25 Strawberry Fields with Greig Watts

Despite being a successful music publisher today, Greig Watts’ career almost never happened due to early discouragement. He recalls a pivotal school report where a teacher claimed he was "not interested" in music, leading him to abandon his studies for a "proper" career in business and banking. For years, he felt the pressure to move away from his creative passions, a struggle he now shares in his book, Keeping the Dream Alive, to inspire other artists to persevere through rejection and ignore the critics who doubt their potential.

The trajectory of Greig’s life shifted at age 14 when a supportive teacher, Mr. Bland, allowed him to use the school’s recording studio to cover "Strawberry Fields Forever." This six-week project became a transformative experience where Greig discovered he could sing and fell in love with the production process. He credits this specific act of mentorship and his fascination with The Beatles' innovative recording techniques as the "catalyst" that eventually drew him back to the music industry full-time, proving that one person’s belief can change a student’s entire future.

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