FOR a lot of artists, the Covid-enforced closure of music venues earlier in 2020 presented a challenge of immense proportions.

For Winsford singer-songwriter Cxl Mxck, real name Callum McCormack, it presented an opportunity.

A regular fixture on the music scene, playing covers in venues across Winsford, Northwich and Middlewich, the 21-year-old decided it was time to write and record a debut single – ‘I Can’t Breathe’.

“During the lockdown period, I found I had written a few songs I felt were worthy of getting the proper treatment,” said Callum, who first picked up a guitar at the age of 14.

“I’ve got most of them recorded now and this is the first one of those lockdown songs to come out.”

“As a solo artist, it’s quite useful. Some of my friends are in bands, so it’s difficult for them not being able to meet. Whereas, being on my own, I’ve had time – time to write, time to get a plan together.”

According to Callum, whose inspirations include Yungblud and Billie Eilish, the single did not start life as upbeat as it is now.

It took school friend and producer JDMH to bring the song, which originally featured only vocals and guitar, to a new level.

“I gave him the isolated track, the vocal track, and he sent it back exactly how it is now,” Callum said.

“It was incredible what he had done with it. He took a heartfelt, difficult song to listen to and created something beautiful.

“You go away feeling good rather than depressed, which is kind of how the original went,” he added.

If the song used to be on the depressing side, that is probably something to do with its subject matter.

Although ‘I Can’t Breathe’ is a title with resonance across the world in the time of Black Lives Matter and Covid-19, the meaning of this particular single is highly personal.

“Every song I’ve written has some meaning, whether it’s really obvious within the lyrics or it’s quite mitigated,” Callum said.

Northwich Guardian:

“Those who know me well will know exactly what the song is about. I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s about loss – losing those you never thought you’d lose.

“It’s about rebuilding my life after losing a family I had created.

“The disbelief that something you think is so solid and gold can go away. It’s about the recovery period, really.”

Prior to its official release, the single is already making waves in the north west, but also on the other side of the country.

It featured on BBC Introducing Merseyside and has even gained the attention of a radio station in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

An EP is also in the works, but for now Callum is focusing on this song and the sense of liberation it has brought to him.

“The fact that I’ve created this song from such a rough time in my life – and that it’s finally time to let go and release it – feels almost like a new chapter.

“But there’s a lot more to me than this song, and I’m excited to show the different sides to me. The other songs I’ve got recorded are very different to each other, and they’re also unique in their own right. So I’m excited to show the rest of them.”

‘I Can’t Breathe’ will be available on all streaming platforms from Monday.

Go to Cxl Mxck on Facebook or @cxlmxck on Instagram for more information.