix Rockey discusses heartbreak, rediscovering love, creative collaboration, and the Paris-London duality behind his new single “Old New Feelings.”
1. Old New Feelings” was written more than two years ago following a significant heartbreak. What was happening in your life at the time, and what made you feel that this experience needed to become a song?
At the time, I was in my final year of secondary school; I was part of a band with whom I’d played a few gigs, and everything was going well. Then I met someone; it was the second time I’d fallen in love, and it all happened very quickly – perhaps too quickly. The excitement of experiencing something as crazy as love all over again, but also the fear of losing the one I loved once more, made me want to write a song about it. The break-up that followed this second love made me feel ‘Old New Feelings’: I was lost between emotions and questions; I’d loved again, but I’d also lost someone dear to me. The best way for me to express what I feel deep in my heart is to write a song about it, so that’s what I did!
2. The song explores the idea that falling in love for a second time can feel even more intense and revealing. What did that second experience teach you about love and about yourself?
After that experience, I realized that love isn’t a race and that it takes time to come to terms with your own feelings for the other person. Falling in love a second time is a wonderful thing, because you rediscover what is undoubtedly the most beautiful feeling one can experience: love. For my part, I’ve learnt that love isn’t just about always showing yourself in the best light; it’s also about being there for one another through thick and thin. I really like this quote from The Beatles, which perfectly sums up how I felt at the time: ‘The love you take is the love you make’.
3. You describe “Old New Feelings” as a way of helping listeners reconnect with their own happy memories. When you write a song, do you usually start from a personal emotion or from the feeling you want to create for the listener?
I always start from a personal emotion, and I would never claim to know what someone else might be feeling. When I write a song, I try to create an atmosphere in which the listener can immerse themselves in their own feelings. That’s what I’ve done with ‘Old New Feelings’: it’s my personal story, but I invite the listener to interpret it however they wish. I sincerely believe that we all have these kinds of feelings – both old and new – buried in our memories, and through my song, I want to encourage the listener to reconnect with their own feelings, their own story.
4. This is the first track on which all the musicians who accompany you on stage recorded their own instruments. How did working collectively change the energy and sound of the song compared with your earlier, more independent work?
It changed everything, and I absolutely loved the process. When I released my first EP, ‘Eos’, I was working on my own and didn’t have an outside perspective to guide me towards ideas I hadn’t thought of before. The fact that my musicians brought their own personalities, their notes and their own creative worlds to my new song really took it to a level I could never have imagined on my own. The energy of the song has changed, and I’m really glad it turned out that way.
5. The music video takes us between London and Paris, reflecting both your French-British background and the different sides of your identity. How did these two cities influence the visual world you wanted to create for “Old New Feelings”?
I really like the idea of duality and I enjoy exploring this concept intellectually in my songs. ‘Old New Feelings’ embodies one of these dualities, just like Paris and London. Two of the world’s most important capitals, two cities that are both rivals and friends. Paris is my hometown, so it influences my view of love. London is the city closest to my heart, and its unique style influences the way I dress as well as the image I want to project on screen.
6. You’ve already released your debut EP Eos independently, and now you’re entering a new chapter with “Old New Feelings” and your first music video. Looking ahead, what kind of artist and musical world do you want Felix Rockey to become?
Thank you for that question. I want Felix Rockey to stay true to himself and never hold back just because someone has criticized him or for any other reason. I’m lucky enough to work with some great musicians, so I’m looking forward to playing with them for as long as possible, and I want to create beautiful compositions and melodies that will resonate forever. As I say in my song ‘Step by Step’: ‘We’ve got to live up to our dreams’. What I mean by that is that if you think big, you’ve got to think big and not be afraid to admit that you have dreams that are beyond your reach. I think that’s the case for me: I have aspirations and dreams that go far beyond anything I can even imagine. So I try to do everything I can to live up to those dreams, and I always strive to do so with love and life. Thank you very much.