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Reader I am not trying to please you. Let’s just get this straight before you read on. Artists don’t create art to please people, they create out of necessity. Sometimes life doesn’t leave you other options nor instructions on how to cope with it. This is my offering of words and music; yours to appreciate or to simply scroll on in your on going quest for self-gratification. I’m letting go of holding on. In many respects my debut EP, Water, is symbolic of letting go of many things: control, love, friendships and fear. Although if I’m completely honest ‘Water’ hasn’t been the constant creative flow I would have liked it to have been, it’s been more like the stop/starting of a rusty tap. You see I’ve spent nearly 4 years helping to run a global academy for songwriters. I’ve found myself in writing sessions with multi-platinum hit writers. Being around people who at the top of their game can be a curse and a blessing. Suddenly everyone has an informed opinion to consider. An occasional well-meant comment here and there about the way you sing and all of a sudden, the pipes seize up again. It’s bad enough dealing with your own constant flow of internal negative chatter; sprinkle in everyone’s creative preferences and you have a recipe for delay. I can only liken it to bearing a new-born child; you want to wrap your songs up and protect them from the world. But perfection I’ve painfully discovered is a destructive myth, the sworn enemy of art and killer of creativity. Perfection breeds inaction. There comes a point where you just stop and think – f*ck it. So somewhere along the line I made up my mind to ‘switch on the tap’. Thinking back, the ex-project manager in me took over where the artist stalled. I made a long list of everything I had to do and did five things a day – four small and one big. I watched my peers working on their own projects and became energised by their movements. I talked about it to friends, family and colleagues, updated my vision board and asked the universe ‘help me please I am going CRAZY’. That seemed to work you know. Since I began the release campaign, I still get sudden waves of sickness every time somebody comments online about the songs. Although somewhere in the brink of nausea, there’s still something wonderfully cathartic about seeing something you’ve created through to the finish. There’s a divinity in framing your art, stepping away and gazing on as an onlooker. Being completely unapologetic and seeking no other validation other than acknowledgement of completion. So how do you let go of something you love? That my friends is the million dollar question. The only answer I can offer is that it may have never truly been yours to hold onto in the first place. #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #BBCRADIO2 #othersideoftheriver #waterep #independentartist #singersongwriter #lettinggoofholdingon #waterdrops

Head of BBC Radio 2/ 6 Music, Jeff Smith, has given a positive verdict on 'Other Side Of The River'. Although the track hasn't made it onto the BBC Radio 2 playlist, the response has been incredible. About the track Jeff Smith adds: "I’m impressed by your vocal quality and the production of the track sounds quite good too. You are competing in quite a strong field of good contemporary male vocalists for airplay at the moment ie Tom Grennan, Tom Walker, Dean Lewis, Hozier etc so the song will be really important. I think if you are looking for airplay you will need a better song to punch through. I’d be happy to listen to future tracks from you though as I think you have potential for wider support" In response to the feedback MARKX adds: "I'm absolutely bowled with Jeff's comments today! I'm so proud to be finally taken seriously as a credible artist in my own right. And to have the top man in UK music listening to my songs is a dream come true here. I will sleep happy tonight! Let's wait and see what he says when he hears the new stuff!" "Other Side Of The River" appears on the 'Water" EP available, to be released on 19th November 2018 and available to pre order here. #MARKX #MARKXMUSIC #BBCRADIO2 #othersideoftheriver #waterep #independentartist #amazingnews

MARKX 'Water' EP is now available to pre order from all major digital retailers. The 3 track collection will be available to stream and download from 19th November 2018. In the coming weeks up until the release there will be music videos released for all three of the tracks. About the release MARKX adds: "It's been a long time coming and it feels so good to see the artwork in the stores ready for the big day! I can't wait for everyone to be able to find my songs online finally!" You can pre order the 'Water" EP here.

3 brand new MARKX songs will be available to stream and download from October 2018. The self penned collection entitled 'Water' has been co-written and produced with Michael Clarke (The Sad Professors/ Martine Mccutcheon/ David Brent Band) and features contributions from upcoming songwriters Nikki Kelly, Charlie Turner and HATI. About the songs MARKX says: "There's a theme of love, life, laughter and loss throughout the collection of releases. They're all based on real life experience and the EP is a bit like a time machine. Essentially, I took out 3 years and worked with a multitude of writers, both new and established - trying to uncover what my sound was. Having been working for artists for the past 5 years I had lost my way a bit. I knew I wanted to be true to the singer/songwriter style. I knew from the offset I wanted a more Radio 2 sound rather than Radio 1. I had been really inspired by artists like Jack Savoretti, Tom Odell and storytellers like Sheryl Crow. I knew I wanted a rich, organic pallet of traditional instruments and not stray too far from a live sound. It was important for the songs to sound modern too and take the listeners on a journey, so we experimented with some electronic sounds too. It has been 7 years since I released anything and in that time my voice has changed vastly: I've developed a truckload of life experience and you can hear the grit! Most of that time had been spent travelling the world, learning more about the way it works and experiencing all the usual suspects of life, love, laughter and loss. A couple of years back I had reached a crossroads as a songwriter: I'd received some pretty painful comments from people in the music industry either about my voice or my chances as an older artist. It seems I'd reached a point where songwriting became a tick box exercise - it really did feel like holding back a river at times (no pun intended). I'm thoroughly proud of all of the songs from the collection and it really does feel like the start of something really special. The fact they are mastered and ready for release is testament that I didn't give up on my dream and what I love for the sake of making people happy. 'Water' EP will be available to stream and download from all major digital retailers in October 2018.

A brand new MARKX track "Thumka" (translated as fight) has been played for the first time on BBC Introducing North East. The eastern inspired track was written in September 2016 at a songwriting retreat in Andalusia, Spain and is a co-write with the artist Sanila and another writer named Andy Mcneil. Sanila said via her Facebook page: "A big thank you to Nick Roberts for playing "THUMKA"on BBC Introducing NE. It was my privilege to co-write this song with my wonderful songwriter friends Andy McNeil & Ian Markx". MARKX added: "This was something completely new to me and writing an Eastern inspired track was way out of my comfort zone! However Sanila's cultural influences and unique life story made for a very fun and enjoyable day of writing!" #sanila #BBCintroucingnortheast #originalsong #thumka #thesongwritingacademy

Work is now complete on 12 brand new MARKX songs! The tracks form a collection of 4 EPs that will be released over the next 6 months. The self-penned collection has been co-written and produced by Michael Clarke (Martine McCutcheon The Sad Professors/ David Brent Band) featuring contributions from the following songwriters: Carolyn Stringer, Abi Murray, Nicki Kelly, Michael Clarke, Beth Keeping, Charlie Turner, Hattie Murdoch, Matt Johnson, Simon Dorey, Michael Clarke, Sarah Mclellan and Bryony Dunn About the project MARKX says: "The last two and half years have been an adventure! I wanted to really be able to stand on my own two feet and know what I'm about as an artist. My sound has evolved throughout the writing and recording process. Life has got in the way a few times but I couldn't be more proud of this project and feel there's a lot more to come! The first EP 'Water' will be released in October 2018 through MARKX Music. #MARKXMUSIC #EP #NewMusic #newwebsite #ecobrand #musicblog #diaryofacreativesoul #MARKX

To celebrate the new direction of MARKX.CO, the website has undergone a transformation - we hope you like it! In the coming months a number of new features will be added to the site including the following: - An online store full of eco friendly travel products (coming November 2018) - A new look blogging and news platform (now live) - More video content including music videos, an introduction video about the upcoming online shop Please bear with us whilst all the cool new stuff is tested! #MARKXMUSIC #newwebsite #ecobrand #musicblog #diaryofacreativesoul #MARKX

It all starts with a spark, the meeting of two sets of eyes, pounding heart and sharp intake of breath. In that single moment an overwhelming cocktail of fear, rejection and the unknown is conquered: "Hi I'm Ian..nice to meet you"… This story starts on a typical Thursday morning. Being my own boss these days, I've taken to bringing my laptop along to nearby cafés to tackle the ever-increasing torrent of life admin. There's something about the incessant clanging and clattering of saucers, blasts of steam and aroma of fresh coffee in the air that excite my creative juices. Due to corporate tax avoidance I boycott the main coffee chains in favour of local, independent places. I was introduced to this one café, nearby to where I live, by a wonderful friend of mine - Dominique. It's an Aladdin's cave of hipster chic, reclaimed furniture from the building's previous life as a high street bank - hell it's even got a cinema in the old vault! In a pre-coffee haze I aim for my usual spot in the corner, however this morning, blocking my route is a large shaggy dog, laid outstretched on the floor. Crouching down I offer a cupped palm for inspection. Shaggy dog, shyly scoots back on his legs, resting his doggy moustache and beard on his front paws. I'm patient and lower my knees to the floor, with an inquisitive sniff and a gentle lick on the hand I've made a new four-legged friend, his name is Kiko. I suppose in a lot of ways Kiko and I are alike, both weary around strangers and take a little while to warm up! From my travels I've forced myself to take an occasional leap of faith and strike up a random conversation. It turns out Kiko's owner, Zoe, an artist struggling with her marketing and a 'self confessed -digiphobe'. Zoe tells me over coffee that she refurbishes packing crates to 'treasured chests' - I like Zoe already. So much so I find myself volunteering an hour of my time the following week, to help her with her marketing. As a thank you, Zoe proudly hands me a beautiful greetings card with her artwork as the thank you. It might be something as simple as a smile on a crowded train, holding the door open or simply not being a complete a*sehole every day. A simple act can spark off a chain reaction that can go viral. The worst that can happen is someone thinks you're a nutter (well they might have got that right). Take a risk, smile and say hello! What's the worst that can happen? You make a friend for life. I've always thought if you have something to spare at no detriment to yourself you should give it unconditionally. And in this case, the chain has gone full circle and now Dominique has a beautiful birthday card!

I wanted to share something with you tonight, to bring a smile to your face on a bitterly cold winter's evening. I went to reach out to you to let you know I’m thinking of you. Right now. But then like just like that you were gone, you’d slipped away without saying goodbye. I find myself gazing at a picture of your smiling face, your birth town beneath in writing, alongside a button that says “add as a friend”. Somewhere in our beautifully constructed 'reality', a virtual bullet hole in my back smoulders away. It took but two clicks; one to prime and one to fire and with perfect accuracy our friendship fell: to be buried in an unmarked grave and ungrieved for. With two clicks the digital umbilical cord that connected us became severed. With two clicks the mystical gateway into our lovingly, interweaved existence closed for business. From carrying you around in my pocket, checking in on you from time to time, from celebrating your highs and consoling your lows, my access has been revoked. Don’t get me wrong – I too am no good at goodbyes. Neither of us like awkward conversations or confrontations - sometimes it’s simply easier to disappear quietly without a fuss. And of course, I miss you and noticed you had gone! I’m just sorry you didn’t have time to leave a note. And as much as I enjoyed gazing in at a perfect life - sometimes it’s hard for us to see each other’s constructed attempts at perfection. Perhaps we’re not so different after all. But us humans are quick to judge and not so quick to forgive. But of course my friend, in your darkest hours, should you need comfort when your world is falling apart you shouldn’t forget that I am but two clicks away.

I’m on my way back from a three-day songwriting trip in Newcastle to finish off writing next year’s EPs with an exceptionally talented, published songwriter and producer by the name of Hati. It’s a seven-hour, long ass coach trip back to London. I bagsee the prime spot on the top floor at the front and mentally drift off into space, to a dancing blur of lights and road signs. At the next stop, two annoyingly loud ‘uni student’ type girls get on, occupying the seats opposite. I play a few rounds of uni student vocab bingo in my head, striking off ‘blatantly’, ‘I’m not gonna lie’ and ‘no way’ – getting a full house every game. Lucky me. My trance is interrupted as the driver in his cheerful Geordie accent announces we’ll stop in Sheffield for a 15-minute break. To the left of me, the uni girls are attempting to roll the world’s least discreet joint. As I exit the coach to stretch my legs, the biting Northern evening air sinks its clammy claws into my neck. Being the ever shy and retiring wallflower I am, I get chatting to a fellow passenger (and aspiring DJ) in his early twenties. However as the conversation flows, my eyes are immediately drawn to the puzzling hospital tag on his right wrist. It turns out through a series of unfortunate events he’d lost his job, fallen on hard times and two days prior sank 48 paracetamol, in a desperate attempt to take his life. Between tokes of a stubby roll up, he explains how he’d managed to scrape together the fare to get back to some family in London. Taking my seat back on the coach, now £20 quid poorer or richer (depending how you look at it) – I’m compelled to mull over the prospect that it could so easily been myself, a friend or family member wearing that tag. If I ever need to talk, I have the luxury a phone full of numbers to call, a sea of non-judgemental ears ready to absorb rants and mirror moans. However not everybody wants to or can talk, some of us like I, just need to take action and open up when we’re ready. Ironically, we’re always told never to talk to strangers but I’m starting to wonder if that’s exactly what we should be doing.

"Is that…b b blood?” The shocked shop assistant’s face drains of colour, as to her horror she realises your hands are dripping in blood. Imagine popping up the road to grab a pint of milk. As you hand over your money, you’re alarmed to discover your hands are caked in blood. Searching desperately for a wound, you breathe a momentary sigh of relief as you realise the blood is not your own. What if you paid a hitman to take another’s life? Imagine if everywhere you went, blood flowed freely from your hands, seeping onto your precious gadgets, staining your Armani jeans and forming a conspicuous dark red river on the pavement before you. Could you look a passerby in the eye, knowing you had blood on your hands? Sometimes I catch a blur of red out of the corner of my eye. In the UK capital London there is a room full of grown men and women; debating on whether to join a war on a country thousands of miles away. When decisions on life and death are being made, some of these so called adults will jeer and scold like badly behaved children. You have delegated your voice to these people: they are your proxy. Whether you voted them in, or simply chose to remain silent; you have allowed them to act on your behalf and by doing so: they have the power to kill in your name. What’s even more ironic is that you’re paying them to do this! They are your hitmen. Bombs kill people: they are not engineered to differentiate bad guys from civilians. They end lives, destroy homes and civilisations. There’s so more to life than consumerism: choking our precious seas with plastic and oil; in exchange for another’s blood. Even aid comes at a price: nothing is free apart from love and humility. When there are no guns and money - there are no guns to shoot people nor money to fund arms. If you’re not intelligent enough to question why on Earth your own country are meddling in other country’s affairs - you’re already part of the problem rather than the resolution. Wake up! You’re paying for it from your own pocket and people are killing in your name. And in all honesty how is that any different from killing in the name of the God you believe in?

Our country is under attack. However, we’re not under siege from a crazed fanatic who has claimed the lives of five innocent British people in Westminster. The enemy is closer to home than you can ever imagine and you know them. Less than 24 hours after the incident, whilst a nation mourns its fallen, somewhere the next victim is being lined up. The attacker waits for the opportune moment, attaches a carefully crafted caption.. pulls back the trigger and click.. a post is shared. A single photo begins to circulate online of a woman adorned in headscarf, clutching a phone at one of the Westminster attack scenes. Like a war cry, the onlookers, outraged at the caption, arrive in their troves and the inevitable comments commence: “shame on you - you insensitive bitch!” As a society we spend our lives in constant judgement of one another. The internet and social media have become the colosseums of our generation. Some days I wonder if we’ve managed to progress since Medieval times – the only being we cry “witch” from the safety of our keypads. However, it might surprise you to know that I don’t live in fear of an imminent terrorist attack. Be it bullets, bombs or words, I have accepted that while there are weapons in the world there are weapons to wound people. I believe that when your cards are dealt, your time is up. It’s out of our hands. But it’s not all doom and gloom - there are some things we are in complete control of! We are in complete control of the way we see the world and how we treat the people living in it. We only see the tip of the iceberg - I am more intrigued about what I can’t see. I have trained my eyes to see people as icebergs. Everybody is fighting their own battle. It took just one person to start that snowball rolling that day – just one. Imagine if their caption said something nice, something kind, something liberating - something to unite rather than divide. Perhaps we should be careful about the context in which we use the word terrorist. The truth is we are all dictators. We dictate how people read our pictures, through a series of choice hashtags, crafty camera angles and pretty scenery. Add your filter, remove all the blemishes that make us who and what we are – and away we go! In 196 countries and the 7 billon people in the world – we are all but one. Maybe rather than focussing on when our time could be up, we should focus on how make the most of the time we have left. Maybe we should measure the life in our days, not the days of our lives. Maybe we shouldn’t measure our success by the number of likes, shares and comments but by the way we’ve treated those around us and what we’ve left behind. After all – at very best we’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg.