Glass Pear

Glass Pear is the music of Yestyn Griffiths, a Welsh born singer/songwriter who specializes in breezy, harmonic pop music, instantly catchy, yet anything but light weight. The younger brother of singer Jem, Yestyn co-wrote songs for her first two albums before taking a go at a career as a solo artist. His music quickly caught on with numerous television producers and music supervisors and has been featured on 90210, Grey's Anatomy and Bones just to name a few shows.

The first full length Glass Pear album came in 2009 with Streets Of Love, released on his own label, WOL Records. Griffiths has managed to sell well over 30,000 downloads without any label backing at all, the power that an independent artist who knows to manage their career correctly can wield in this day and age of the music business.

His second album, the self-titled Glass Pear, was released in late December 2011 but is still being pushed with the Dizzy EP released in April of this year as a sampler of the full length. Griffiths excels at writing three to four minute pop songs and lists everyone from Jeff Buckley and The Beatles to earlier Coldplay as influences. Starting with the acoustic based "One Day Soon", complete with swooning vocal harmonies, it's a nearly 40 minute trip of upbeat tunes.
GlassPear

There's the bouncy piano of "Dizzy" and arena rock of "Planet Earth" and what sticks out is the diversity of the music here. "Love Is All I Need" is a wonderfully melodic pop/rock song while personal favorite "Grace" is a moody, atmospheric rock track. There are also a few first class ballads including "Closer" and the beautiful piano and vocal closer "Eternal".

Most impressive about Glass Pear is how sweetly sentimental so much of the subject matter is without falling into sappy land. There is a charming optimism towards love that is all too often missing in this day and age and Griffiths pulls it off. Varied and challenging, yet completely accessible, Glass Pear is delivering top notch indie pop music.

Glass Pear was released December 6, 2011 on WOL Records. The Dizzy EP was released April 1, 2012 as a free download via Bandcamp.

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Download Glass Pear from Bandcamp - Now It's On

Yestyn Griffiths is the genius behind Glass Pear’s notable success in the television industry. His songs have been featured in shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, 90210, Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill, and Missing.

The Welsh-born singer writes beautiful, melodic, and well-crafted pop songs. With more than 30,000 records sold without any major label backing him up, you know Glass Pear’s music is up to something good.

One Day Soon touches the human soul right from the start. Rich music paired with well written lyrics proves to be inspirational any given time.

Planet Earth successfully embodies a hipster feel both in style and message through hippie vocals and timely percussion beats.

Epiphany is a down right peaceful music that soothes the senses, adequately capturing the hearts of its listeners. While Eternal though only lasting a minute and fifty seconds, reminds us why Glass Pear was chosen to create big time television show soundtracks.

All in all, Glass Pear has crafted an album that perfectly encapsulates the band's huge talent and potential in the music scene. This will surely be a big hit for both the mainstream and indie camps. - Frost Click

The best part of having a blog, even a small operation like mine, is getting some free music from talented people. Yestyn Griffiths aka Glass Pear is the man who recently shared his material with me. I was surprised to learn about Yestyn’s rich musical past. He’s the younger brother of the Welsh singer, Jem, who scored a few hits from her debut album Finally Woken back in 2005. Just like her sister, Yestyn got a huge amount of adoration from the US television music supervisors and his tracks appeared on many hit TV series including Grey’s Anatomy, One Tree Hill and Vampire Diaries among others.

After the successful US adventure, Glass Pear is back on this side of the Atlantic with a new EP, entitled Dizzy, which he’s giving away for free. The upbeat Summer is definitely the centerpiece here. An instantly catchy, beautiful piece of pop songwriting. The song is graced with a nostalgic video made up from old amateur, holiday footage. A breezy, bitter-sweet symphony that brings the best past moments of our lives, just like the rest of Glass Pear’s music.

Download Dizzy, among other goodies, from his bandcamp page [here] and soundcloud profile [here] where Yestyn shares his material generously. - No Snobs Allowed

Glass Pear isn’t really a band. It is in fact the working moniker of Yestyn Griffiths, a Welsh singer-songwriter. Wait, did I lose you with singer-songwriter? Scrap that. Cos it’s awesome.

Possesing a wonderfully light, summery feel, ‘Dizzy’ sweeps you up in a swell of melody and carries you off for its four minute duration.

It is perhaps no suprise then that Glass Pear, with the stark emotion wrapped in instantanious sugar-pop, have been featured on a number of US weepie dramas.

Don’t let that put you off they. It really is quite grand. - When the Gramophone Rings

Friday, March 30, 2012
Today: Something New

My favorite part of this song is the choral ahhs throughout. They make "One Day Soon" very special.

The vocals from Glass Pear on their self-titled album sound so delicate. I love it. The song is so simple but really creates a wonderful little world to live in for about three minutes. - Every Day I Wake Up Singing Blog

by J.R. Leyvas

Yestyn Griffiths is a painter, but not in the classical sense. His canvas is your ears. His brush is the songs he produces. His melodies are the paint he splashes across your memory. And his lyrics are all the endless colors that polish his masterpieces. He signs his art with the moniker he is best known by — Glass Pear.

Inspired at an early age by tunes hummed by his father, such as “Rocky Racoon” by the Beatles and Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe,” Griffiths became a voracious addict of all things music, including Elvis, the Beatles, Beach Boys, Bowie, Smiths, Suede, Pixies, Prodigy, Radiohead, Beastie Boys, and Dr. Dre, to name a few.

“That musical history is part of my soul,” explains the Welshman. “Everything I create comes out of this cauldron.”

Like his art, Griffiths spared no creativity when choosing the name of his band, “The Pear is affection, love. It is the shape of woman. Glass is fragile and, once broken, can wound.” He summed up the meaning of Glass Pear in quoting the 19th century poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson: “Its better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

Bursting onto the music scene on the heels of his older brother, recording artist Jem, Griffiths made a name for himself with the hits “Vultures” and “Last Day of Your Life,” the latter of which was featured in the first episode of the popular TV show 90210, and again in Grey’s Anatomy. Both songs debuted on Glass Pear’s album, “Streets of Love” in 2009 followed by his self-titled 2011 album, an eleven-track masterwork featuring the song, “One Day Soon.” Griffiths’ tempered ballads echo those of the Beatles, in songs like “My Ghost” and “Love Is All I Need,” you can almost hear bits of McCartney or Harrison woven within the melodies. Griffiths explains his music is not so much inspired but stems from a compulsion to create.

“I can hear the tiniest fragment of a musical idea and then I want to solve the problem of developing it into a whole song. I paint and repaint songs over and over again, changing parts, erasing, building, experimenting. That’s what I enjoy, not just the end product, but the process.”

2012 promises to be a year of great strides for Glass Pear as he takes his portfolio of music to the ears in gigs across the United Kingdom and beyond.

Read More: http://zouchmagazine.com/glass-pear-is-a-music-addict/#ixzz1wpkEng7i
- Zouch Magazine

Glass Pear – ‘Eyes Wide Open’

In a week filled with songs at the louder end of the spectrum, this is a welcome calm before the storm. Not too far removed from piano led-Keane, Glass Pear’s ‘Eyes Wide Open’ is a bit of easy listening indie to ease you through the day. Download here. - Shout 4 Music

How to Capitalize on a Sync Placement: An Interview with Glass Pear
By Chris Robley
March 26, 20120 Comments and 6 Reactions

GlassPear 300x199 How to Capitalize on a Sync Placement: An Interview with Glass Pear

CD Baby artist Glass Pear has had a recent string of TV placements for his self-released music. Greys Anatomy, Bones, Vampire Diaries, 90210, One Tree Hill, and the new show Missing (starring Ashley Judd)– the usual suspects when it comes to licensing catchy pop, rock, and folk-pop tunes from independent artists.

On top of earning him licensing money and performance royalties, these placements have helped Glass Pear sell 30K iTunes downloads to new fans. How did all of this sync-buzz come about? I asked Glass Pear’s Yestyn a few questions about that process. Here’s what he had to say (and be sure to read his advice in the middle of the interview on how to turn a sync placement into sales):

Tell us a little bit about your musical life and sound?

As far back as I can remember there was music playing in my house. My dad would play Dylan, the Byrds, the Beatles on an acoustic. My three older sisters (one of whom is the singer Jem) were big fans of the Pixies, the Smiths, Depeche Mode and Stevie Wonder. All those artists come out of the pop tradition from different angles – they all have a love for great melody, for the art and power of songwriting, for the hook.

So that’s what sunk in at an early age and got me into artists like Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, David Bowie, the Beach Boys, early Coldplay, Blur and a lot of other British indie pop. I’m sure all of that has weaved its way into my songwriting.

On my newest album I wanted to bring a lot more rhythm into the music. That’s a reflection of getting into electronic artists like Trentmoller and the Prodigy. I’m not the type of artist to make album after album of the same thing. I always like to be exploring new horizons.

You’ve self-released your music on your own label. What challenges has that posed? (And what were the potential solutions?)

The conflict is really that there is not enough time in the day to do everything!

Part of me pulls in the direction of just wanting to create all the time. The problem with that is I wouldn’t be able to feed myself if I didn’t do all the business admin that makes sure the money comes in.

So I solve that by dedicating periods to doing the business side of things and promotions. And then when I’m writing I generally won’t do too much business.

I don’t always find the right balance and I’m looking at ways right now to outsource accounting and promotions to other people.

Promotions (digital and print press, online networking, getting radio play, organising touring) really is the time eater so I think the only solution in the long run is to find the right partner outside to hire and at the same time carefully manage budgets so the label survives.

What were the obvious pluses to going DIY?

One of the areas that isn’t talked about much anymore is artist development. Artists used to mature over several records and some labels fostered that process. Nowadays its rare that you’d find a label who’d hang in there if the first album, sometimes the first single, is not an unqualified success.

But that means that many artists just don’t have the time to grow, to evolve, to become better. Even worse, they feel this pressure for immediate success so they deliver sub-par music.

I feel like I’ve had the space to grow as an artist by being free of this commercial pressure to succeed, or get on radio or chart.

Its also forced on me things that I didn’t originally plan to get involved in like making music videos, finding great collaborators for artwork, the whole visual side of music.

You’ve had a lot of success with licensing tunes to TV. How did you get started there? Licensing agency? Networking with music directors?

I sent a CD of my first demos to Nic Harcourt in late 2008, who was then the main DJ at KCRW radio in California. He had already helped the careers of British acts like Coldplay, Keane and my sister Jem by playing them before they were widely known.

He started playing the track “Last day of your life” and it got a great response. When he became the music supervisor of 90210 he used it in the final scene of the first episode.

On the back of that, I started working with the wonderful team at www.zyncmusic.com who have got further synchs for me in Grey’s Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, Bones, One Tree Hill and, last week, ABC’s new show, Missing starring Ashley Judd.

What kind of promotional work do you generally do for your music surrounding a TV placement/airing? How should an artist capitalize on a synch placement and make the most of it?

The best thing to do by far is have a video of the song on YouTube. Put the title of the TV show in the YouTube title along with your band name. This means it comes up for everyone searching for the TV show. Obviously it helps if the video is good too!

Be audacious. Last week I personally called ABC television and after about 5 attempts got through to the person in their music department. Within three hours I had arranged for them to give “Eyes Wide Open” away for free from ABC.com, the track that was appearing in their show “Missing.” They also posted the video I had done.

So its just about being really creative and thinking of all the ways you can capitalize on the mass exposure that the synch gives.

What sort of bump do you see in sales from TV placements?

After a synch in a big US TV show, I usually sell 3000-6000 downloads of the track in the weeks after and then 1000s more of other tracks that people discover as a result of going on iTunes. The real value though is finding people that genuinely love the music and want to follow and hear what music I make in the future.

What has surprised you most about your music being used in TV shows?

Its definitely the emotional response you get from fans, that the song has touched them deeply in some way. These shows get watched all over the planet so to get a note from a fan in Malaysia or Argentina saying they just discovered the music and loved it is wonderful. It makes all the (occasional) pain of surviving as an indie artist worthwhile.

Do you ever feel strange or possessive about placements, like… “Hey, they’re using my song totally out of context! Didn’t they listen to the lyrics?” ??

The only time I was peeved was when they used “Last day of your life” in Grey’s Anatomy. The synch was really good, the problem was that it was put all over a scene dominated by Patrick Dempsey. My girlfriend had a massive crush on him and I think she was so distracted by him crying in the scene that the music passed somewhat unnoticed!! So that’s just plain old jealousy from me and wanting to be the centre of attention!

You shot a music video recently of you singing while various words and paints and construction paper cut-outs move around you and on you. How long did that take to shoot and edit? Cost?

Well here is the whole story. I came across Tayoi Kusama’s installation “The Obliteration Room.” I thought it would be a lot of fun to take the idea and turn it into a music video.

I ordered in 3m x 11m of white paper on a big roll ($86) and persuaded my mum and sister to help me cover my bedroom with it.

I have a Canon EOS 550D which I used for the shoot. Using only natural lighting from two windows, I spent 5 days crammed in my bedroom shooting the video myself, gradually adding elements and paint ($40). The first time I wrote on my body, I did it in a mirror and wrote everything backwards by mistake! I had to knock on my neighbours door and kindly ask if she’d mind writing on my chest!

In the evenings when I didn’t have the light I’d edit the video in iMovie as I went along.

On the final day I covered everything with paint including myself. That was when I became concerned that all the paint had seeped through the paper and ruined the flat. I couldn’t get out of the room for 10 hours as the door was covered so needing to go to the toilet got to be a real problem!

It took about 3 baths to get everything off me and when I pulled up the paper fortunately all the furnishings were fine.

I finished the edit over another 2 days so in total it took 7 days and costed just over $120.

It was a hell of a week but a lot of fun!

—————-

Thanks to Glass Pear for taking the time to answer these questions. For more info about his music and story, check out http://www.glasspearmusic.com.

Have you had success with TV sync placements? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

-Chris R. at CD Baby - CD Baby

AS concepts for a video are concerned, you’ve got to hand it Welsh singer-songwriter Yestyn Griffiths, he believes in going that extra mile, metaphorically speaking at least.
For his new video he didn’t actually leave his bedroom. In fact, the vid for his song Eyes Wide Open saw him locked in, naked and covered in paint for 10 hours.
“I couldn’t even go to the bathroom and had to improvise,” laughs the musician, who is known by the moniker Glass Pear. “I shot it and edited it myself, it cost me 100 quid.”
Anyone who sees it will have to admit it’s good value, although understandably there were a few issues – not least how you clean up the mess, both in his bedroom and his extraneous body parts!
“It was a nightmare to get the paint out, I had to have five baths,” says Yestyn, who probably isn’t joking about his post-video wash and brush up.
The singer, who is the brother of multi-million selling Welsh pop star Jem, says he didn’t actually give his bedroom an impromptu makeover, as the walls and floor were covered before he started filming.
You can get these long photographic rolls of paper, I think they’re 11ft by 9ft,” he explains. “I covered the walls and the floors, as I don’t think my landlord, who didn’t know about the shoot, would have been too happy otherwise.
“That said I thought I had b******* up the floors because I believed the paint had seeped through, but thankfully it was fine.”

Watch the Glass Pear video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3nQXek6gUM

His action painting is no doubt destined to draw him some sizeable attention, as is the fact the song will be featured on the very first episode of new US TV series Missing which receives its premiere on American television this week.
Starring Hollywood actress Ashley Judd as an ex-CIA agent on the hunt for her kidnapped son, Yestyn looks set to reap the rewards of his music being used on the show.
And it wouldn’t be the first time this has happened.
The Penarth-born songwriter’s music has featured on a number of US shows including Grey’s Anatomy, Bones, 90210, Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill.
“They reckon several million people will be watching Missing, which is fantastic exposure,” says Yestyn, who has released two albums and an EP on his own WOL label. “When my songs have been used in previous shows, interest in my music peaks.”
Now the musician is planning to get out on the road, and looking forward to playing a homecoming show in Wales.
“I’m looking at venues in Cardiff, as we speak,” he explains. “I’ve got a band together and can’t wait to play my songs live.”
To find out more check out Yestyn’s website at www.glasspearmusic.com
- Wales Online/Western Mail

WATCH THE VIDEO: Watch the music video for his song "Eyes Wide Open" featured on the latest episode of Missing.

Yestyn Griffiths:

A lot of the songs I write are about the fragility and transiency of life and love. So I wanted to find a name that expressed that. Apparently the ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality (pear trees live for a long time). It's also a symbol of affection in other cultures. In Chinese the word li means both ëpear' and ëseparation' and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves. So for me a glass pear is a pear that is fragile, breakable, needing protection, just like love. - ABC.com

Glass Pear’s, the project of Yetsyn Griffiths, music has already appeared on shows such as The Vampire Diaries, and One Tree Hill, but if you are not a girl, don’t let that turn you off as the Londoner creates seriously smooth acoustic-leading pop gems. “One Day Soon” begins as a mellow walk, but the chorus out of nowhere picks up with a wonderful appearing melody. It’s the little surprises in the music that gets you excited about an artist, and Glass Pear has plenty of them. “Dizzy” is a fantastic little love song, that strides all the right lines and will never get accused of being cheesy. Maybe it’s Yetsyn great voice that wins me over here. Whatever it is, consider me a fan. - Hand Clap Movement

Why you should listen: Welsh-born singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths has created some melodic songs that are romantic and very calming. His song "Wild Place" was even featured on the CW's newest hit show, Vampire Diaries!

Our fave songs: "Wild Place," "Streets of Love" - Seventeen

As we look ahead at what 2009 might be like, we think of a new president, lots of economic uncertainty, but how about simpler things? What kind of music might we be hearing? Turns out that's not so easy to predict either, but reporter Roman Mars took a crack at it.

---

I love radio and radio listeners, but the way you're going to be exposed to new music in 2009 is the way you probably heard it last year, on a TV show or a commercial. TV is the new radio. And TV's new DJs are people like Alexandra Patsavas, who has a company in Los Angeles called Chop Shop Music Supervision.

Patsavas is a music supervisor for TV shows like "Gossip Girl" and "Grey's Anatomy," as well as huge blockbuster films like "Twilight." Music supervisors know how to pick a catchy song and know which ones will be thrust into the national consciousness way before anyone else does.

In the last few days, Patsavas has heard new music from the band Glass Pear, and she says, "I think will have a big impact in the future. [They write] beautiful, melodic, well-crafted pop songs."

So to whom does Patsavas turn in order to stay on top of what bands are worth listening to? Her favorite web source is Brooklyn Vegan. Patsavas says, "They have a healthy respect for new music but also are not afraid to give their opinion."

I contacted Brooklyn Vegan staff writer Bill Pearis to get that valued opinion myself. Pearis writes a weekly column called "This Week in Indie" which highlights some of the bands that may otherwise fall through the cracks.

Pearis' choice for band to watch in 2009 is Ida Maria. Maria's debut album is finally getting an American release, and she's playing shows in the U.S. in January. Pearis describes her this way: "Her voice is a little like Bjork's, but she's more of a PJ Harvey type. She gets on stage and she just becomes this spitfire. She usually ends up writhing on the floor of the stage, and anybody who goes to see her live will become an instant convert. I think she will do fairly well over here, and she certainly does deserve it."

Bill Pearis says he relies heavily on record store clerks to find out about new bands. "As much as we bloggers like to think we're in the know, I think that record store clerks still know more than we do because they work somewhere where they listen to music 12 hours a day," say Pearis.

I decided to call Electric Fetus in Minneapolis and ask them for a new music recommendation. I reached Dillon at the record counter, and after some cajoling, he recommended the Menahan Street Band. Dillon says, "It's an instrumental, soul, little R&B, (with a) kind of jazzy feel to it…it's a really solid album."

Finally, I talked with someone who has spent a fair share of time at Electric Fetus, radio DJ Mark Wheat. When asked about the future of music in 2009, his response was an emphatically anti-predictive. He said, "I think if anybody tries to predict anything this year at the turn of the year they're slightly insane."

Wheat is excited about a new local band from the Twin Cities called UltraChorus. "It's one of the guys who used to have a band called Sukpatch, which actually in the Twin Cities were doing a similar style of music in the mid-90's/late-90's to bands like MGMT. Thinking back Sukpatch were kind of ahead of the curve there, so [UltraChorus] sent me a five-song EP, and it was like every song we could play on the radio," says Wheat.

UltraChorus are a proudly unsigned and plan on self-releasing all their tracks digitally as well as on 7" vinyl. In 2009, that is both forward- thinking and a little old-fashioned. - Weekend America

From Wales, Yestyn Griffiths is the brother of Jem, who hit it thanks to KCRW and the O.C. His well-crafted pop has been featured on TV's 90210 and Grey's Anatomy. This song confronts lost love.

For fans of Coldplay, Aqualung - LA Times

It’s a small world, musically speaking. Here we are, loving Glass Pear’s “My Ghost,” without realizing that his sister, Jem, had already been featured here on FreshScouts, and that his other sister, Chloe, represents V.V. Brown, who has been featured here as well.

In our early email correspondences I joked with Yestyn Griffiths that he was the missing piece to our collecting the whole set. Now, of course, that collection is officially complete.

Griffiths, in the midst of recording his sophomore album, has seen plenty of success in the last couple of years with songs getting featured on popular television shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Bones.” With a couple of good breaks, his debut indie release “Streets Of Love” has allowed Griffiths to strive as en emerging artist.

“I had a lot of luck getting songs off the record onto these big shows [in America],” he said. “That really blew up the whole thing and led to a lot of people buying the record, especially digitally. That was really the break that I needed being a completely independent artist.”

That exposure immediately led to more downloads of Glass Pear songs than Griffiths could’ve even hoped for.

“Off the back of TV, I sold about 10,000 downloads within a month because your exposure is to millions of people,” he said. “The difficulty is, how do they find out who’s singing the song? I think a lot of people struggled to find the name of the song.”

For some, just using the iPhone app Shazam can help identify a song from a TV show, but for others, tracking down “My Ghost” and/or “Wild Place” proved to be a little more difficult—not that that kept the serious music fans from tracking them down anyway.

“Some people go on a bit of a pilgrimage to find the song, so that when they do finally find it it’s that much more worth it.”

Now, Yestyn is back in the studio working on a follow-up to “Streets of Love,” and he says the new record will be considerably more rhythmic while still upholding the mellow, emotionally-charged vibe that’s made him so popular already.

“I’ve really been exploring because, as an artist, I really don’t want to stay in the same place. I suppose that’s both a virtue and a vice. I’ve always wanted to bring more rhythm into what I’m doing. I’m not doing the classic second I’m-going-disco indie record, but I’m bringing in a lot of other interests in music such as hip-hop rhythms. It’s actually very similar to what Jem did on her debut record.”

His sister’s record, “Finally Woken,” included several songs written by Yestyn himself, including “24,” which is the track that sort of put Jem on the map.

“’24,’ has some pretty wicked hip-hop beats and actually probably could have had a rapper on it. I write a lot of different stuff, and that’s why I’m just so excited to go out and do something a little different. It’s not radically different; I’m just trying to merge my love of bands like the Beach Boys with some of the rhythmic elements you hear in something like Radiohead.”

However the music sounds, and whatever changes Glass Pear may undergo stylistically for the sophomore go-round, Griffiths just wants to keep the songwriting process organic and try to reach as many fans as he possibly can with the music he works so hard to write.

“It sounds corny, but for an artist like me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than to write a song that started in a room, just me and a guitar, that came spontaneously out of nowhere,” he said.

“When, through hard work or luck, it finally gets out there to thousands of people—and on some of these TV shows, to millions of them—it somehow works its way into people’s lives. I’m not arrogant enough to think that it changes anyone’s lives, but it genuinely adds something to their lives. I get messages back from people that say, ‘This song has really affected me,’ or ‘This song has helped me with something I’m going through in my life.’ That whole process of songwriting—from the inception of the song to finding someone who loves it—is why I do music.”

Listen to “My Ghost” (free download available below) and try to ignore the emotion in Griffith’s vocals. Look at his relationship with musical siblings and his commitment to independent production and try to call him anything but an artist. You can’t, because he is.

Besides, we’ve been taught to like the things television tells us to like. Right now, it’s telling us to like Glass Pear. We really don’t have any choice. - Fresh Scouts

Welsh musicians spread their wings to America for TV success...




- Wales Online

5. YESTYN GRIFFITHS - Love the heart-tugging pieces of music on hit US shows like Vampire Diaries and Grey’s Anatomy? Chances are they were written by 27-year-old Penarth singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths. In the last 18 months, the younger brother of multi-million selling Welsh singer Jemma Griffiths, aka Jem, has seen downloads for his songs rocket as US audiences have gone in search of his tracks online. He works under the name Glass Pear and has an album out, Streets Of Love, through his own WOL label.


- Western Mail

Spooky.

Now this one is an odd one. A few weeks back, I came across the absolutely stunning “My Ghost”, by Glass Pear, a.k.a. Yestyn Griffiths. I posted about it SOMEWHERE on these magnificent InterWebz, and put the song to one side with a large post-it on it, stating “For the blog”. Metaphorically.

Then real life interfered, and I got side-tracked (hence the unforgivable delay in updating, but by now, you’ll be used to it. Sorry…)

And then Yestyn emailed me to say thanks for the mention. Which kind of freaked me out. But also reminded me of this absolute beauty. The song, not Yestyn. Although he does seem like a good-looking chap.

Glass Pear is singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths, and very interestingly, the Welsh-born singer is the younger brother of recording artist Jem (whom had a huge hit with “They” a few years ago, and whom I had, and still have, a massive crush on. Yestyn, if you do read this, feel free to pass on my details. Sigh.)

So I give you two versions of “My Ghost”, by Glass Pear. The only difference is one is Yestyn and a guitar, the other Yestyn and a piano. My own preference is for the piano version, but not by much.

A song of yearning and utter heartache. Of pain, of loss, of desperation. Of watching something wonderful disappear… - Get Your Melancholy On

Flickering like a candle on a windy night, ‘My Ghost’ rings true the many things that come and go with melancholy, solitude and self-doubt. Pure as crystal, sharp like the bits of it's shattering honesty - Glass Pear's songs have a truth that many artists strive to pursue. The melodies are warm and beautiful and the songs addict. Yestyn Griffiths sits down with Downright Fiction to reveal some of the Glass Pear mystique and shares with us an exclusive preview of his upcoming second album.




Where did the idea for calling yourself 'Glass Pear' come from?? I stumbled upon a glass bottle art piece that you called 'The Original Glass Pear', is it responsible for the name?

The name Glass Pear originated from Adi Da Samraj (www.daplastique.com), whose spiritual and philosophical teachings I practice. The "Glass Pear" was a room in his house. I asked him if I could use the name for my music and he said "Yes, as long as I get a credit!".

Poignantly, he sent me a note about this on the last day of his life in late 2008. It was a fitting and mysterious coincidence: the first Glass Pear song that really connected with people emotionally was "Last day of your life". The song is about allowing love to shine through the inevitable mortality of our lives.

The first suggestion to use the name Glass Pear actually came from my eldest sister. I liked the sound of it immediately. Then, when I researched the symbolism of the "Pear" in more depth, I made interesting discoveries.

Apparently the ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality (pear trees live for a long time). Its also a symbol of affection in other cultures. In Chinese the word li means both “pear” and “separation,” and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves. So I feel that a "Glass Pear" is a pear that is fragile and breakable, needing protection - just like love and affection - or else separation results.


It's a song that's struck an instant chord with your listeners - as with me - and your youtube and facebook pages have had greater following after the song was featured on Fox's Bones - where did 'My Ghost' come from?

The truthful answer is : I have no idea where "My Ghost" came from!

I sat down one day and spontaneously started singing "Lovers come and lovers go" over a C chord. Then I didn't do anything with it for a while. If my memory serves me right, in early November 2008 I started developing the verse which turned into the themes of "ghosts" and "shadows". It is the feeling that the people closest to us in our lives never really leave. We associate places, streets, cities, and music with particular memories of loved ones. In this sense, whether they are still alive or have passed on, they remain part of our emotional world.

Then when Adi Da passed away later that month I revisited the song. I sat on my bed and started singing "Who can you trust in this place?". Within about an hour I had written the whole song. I wept singing it for the first time, it was very heart-felt and beautiful. It expresses a longing in my heart for the divine, as well as a sadness about the fact of death. I was certainly pondering loved ones in my life, both present and past, when I was writing the song.



How did you start out as a musician? What was your process? Did something draw you to the music?

I thought I should learn the bass at about age fourteen. I got my dad to buy me a nice shiny white one. I had some lessons but got bored. So I moved to the guitar. My dad used to strum loads of tunes from Dylan, Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Donovan. Music was being played constantly in our family. I have three older sisters and they were always introducing me to new bands. Then I hit sixteen and started collecting records. It wasn't long before I was delving into history and getting into Bowie, the Smiths, Pixies and classical music. At the same time I started writing songs - lots of awful ones that hopefully will never be found!

It did take a long time - through many twists and turns - to come to the Glass Pear sound. I couldn't have done this without the collaborative efforts of Tom (of the band Thirteen Senses) and Tash, with whom I made "Streets of love" and "Sweet America". But Glass Pear will never stand still, I am working on the second album right now and it has hip-hop beats!



Wow! Glass Pear Music with Hip-Hop beats! But I have to ask, what drives you to sit down and make a tune and allow it to become a physical manifestation of your thoughts and feelings? Does it come very easily? Do the tunes always befriend the words?

I love writing music, that's it.

I can't explain why, I guess a bit like you can't explain why you fall in love with a person. Its an emotional process. Great music moves me. Nowadays its the musical side that usually comes first. I have notebooks of lyrical ideas around that I sometimes delve into, but on the whole lyrics come later. For me, melody is already communicating a specific emotion - melancholy, happiness, energy or love - so I naturally gravitate towards words that express what the music is saying.

Musical ideas come very easily, but producing them and making them into something I love can be grueling. I throw hundreds of ideas away because I don't feel they have the potential to become a good song. I can drag Tom and Tash through hell looking for my vision!

I haven't released a song yet that I don't like. There are songs I have done that I feel are weaker than others, but I still enjoy them. Usually I don't produce a song unless I feel it merits it. So virtually all songs that get produced I will release. Its at the idea stage that I throw away many partially written songs.


The Glass Pear 'Artwork'
The stage of throwing away must be painful, but it did bring us the beautiful tunes on 'Streets of Love.' Did that record bring you what you hoped it would? I understand that WOL records was created for the purpose of bringing out your music at that stage.

WOL Records stands for Wicked Old Lady Records. The Wicked Old Lady is my very own mother. She gave me the name and I guess I should give her rights in the label but I've refused. NYS - Naughty Young Son!

Yes I am very happy that "Streets of love" has got lots of exposure in America through TV programs such as Grey's Anatomy and Bones. Its brilliant for an artist like me who releases all the music myself. All that I hope for is to be able to keep creating music for a living - I don't need to be rich or famous. Writing songs that (hopefully) touch people and that add a little bit of beauty and grace to this world is enough for me.?


For our musician readers, what do you think an aspiring musician should focus on in order to make it to a bigger platform, whilst still staying true to their original sound and belief? Do you wish you’d gone the record label way?

No I have no regrets about releasing the music myself. Of course, I can't promote the music in the way a major or even an established independent could, but on balance the creative freedom I have is the real jewel.

Aspiring musicians should funnel all their passion and energy into to making their music brilliant. If its brilliant and captivating (whatever the genre), it will find its way out there! Enough self-belief to headbutt down all the doors that will close in your face also helps a lot! The music industry is a people industry. So forming relationships is really key. That's the liability of just using the internet; nothing beats knowing someone personally and being friends.

I'd like to thank Nic Harcourt (KCRW DJ and music critic) who has always supported Glass Pear. Zync Music have also been incredible in placing my songs in the shows.


How do you think being an Independent artist sets you free from what we hear of as the Record Label Machinery?

Well, I'm not really in the camp of "major-label-bashing". I have worked closely with people in major labels in the past and they were brilliant people, very dedicated. There's little doubt that because there is more money at stake in signing to a big label they are more controlling of the artist and what the artist needs to do. There's a lot of pressure currently to do tie-ups with corporates, both for money and exposure. As music generates less money in CD sales, there's a realization that the money is in making strategic alliances with companies and their products. Sometimes this works good, if there's a good synergy between the artist's music and the company's goals. But in other cases I believe it degrades the music.

We definitely don't want to see music creation turned into a slave to advertising.

So being independent gives you some breathing room from these kinds of pressures. But the most important aspect of being independent is having creative control over not just your music, but the design of your album, your videos, your whole communication to people. That's very gratifying if you are a creative type. I like to get involved in everything, that's why it suits me to self-release the music.



What’s the one song you think is your best work - and place that no song will reach for a while?

My Ghost is a very special song, very dear to me.

But I would never select one song. At different times in my life I listen to my songs and each one means something to me. I hope the same goes for other people :)


You've recently released a new EP - tell our readers what ‘Sweet America’ is all about!

Well it may interest your readers to know (as they are writers!) that the song "Sweet America" is lyrically an adaptation of a prose piece a wrote. Here's the prose:

The house sits alone on the sun-baked hill. Far off we spy the slanted groves of wine and grape, ranches of horse and old America. The smell and haunt of family, green with age and promise, worms the white wooded porch. Roses on beams, like snow splashed with fresh blood, breathe in the harsh, hot light. Tranquil and warm, the ocean is the only sight ahead, deep in its liquid blue coat. I gaze through it and beyond, purring like a cat on my ancient swing, back and forth, back and forth, comprehending nothing in the thought-free air. Behind me struts the twanging clang of uncorked guitar, a master and apprentice, bearing another troubadour into being. His swollen head and Asian eyes, burnt by the sun and sorrow, look on the boy with fondness. And there, swinging as the day grows dark, I remember my own master, handing me the secret stone to bury in my heart on the village green, to keep preserved for those to come. There it waits, like a locked door, closed to the world. But, like a spring bulb cracking the soil, searching for light, something is stirring underneath my skin. And this time, after so long a time waiting, I can do nothing to prevent it becoming.


I called the EP Sweet America because it marks the six month period last year that I lived in the USA, mostly in Los Angeles. It also marks the birth of my niece, to whom the record is dedicated.


You made a pilgrimage to India not too long ago and also traveled to Europe last month. How do different places and spaces influence your work?

I've been fortunate to travel a lot.

I'm fascinated by human history and culture. Its so rich, diverse and eye-opening. I've seen some of the happiest faces amongst the poorest of peoples. And the most depressed faces amongst the richest too. There's no doubt that the more I travel the more I feel that humanity is coming out of a tribal age - of separate nations and peoples - into a new age of realizing that we're one human family on one planet. This is the good part of the process of globalization. These kinds of thoughts definitely influence me and the music I make. Its not that I want to make political statements through songwriting. But I do believe the arts and music can serve this transition to an integrated humanity, by drawing us out of hard-headed separatism, prejudices and conflict, into a feeling-disposition of cooperation and tolerance.

The second aspect of traveling that is important to me is musical discovery. In India, for example, there has historically been a very different approach to musical creation than in Europe. Generally speaking there is the use of the drone note, rather than chord changes, as the underlying basis of the music. This gives it a very different quality to the classical and pop traditions we are familiar with in "Western" music. Its more contemplative, less emotive.

So as I absorb these different ways of making music I'm sure they'll find their way into new songs in the future.

The day I stop experimenting will be the day I stop writing music.


You're in the process of recording your second album - Does it have a title yet? A sound ?

Well, making an album is a bit like meandering down an Amazonian river, you never quite know where its leading and what lurks underneath the water! I can't reveal album title yet as I don't know it!

At the moment, I feel like I'm giving birth to the exotic lovechild of Radiohead and The Beach Boys. Its psychedelic in a 21st Century non-drugs kind of way. That probably makes no sense! But, don't worry, there's plenty of bright rainbow melodies rising over a jungle of beats. Tracks so far are "Epiphany", "Eternal", "Summer", "Touch the stars", "Grace" and "Closer."

"Touch the stars" is a good example in that it breaks up the traditional song structure and ends in a completely different place to where it started. Its a pop journey.Your readers are the first ones to get a sneak peek at this track. Its about the mystical nature of love and feeling so close to someone, that you have become one!

Thank you for believing in Downright Fiction and for sharing some of the intimate details of Glass Pear's making! I wish you the best of luck with your upcoming Album!

It's been a pleasure. - Downright Fiction

People often ask what kind of music we play in the Cafe. That’s a tough question. We play all kinds of World music. . . In this case, Yestyn Griffiths or Glass Pear as he is known professionally, is one of the artists we listen to. There are people who come to the cafe who are friends with Yestyn and we hope Yestyn will stop by before too long and have a chat with us. Maybe even play a song. We’ll see.


People frequently ask Griffiths why chose the name Glass Pear? This is what he has said. “A lot of the songs I write are about the fragility and transiency of life and love. So I wanted to find a name that expressed that. Apparently the ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality (pear trees live for a long time).

In Chinese the word ‘li’ means both ‘pear’ and ‘separation,’ and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves. So for me a glass pear is a pear that is fragile, breakable, needing protection, just like love.”

Griffin’s songs are heart felt and melodic. And his lyrics are thoughtful and sensitive. A personal and poignant account of everyday life. We like Yestyn because he’s one of today’s Indie artists that focus on the positive and sing about matters of the heart. . . Someone said, “oh, he does that just to get chicks”. And given his age and appeal, that’s probably true enough to be said. But youth has it’s virtues as well and this talented young artist has definitely found his voice. You can learn more about Yestyn and his newest release, Sweet America, on his website. http://www.glasspearmusic.com. - The Blue OK

"Live and die by the heart / it may not have eyes like your head/ But it knows by feeling / which way to go / Every time" Glass Pear

Desire, love and lost feelings - the songs by singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths from Glass Pear are a combination of a hearbreaking voice and beautiful lyrics. I have been listening to his songs all week and I really can't stop... (Listen for yourself: http://www.glasspearmusic.com/ ).

"Say it once" and "Where is my home" are my personal favorites. Yestyn was born in Wales and he is the brother of recording artist Jem. His songs have been featured in episodes of 90210, Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill. We will definitely hear lots more from this artist! With tradeyourtalent he speaks about the recklessness of passionate love and knowing when a song is really done.

What inspires you to your songs?

Inspiration is a mystery isn't it? I said in a recent interview that meditation inspires me. That's true. There's definitely a well of creativity that surges up when I'm deeply relaxed. But I also am inspired by witnessing all the wonderful things about life - the uncontrollable energy of children, the dignity and wisdom of old people, the recklessness of passionate love, the buzzing energy of a city, the quiet of nature...

Has it been difficult getting to where you are now?


Yes, I'd say it has been a creative ordeal! But it hasn't all been difficult. Like life, its been both joyous and challenging.


When do you know, you've just finished a great song?

Well, I don't know if I've ever written a truly great song, maybe its an illusive dream that keeps me passionate about writing. When I write a song that I love I often have a surge of emotion about it. As in the poem below, my heart knows when a song is done.


If you could give advice to young artists with just a couple of lyrics, what would you sing to them?
?
Live and die by the heart
It may not have eyes like your head
But it knows by feeling
Which way to go
Every time.
- Trade Your Talent

Glass Pear is the solo-project of Welsh native Yestyn Griffiths, and is currently getting a great deal of support from TV shows such a as One Tree Hill, Grey's Anatomy, 90210, Bones and Vampire Diaries. The singer-songwriter attributes a great deal of his success (30,000 downloads), to these American shows and owning all of his songs and his own record label (WOL Records).

Griffiths' strong vocals, swooning melodies and beats from varying genres found on his last two releases, Streets of Love & Sweet America, have held my attention non-stop for weeks. Please join me as I talk to Yestyn about his newest release, success in television and his obsession with Juicing!

What have you been up to lately?

I’m really getting into juicing vegetables at the moment. Is that a boring thing to talk about? Try carrot, ginger, celery, apple. Yeah! I’ve just moved flats so I’m walking round in a daze moving objects around until it feels right. I’ve started work on recording a new album. Its more fruity than “vegetably”. Its feeling like a ripe mango at the moment, summery. Beach Boyesque. Exotic rhythms.

Coming from a family with many successful musicians, was there a great deal of musical collaboration early on?

Well, we all used to sing along to my dad strumming the guitar to Rocky Racoon, Turn turn turn and It ain’t me babe. And there was a lot of music in our home. But the family collaborations were more theatrical than musical. We’d stage productions of Hitchcock type murder mysteries for our relatives and friends. Murder in the shower with tomato ketch-up as the blood – that kind of thing.

How have you seen success through your songs being played on American Television?

Its been equivalent to getting mainstream radio play. I’ve sold over 30,000 downloads because of the TV synchs in Grey’s Anatomy, 90210, Bones, Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill. Presumably double that figure if you take into account piracy. Because I still own everything – record label and publishing – it means I can survive as an independent artist and make the music I love and juice vegetables all day.

How important has social networking/media been to the success of Glass Pear?

Mmmh, the features in the TV shows happened independently of social media. Social media tools have been useful to stay connected to fans but I wouldn’t say they’ve been critical. What’s far more important is the quality of the music itself. No one juices rotten tomatoes. Then every artist needs some form of exposure: either radio, tv, touring and/or press. So social media and bloggers like yourself really do help spread the word around but it won’t create a career for an artist just by itself.

How would you say you approached the writing and recording differently for your latest EP, Sweet America?

It was intentionally a mostly acoustic record, with the primary instrumentation being acoustic guitars, vocal and piano. There are exceptions such as “Eyes wide open” which is more in the style of the debut album. I wanted to explore the basic elements of songwriting so that it all comes down to the song itself, and not the elaborate decoration of it in production. I have a belief that a song is really good if it still sounds beautiful when its stripped back to just voice and one primary instrument. Once you have a song like that, of course you can produce it in many different styles. That was my goal with this EP, to have a set of songs like that.

In Sweet America, you seem to combine sounds from several different genres. Was that intentional, or just a product of having many different musical influences?

No, it wasn’t intentional. I love the spontaneity of writing and making music. For me that’s the gem. I do hope to always be a progressive artist, always exploring new territories. I think its in my character. Believe it or not I’ve even tried drinking juiced cabbage!

How important is it for artists to widen their span of music they listen to?

You gotta do what you love, listen to what you love. I don’t think you have to listen to every type of music as a strategy. The only reason I do is because I LOVE music in most of the forms it has found an expression. It definitely gives me a greater diversity of vegetables to juice when I pick up the guitar, so its positive in that sense. Going back into musical history is also rewarding to understand how we got to where we are in music.

Are you working/ writing with any artists at the moment? Any new songs with Jem?

Yes Jem is about to put out a new record and I have co-written some lovely songs on that. I've also been co-writing with the artist VV Brown.

Is co-writing something that you would like to continue doing? Do you see Glass Pear going down the co-writing path?

Yes, I’ll definitely write songs with other artists in the future. I really enjoy it. Someone brings the spinach, I bring the pineapple, another brings the banana. Mix it all together…..wowza! It’s a green smoothie, it’s a beautiful song!

Who are some artists that you have looked up to in the past, in terms of live performance/stage presence?

Jim Morrison, Jeff Buckley, Prodigy, The Smiths, Blur, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Lykke Li.

Perfect day, windows down, driving in you car what are you listening to?

-Jonathan Johansson Aldrig Ensam.
-Stone Roses Stone Roses
-Trentmoller The Last Resort
-Killers Human

What do you have coming up soon?

Writing, recording new album. Due out this summer! Video shoots, weird photos, juicing, London gigs. Walks in parks. Cat or dog or both? - Music and What Not

Learn the Song Creation Process: Q&A w/ Glass Pear


by Jacqueline Rosokoff

This week on COREnered, Glass Pear, the musical incarnation of singer-songwriter Yestyn Griffiths welcomes us into the studio. Born in Wales, Yestyn creates music with soaring melodies behind reflective lyrics, and as the younger brother of recording artist Jem, he proves that musical talent runs in the family. Read on to learn more about Glass Pear's recording process, and the inspiration behind music that you may have heard on shows like Grey's Anatomy, Bones, and 90210.

Without using the words "alternative," "pop,” or "rock," describe your sound.

Some of my slower songs like "My Ghost" and "Wild Place" are soft feather pillows for tired heads. Others, like "Where is my home?" are more dramatic, building in intensity like an approaching orgasm, with rich orchestrations and honeyed harmonies. The new record I'm working on sounds like an exotic lovechild of Radiohead and The Beach Boys. Pretty rainbow melodies over a jungle of beats–music to lift you up like a helium balloon so you can be closer to the sun so that your life feels a little warmer.

What or whom do you go to for musical inspiration?

Animals. Especially cats. They really know how to relax and meditate – my cat Charlie would sleep in my bed for thirteen hour stretches underneath the duvet without moving. He taught me that vibrant creativity comes from deep relaxation and contemplativeness. So before I start writing music I always do a session of meditation and purring.

Describe your ideal studio environment.

I have a long-term dream. Many would call it a fantasy. And it's not to be woken up by a naked Penelope Cruz marooned on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean (although that would be nice). My wet dream is to have a home studio in a circular wood-floored space perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean. There is a glass roof that opens up when the sun is happy. The views of the sea are breathtaking. And the cherry on the cake is a black grand piano, a vocal booth and a lock on the door. Until then, I've got my little bedroom studio in North London with a tiny midi keyboard.

How do you approach recording a song?

There are two stages, kind of comparable to pregnancy and labour. Once the Muse and I have conceived, the song gets incubated in my bedroom studio. I develop a demo in which I flesh the rhythm, string, guitar and bass ideas. I also write new parts and scrap old parts (a bit of genetic engineering). Then I record in a guide vocal and develop harmonies. In the later stages I take the demo to the nursing staff Tash and Tom (my co-producers). Tom is an all-round musical and production genius. Tash is a drummer born of heaven. They add their musical ideas to the demo and that's when the difficulty of labour really begins. Together we pick the best parts of all our ideas, throw away the worst or the merely mediocre, instigate arguments, justify tantrums and get stroppy. Once the baby has moved into position, we proceed to record all the chosen parts to master quality, usually one track at a time. In the final mix, somehow the little song cherub always gets delivered perfectly formed, despite my screaming!

How often do you try to put in studio time?

When I'm in the middle of writing and recording a record, every day. I used to work all day and sometimes into the night. Now I like to relax in the evenings so I try to work in the mornings until the early afternoon.

What kind of studio equipment do you use to record?

I record my demos on an old Mac G4 using Logic 6, an acoustic guitar, an AKG C3000 Mic and lots of sampler instruments. In Tom's studio, which is a converted garage, we use Pro Tools LE, a Mac G5 twin processor, Genelec monitors, Digi 002 interface, Waves platinum & Line 6 plug-ins, Pod x3 for guitars, Vienna Instruments for strings, Native and Reason for synths, Rhode NT2 Mic, Fender Deluxe Telecaster, Fender Deluxe Precision Bass, Gibson 335, Martin Acoustic Guitar, DW drums and a Roland digital piano. How's that for product placements!

What do you do if you're trying to record and it's just not working for you?

Well, we ask some obvious questions first of all to ascertain whether it's really to do with the music. When did Tom last eat? When did Tash last have sex? When did I last meditate? If we're satisfied that there are no personal frustrations inhibiting the process, then the best thing I find is to either take a break or refresh by looking at another song. There's no doubt that producing music can sometimes be akin to Chinese water torture, there is only a certain number of times you can hear a chorus before it starts to drive you loopy. One other very handy studio trick is farting. As the mood drops and everyone's irritability is on the up, a bit of loud farting never fails to bring the smiles and laughter back. That's why Tom is so indispensable.

How do you know when it's right?

I put some big, furry headphones on to listen to the final mix. I close my eyes. If the song thoughtlessly carries me away to a far off land of beauty and doesn't cause me to reflect on its parts, then it's a big green light. We tuck the song into bed, turn out the lights and go get some good sleep ourselves. - Tunecore

"Last Day Of Your Life" featured on Grey's Anatomy

Yestyn Griffiths:

A lot of the songs I write are about the fragility and transiency of life and love. So I wanted to find a name that expressed that. Apparently the ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality (pear trees live for a long time). It's also a symbol of affection in other cultures. In Chinese the word li means both ëpear' and 'separation' and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves. So for me a glass pear is a pear that is fragile, breakable, needing protection, just like love.
- ABC

Another member of the talented Griffiths family of Penarth is benefiting from American TV shows and the publicity they bring.

Glass Pear, aka Yestyn Griffiths, brother of Jem, is a songwriter and now performer who's had his tracks 'synced' on shows including Grey's Anatomy, Bones, 90210, The Vampire Diaries and One Tree Hill - and now he's preparing to release his second album, completely independently.

So far, he's sold 30,000 digital downloads. The album Streets Of Love was released on his own WOL Records label in 2009, and in the same year the Until The Morning Comes EP with his sister. He followed it up in 2010 with another EP, Sweet America.

I caught up with him to find out more about how this unusual way of working and building a career.

How did these syncs happen? Were they out of the blue or did your American publisher specifically work to get your songs on TV?

I got a demo of the first Glass Pear tracks to Nic Harcourt, a well-known DJ in the US on KCRW radio. He loved Last Day Of Your Life and Vultures and started playing them on his show. Fortuitously he happened to have just become the music supervisor of the new series of 90210. He synced Last Day in the opening episode as the final song. It was a big deal as the show hadn't been around for over a decade. There was a huge audience.

That created quite a buzz about Glass Pear. Then with the help of Zync Music, an independent film TV specialist, more songs were placed in Grey's Anatomy, Vampire Diaries, Bones and One Tree Hill. Eyes Wide Open, a song from my last EP, is also in ABC's upcoming show Missing.

Have the syncs been helping to get more coverage for your work?

As I haven't put anything to radio yet, these syncs have been the principal source of coverage. About three to eight million viewers hear the song in a show in the US. Then the shows get syndicated internationally so people discover the music all over the world. It's a great way to reach people at a time when mainstream radio is difficult and costly to gain access to.

Has being related to Jem helped?

Yes; for instance the connection to Nic Harcourt came via Jem as she knew him. So that helped tremendously. As I also co-wrote several of Jem's songs that were successful it helped me establish a song-writing career before doing Glass Pear. We bounce off each other a lot about music so its been wonderful to have that since I was a little kid.

It's unusual to get syncs without big label support isn't it?

Generally yes. Getting heard by the music supervisors is not always easy if you don't have a contact to them. However, if an independent artist has recorded something really beautiful and captivating then I do believe that great songs find their way out. People start passing them around on the internet and that's one way that may grab the music supervisor's ear.

Is it intentional to work independently?

Yes, I've gravitated to that so that I just make music how I like and release music when I want. I also don't feel I've met a label yet that's a really good fit. I don't rule out working with a label in the future. It's just got to be right and be a long-term collaboration rather than a short-term mistake.

Are you being able to make a living from working independently in music?

If the syncs disappeared tomorrow then I'd be in trouble. They've driven the 30,000 digital sales that Glass Pear has sold so far. They also lead to a fair bit of publishing royalties. So I do branch out and do other things like song-writing for other artists. I've co-written a song called Be Yours on VV Brown's forthcoming album. I just love writing music, whether for myself or for other artists.

Do you have an international fanbase now?

It's small and quite fragmented, with the largest amount of fans in the US. I couldn't tour tomorrow and have packed gigs in South America for instance! But I'm always surprised when I see where people live who have bought the music from iTunes and other places. It's from all over the world and that's really wonderful about releasing music digitally at this time.

what are your plans for the next year or so?

I'm finishing the new album as we speak. It's going to come out in the UK in January or February next year. At the moment I'm just putting a band together to do some London dates soon. I'm hoping to come down and play in Cardiff as soon as I can!

Glass Pear's single Summer is released digitally in the UK on 31 October on WOL Records. It includes remixes by James Hockley of Chicane.
- BBC

So here we are, first posting at my new home. And I’ve got wonderful music as a welcome gift to you! A couple of days ago, I’ve received a promo mail from WOL Records, and they wanted me to check out an artist called Glass Pear. I did, and after watching My Ghost on YouTube and listening to Morning Light, I knew I had found something really special. The label was so kind to let me download the whole new album Streets Of Love, and it instantly captured my heart. But let’s start from the beginning:

Glass Pear is the project of Welsh singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths; he has already co-written a couple of songs for his sister Jem who some of you might know from her songs featured in Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives or Six Feet Under. And since one of Glass Pear‘s songs has now also been used in an episode of Grey’s Anatomy, things should really take off for him and his bandmates (one of them’s Thirteen Senses‘ guitarist/keyboardist Tom Welham, btw.). I’ve read somewhere that Glass Pear sounds like “Keane, but with balls”, and I think that this is quite right. Yestyn has a sixth sense for perfectly catchy pop-melodies, and also enough talent to wrap them into well-crafted arrangements so that they don’t turn out shallow or even boring. If you can resist the rousing beats of Vultures or Streets Of Love, you must be dead, or at least deaf! Colours and This Is Not A Dream on the other hand are beautiful indie-ballads, and when Yestyn reduces his sound to accoustics and voice (Wild Place, My Ghost or the above-mentioned Morning Light), he really proves his qualities as a singer and songwriter.

Streets Of Love is a very very fine album from start to end and should be heard by many people. I predict that it will be the one album I’ll listen to most on my coming holiday. It just has it all, and it would be a shame if you’d miss it. I got the permission to temporarily post two songs: my (so far) favourite track Vultures and the bonus track Morning Light. The tracks will be up until October 18th, and then they’ll be gone. But I hope that in the meantime, you’ll have bought the album anyway! Enjoy these great tunes, and don’t forget to check out the wonderful video for My Ghost below! - Music of the moment

Artist of the Week: Glass Pear

Glass Pear is Welsh-born singer-songwriter Yestyn Griffiths. Having previously collaborated with his sister, Jem, on her popular debut and sophomore releases, Griffiths eventually decided to record tracks of his own. While his debut album, Streets of Love, is due in stores tomorrow, you may already recognize his voice from first single "Last Day Of Your Life." Mixed by Coldplay producer Danton Supple, the song has been featured in episodes of "Grey’s Anatomy" and "90210."

In a press release, Griffiths explained the story behind his stage name, Glass Pear:

"A lot of the songs I write are about the fragility and transiency of life and love. So I wanted to find a name that expressed that. Apparently the ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality (pear trees live for a long time)," Griffiths said. "It’s also a symbol of affection in other cultures. In Chinese the word li means both 'pear' and 'separation' and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves. So for me a glass pear is a pear that is fragile, breakable, needing protection, just like love."

Streets of Love is a solid release filled with catchy, uplifting lyrics and moving musical accompaniment. On "Last Day Of Your Life," Griffiths sings, "If this was the last day of your life/What would you do to make things right?/If this was the last day of your life/Who you gonna call to make things right?"

The emotive lyrics combined with soaring guitar and string features leave an impact. Additionally, many of the tracks have piano interludes that bring to mind bands like Coldplay and The Fray while his introspective and questioning lyrics recall that of Switchfoot.

Standout track, "Streets of Love," is bound to get stuck in the listener's head. The most upbeat song on the album, Griffiths sings along fitting guitar and percussion beats, "Thinking of the one you love who doesn't know it just because/You're too afraid to be a fool again/People punch and people bruise on these streets of love/Stand up on your own two feet there's more to life than memories my friend."

While the album starts off slowly, with each repeated listen there is something new and unexpected. Griffiths' voice has that familiar and comforting quality to it as he confronts the confusion and heartache of life through continuous questioning within his songs. "What's the point of being human if we're not alive?" he asks on moving ballad, "Colours."

Ending with the captivating "My Ghost" (see video below), Griffiths proves his versatility as a singer-songwriter on his debut release. For more on Glass Pear, visit MySpace and if you like what you hear, be sure to pick up Streets of Love tomorrow. - You Sing, I write

Glass Pear is Welsh singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths, whose songs are about the fragility and transience of life and love. His songs have been heard on Grey's Anatomy, Bones, and other popular shows. www.glasspearmusic.com - Life By Me

Glass Pear, AKA Welsh singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths, first came on our radar last year with the release of his nicely crafted debut album Streets of Love. Then came the holiday released single "Until The Morning Come", a lovely duet performed with Griffiths' older sister Jem, the platinum-selling popster who obviously knows her way around a sweetly turned out melody (listen at DC here). "A lot of the songs I write are about the fragility and transiency of life and love," says Griffiths. "So I wanted to find a name that expressed that." And true to that moniker, Glass Pear songs reflect that sensitivity to the "breakable" nature of love, charming -- if not exactly challenging -- works that most often possess a soft, candied center and a light touch.

Newly released eight-song EP Sweet America continues Griffiths' calmly studied folk/pop, smoothing any rough edges or troubling intensity with a soothing lyrical disposition and velvety production. "Morning Light" is an opulent spread of a song, drifting perilously close to gooey treacle but redeemed with clear-eyed emotional sincerity. We like the brushed-snare impetus that drives "No Reason To Love", a track that floats along effortlessly buoyed by Griffiths' soaring falsetto and chiming guitars, as well as the delectable title track that matches its orchestrated lament with some gorgeously hymnal melodic lines (videos after the jump). Sweet America is available directly from the Glass Pear site or pick it up digitally at your favorite digital store. - Direct Current Music

Welsh indie singer/songwriter Yestyn Griffiths returns with a new self-titled full-length, the follow up to his 2010 EP Sweet America and 2009 full length debut Streets of Love...numerous Greys Anatomy-styled TV placements -- and heart-on-sleeve lyricism -- have solidified his "sensitive dude" appeal...Trivia Bit: Griffiths is also the brother of platinum-selling alt/pop-stress Jem // Release: Glass Pear (December 5 U.K.) // Sounds like: what we've described before as "calmly studied folk/pop, smoothing any rough edges or troubling intensity with a soothing lyrical disposition and velvety production" remains pretty much intact on this new collection...where America was a more stripped and simple affair these new songs are painted with bolder colors and broader brush strokes...there's a reason Griffiths uses "Beach Boys" as a tag on his Soundcloud page -- we haven't heard quite so many effortlessly soaring falsettos in quite a while...

Quote: "I have a belief that a song is really good if it still sounds beautiful when its stripped back to just voice and one primary instrument. Once you have a song like that, of course you can produce it in many different styles." // What we like: the Coldplay-ish splendor of "Oxygen"...the evolution of opener "One Day Soon" from mellow acoustic ballad to rhythmic up-tempo number indicates that we're in for something a bit different this time around...the piano-driven kick of "Dizzy" is, well, dizzying in its ear-catching effervescence...what Griffiths occasionally lacks in lyrical depth (see: "Dizzy") is usually offset by his easy way around a memorable melody... - Direct Current Music