Wondering about the benefits of having live music at your wedding, over an iPod? We talk to Chris Hutchison about his passion for music, his influences, and why there’s a whole lotta soul that goes into performing on your wedding day.
Chris Hutchison is a singer, musician and DJ whose professional practice encompasses entertaining for well over 10 years as a full time muso.
When asked about how music plays into his daily life, Chris talks about how incredibly lucky he is to have his career in such an amazing industry. Getting to do what you live and love every day is an incredible way to work.
“Music is more than just a passion to me; It’s my entire life. I feel like I have a style that can only be described as my own, but if I had to, I’d say my style is a mix between James Bay meets Keith Urban with a side of Sam Smith.”
When I asked Chris about his influences, I wondered how he he went in the wedding world with a such a specific answer to his James Bay/Keith Urban/Sam Smith trifecta. Surely weddings are a special kind of non-genre, where you might hear The Macarena straight after an Ed Sheeran tear-jerker?
Well, he sent me some music. And yes, those influences might seem genre-specific, but when you hear Chris’ soulful voice, it transcends a genre. It leaves you clinging to the words he’s saying, the tone he’s using, the sounds of the guitar and that is a transportation that I wasn’t prepared for. So I guess he really meant it when he said his sound is his own; He could sing the alphabet, and I’d be wrapped.
Interestingly, Chris plays most weddings solo. You have the option of having Chris at your ceremony and reception though, and yes, he has a full band if you prefer, too. If Chris is hired to DJ at your wedding reception, you can expect a show. There’s an option to have the band arrive and get the party started- all of your favourites, of course, with singing, guitar, looping tracks, drumming and even sax. Requests are welcomed- I checked.
But really…
As a ceremony starter, Chris serenades the guests as they arrive, setting the tone with your favourite tunes. It is when you or your significant other begins their walk towards the alter though, that Chris really gets to shine. Your wedding song is an incredibly special, even intimate choice that means so much to you and your partner. You will be asked for years to come which song was playing when you walked down the aisle. And really, there is something so incredible about having that song played to you both by a human with the same capacity to feel, listen, and love those words he is singing. It is such a different experience to the Spotify download. Those little melodic tweaks, the way an artist can make a song sound like it was written just for you in this exact moment- that is what Chris Hutchison can do with a song. It will be yours, forever.
I’d like to leave you with the two tracks below, and the link to Chris’ website which has several youtube videos of small performances. It is how I first heard his music, and how I felt connected to the songs I had heard a thousand times before, in a new way. If you are on the fence about having live music at your wedding, get in touch with Chris to see if he knows your special song. I’m sure he will do it incredible justice.
Laura x