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I’m unsure how to address my interviewee. The singer’s music moniker is Sion Hill, but his real name is Nathan Johnston. I don’t want to put my foot in it, so I decide the best course of action is to ask straight out.
Crisis averted. The reply is a chilled out: “Nate or Nathan, either or is fine.” He goes on to explain a little bit about the story behind the name.
“I went with Sion Hill as a stage name for a few different reasons. When I was living in Germany, people kept pronouncing Nathan wrong. At the beginning in Germany, especially managers, they didn’t really want me to use my real name.
“In Hamburg, where I was based, there wasn’t that many Irish people either, so it worked well to change it. It was a strategic change of name to keep the Irish-ness. There are Sion Hills all over the country. There’s one in Mullingar, there’s one in Dublin. If I could go back and change it, I would to be honest. It’s always nice to use your own name if you’re a solo artist,” he reflects.
Nate is a Mullingar native – some might even say he’s from the musical capital of Ireland – and is signed to a German record label. He lived in Germany for three years, but is based in London now and is currently at home in Westmeath during the pandemic.
I lost all respect for it when Dustin the Turkey represented us, but I try to keep an open mind about it
In May of this year, Nate represented Ireland in the Free European Song Contest. Held in Cologne, the competition was organised in lieu of the cancelled Eurovision. Performing in front of a TV audience of four million people, Nate finished in the top 10.
“With the Eurovision cancelled, they had to find a way of giving something back to the people – it’s got such a loyal fan base. I’d never have been into it myself, to be honest. I lost all respect for it when Dustin the Turkey represented us, but I try to keep an open mind about it,” laughs Nate.
The basis for writing it was to do with anxiety and depression. I have some friends who have family that died by suicide
For the contest, Nate sang Speak Up, a single he released early as he was taking part in the show. He wrote the song a year ago in London. Although it’s quite upbeat, the song deals with some serious issues.
“The basis for writing it was to do with anxiety and depression. I have some friends who have family that died by suicide. Myself, I’d struggle with anxiety a lot as well. I know so many people that don’t know how to talk about it with their friends, especially lads. I was writing it for myself more than anything,” he says.
“I remember writing that song. I brought it to a session with a producer and a couple of other musicians. They really liked it and said, ‘Let’s try it’. We went with a different arrangement. They increased the tempo, took out some verses and changed the chorus. Made it more of an anthem than an introspective, self-help song.”
Guitar days
Speaking about his start in music, Nate doesn’t attribute his desire to play and sing to family or a profound moment. In a TV programme he used to watch, Drake & Josh, the cooler of the two brothers used to play guitar and “get all the girls”, he explains with good humour.
My parents got me classical guitar lessons first, to make sure I actually wanted to do it, which was quite beneficial
Diving a little more seriously into his early influences, Nate feels there was a lot more guitar-based music on the radio when he was growing up, such as The Strypes, Blink 182, Green Day, The Kooks and Artic Monkeys.
“I was listening to that music, like most teenage boys at the time, and just wanted to play the guitar. My parents got me classical guitar lessons first, to make sure I actually wanted to do it, which was quite beneficial.
“Once you learn bar cords you can play pretty much every single Green Day song. Not long after that, you want to write your own Green Day-esqe songs. All my songs when I was 11 or 12 sounded like chipmunk versions of Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day’s lead singer), singing lyrics I did not understand at all.”
As Nate’s record deal is with a German label, he has a big fan base there
Nate went to boarding school in Glenstal Abbey in Limerick, where music was greatly encouraged. Reflecting on boarding school, Nate acknowledges there were positives and negatives.
“I was sent down there – I didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter. It’s a great laugh when you’re a kid, but then when you get to 15/16, everyone back home is out meeting girls and running amuck and you’re stuck in school with a group of lads. At 17/18, you start to appreciate the friends you make – a lot of them are friends for life.”
After secondary school, Nate attended Trinity College for two years before he got a record deal and dropped out to pursue music.
As Nate’s record deal is with a German label, he has a big fan base there. Going forward, he wants to play more gigs at home. Last year, he performed at the Altogether Now festival and in the Sugar Club in Dublin. This summer, he was due to play a number of music festivals in Ireland, but as with everything else, they were cancelled, along with his full tour.
Looking on the bright side, Nate says he’s enjoying spending time at home in Mullingar. Due to going to boarding school, he says he was older before he felt connected to the town. When his tour is rescheduled, a hometown gig could be on the cards.
Sion Hill is on Instagram @sionhillmusic
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