Up until now, Byron Langley has been best known for his video collaborations with his close pals Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee.
But, with him about to release his incredibly personal debut EP Light On, it seems he’s about to become a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.
The vulnerable nature of Byron’s record might come as a surprise to fans. Light On deals with Byron’s past battles with addiction and depression – neither of which he’s been open about online before.
‘Being quite personal in itself was quite a hurdle,’ he told Metro.co.uk, explaining he wants fans to know ‘it’s okay to talk about these things.’
The star added: ‘In 2019, in modern times, talking about mental health is – I don’t want to use the word pop culture but people use it to jump on the bandwagon.
‘[But] it’s genuinely what this EP’s about and it’s from the heart. For a long time I felt like it would be super weird for me to talk about these things and through music and making songs, it was a bit of an easier way to talk about it.’
Byron revealed that ‘having this presence on YouTube of a very happy-go-lucky, always smiling kind of guy,’ made him worry about sharing his struggles.
‘There was always the thought of “If I let it out, will there be backlash?”
‘I don’t tend to share, or be an oversharer. It’s almost “Why would anyone care? Why would anyone want to know?” But it’s definitely helped.’
However, Byron’s never been alone in his journey online, always having best pals Joe and Caspar by his side.
‘Joe and Caspar, they definitely help with the marketing side of things. Even being a good friend and coming to little gigs or launch parties. Their support on a personal level is really nice,’ he explained.
And it’s no secret the Strictly star is keen to dabble in music, with Byron revealing a collaboration could be on the cards.
‘It would be cool, we did make a song back in the day about a year ago. He’s been very busy with his own thing and music is quite a commitment…I’m guessing he will release it at some point.
‘I think it’d be wrong to say it won’t happen but nothing planned yet,’ he added.
While Byron’s proud of his YouTube roots and doubts he’ll ever leave the platform for good, he’s aware of the stigma that can come from online stars making it in the music industry.
‘I totally get where that’s coming from. It’s like “You only get numbers to your shows and streaming purely because you have a following,” which I completely understand,’ he said.
‘I get that viewpoint completely and I’m sure those musicians who have been busting down the doors for 10 years to play open mics consistently would maybe be a bit bitter to someone who says, “Hey, I’m just going to make some songs” and suddenly people are listening.’
However, he pointed out: ‘I think it’s a bit of a double edged sword. Because you have that following, there’s also an expectation straight away where you have to be on the mark and, if you’re not on the mark with everyone else you’re rubbing shoulders with, your career will just get flattened.’
Despite his fears, he’s keen to go full force into writing and performing, barely giving himself a break before kicking off his second EP.
‘It’ll be straight back into writing a second EP. I’m keen to keep the engine running and get as much done as possible,’ he insisted.
We’re exhuasted just thinking about it.
Light On EP is released 3 December and will be available on all streaming platforms.
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