A 19-year-old from West Lothian will embark on a professional tour of Scotland this month following the release of his latest single.
Fraser McLean from Bathgate has been playing and writing music since he was 14 years old, and will now embark on his first ever tour this month, being recognised as an up and coming talent by a Scottish music industry initiative.
Fraser will be joined by bands The Sun Day, from Aberdeen, and Three out of Four, from Galashiels on the tour set up by ‘Hit the Road’.
Hit The Road is an initiative that supports up and coming talent aged 14-19 in Scotland to learn about the live music industry before embarking on a professionally managed tour.
The initiative has acted as an early stepping-stone in the careers of many of Scotland’s emerging musicians and songwriters including West Lothian’s own Lewis Capaldi.
The former Bathgate Academy student now studies music at Edinburgh Napier University, and is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known in the local scene for crafting ‘edgy-pop’ gems.
He’s played local festivals like Party at The Palace, Pumpherston Music Festival, and Live In Livi - Fraser has also supported local acts like Callum Beattie and Mark Sharp & The Bicycle Thieves.
Fraser McLean said: ”I’ve been playing piano since I’ve been in primary school, and my dad and brother are both musicians so I come from a really musical family.
“But up until I was 14 I never really got into it in my own way - it was while I was at Bathgate Academy I realised music was what I wanted to do as well, and I really got into it.
“I released some solo stuff before the pandemic - but during all that time in lockdown I got a bit older and wanted to change my style and get a fresh start.
“So it was during lockdown I realised I wanted a band behind me - so getting the band together was a bit like a lockdown project.
“I’ve played across the Central Belt but Aberdeen will be the furthest I’ve ever went by far.
“I’m still a bit gobsmacked that we got chosen for the tour, it’s really exciting as it’s something we’ve wanted to do since we got the band together and to reach that goal already is amazing.”
Fraser is set to release his latest single ‘Airs getting thinner’ on Friday June 10, before beginning his tour at The Mash House in Edinburgh on June 21, moving on to Aberdeen on June 22, and finishing in Galashiels on June 23.
Fraser concludes: “I’m releasing my single, Airs Getting Thinner, on Friday - I had in mind a bright summer anthem when I was writing it so I thought the best time to release it would be the start of summer.
“It definitely has a summery feel about it - it puts a smile on my face when I listen to it so I hope it does the same for other people.”
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