British singer-songwriter Dan Owen is an artist to reckon with. His voice and song-writing showcase an artist that appears much older and more experienced than you would expect from a 26-year-old.

Owen has been playing the guitar since he was 8 and performs live since he was 14. However, he set out to become a carpenter, but when he got a chip of wood in his eye, leaving him half blind, he decided to become a musician instead. A born storyteller, he wrote about his accident in the song Splinter.

His new single, the title track off his debut album Stay Awake With Me, is an ode to his beloved grandfather, who passed away just before Christmas last year. The track is written from the point of view of his grandmother; the pair met at an army base in Berlin as teenagers and spent 50 years together.

The moving video features footage of a couple throughout the years, cutting from the past to the present and interspersed by the widow reminiscing over old photos. A beautiful ballad that deserves to be a pan-European hit this autumn.

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Werner Schlosser

I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.