Chesterfield teenager is excited to be releasing his debut single

Connor Berry will launch his song Mr Rain on all major streaming platforms on February 11.

He said: “It’s an indie rock anthem with a cool melody to it. I am really, really excited to be releasing it.”

Connor’s song has already been aired on Radio Sheffield and other stations have expressed interest in adding his creation to their playlist.

A thunderstorm during lockdown two years ago inspired the 17-year-old to write. Connor said: "Initially Mr Rain was a song about how nobody likes the rain, but I decided to switch it up and write it from the perspective of a guy wondering why the bad person (Mr Rain) is admired by everyone despite him being a bad person. It was a quick writing process, I wrote it there and then and altered bits over time."

Self-taught musician Connor sang and played guitar on Mr Rain, supported by guitarists Glenn Boulton and Mark Black.

Gigging helped the teenager raise money for his song to be produced in Glenn’s home studio in Chesterfield.

Connor, who lives at Highfield Avenue, Newbold, said: "At the beginning of 2021, I began a YouTube channel focused on gaming videos. Within three months of posting to the channel I had over 100,000 subscribers and was awarded with a ‘Silver 100k Plaque’ sent by YouTube. The earnings from my channel enabled me to pay for my gigging equipment and I started to gig in September 2021.”

The teenager has since built a huge social media following, attracting 250,000 likes. He said: “It’s mainly from TikTok and on Facebook and Instagram – it’s very cool having a supporting audience.”

Nothing can beat the buzz of playing live and Connor will be airing his songs at the Bradbury Club, Chesterfield, on January 28, February 26 and March 26; Bottle and Thyme, Chesterfield, on February 4 and Hasland Hops on March 4.

Connor’s past gigs have included three at Real Time Live where he supported Arizona and the AC/DC tribute band Live/Wire.

When he was just 14 Connor decided that he wanted to be a musician after watching the film Bohemian Rhapsody. He said: “I taught myself piano because I wanted to learn how to play Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano. That led me on to also teaching myself how to play the guitar. From this I eventually went on to writing songs for myself.”

After leaving St Mary’s RC High School Connor began a Music Level 3 course at Sheffield College where he soon went on to form a band Lunarca.

The four members of Lunarca all write songs and have amassed a handful of original songs since forming in November, some of which will be recorded at Red Tape studio in Sheffield next week. Connor said: “I’m the main singer and play a bit of rhythm guitar. It’s indie rock, a bit like Britpop – we all have simillar music tastes inspired by the Beatles and Oasis. I’m excited to start recording and releasing with them.”

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