Blair Davie on his most vulnerable music yet and why his upcoming EP tells the story he had to share
- Jul 1
- 3 min read
Written by Lauren Page | @LiveWithLP
He's become one of Scotland's most exciting singer-songwriters thanks to his heartfelt lyrics and honest storytelling, but Blair Davie is about to let fans see a side of him they've never seen before. Catching up backstage at TRNSMT Festival ahead of his long-awaited debut on the festival stage, LiveWithLP chatted to Blair about his upcoming EP You Like Ugly, Don't You Babe the emotional journey behind it, and why sharing his darkest moments has turned out to be the most freeing thing he's ever done.
"I've got an EP coming in September and then we're looking at an album after that," Blair smiled. "I'm super excited about it, but I'm also a bit nervous."
That nervousness comes from just how personal this collection of songs has become.
"I'm a bit nervous because there are some really vulnerable, honest songs. It's a little bit darker than what I usually do, You Like Ugly, Don't You Babe, explores one of the darkest chapters of Blair's life.
Rather than hiding from those experiences, he's chosen to turn them into music, creating a project that he hopes will help others who may be struggling too.
"I went through quite a dark period in my life where things were really hard and I felt really lost and unlovable," he explained. "Then I met this person and realised I needed to bare my whole soul. I needed to be honest about what I'd been through and expose myself, and I didn't know if they were going to like it.
"You Like Ugly, Don't You Babe' is basically saying, 'I really hope you can see me exactly as I am and still love me.' They did, and the whole EP became this journey of learning to love yourself through the love someone else gave me."
If you've followed Blair's music over the past few years, you'll know storytelling has always been at the heart of what he does. But even for someone so comfortable writing honestly, this project pushed him further than he'd ever expected.
Part of that came during a songwriting trip to Los Angeles, where he worked alongside Scottish songwriter Dave Gibson. With only weeks to go before heading into the studio, everything changed.
"We ended up writing most of the EP over there and replacing songs I'd already written," he laughed. "It was only about a month before we went into the studio."
"That was when it really took shape. It was scary because I was telling stories that I'd forgotten about. You know when you have trauma and you kind of park it at the back of your brain? I was bringing all of that back up and trying to find my way through it."
Despite reopening old wounds, Blair says the songwriting process became unexpectedly therapeutic.
"It's cathartic," he said. "It's that feeling of releasing all your darker stuff, and it feels so good to do that. It really is hard to be vulnerable, especially when you're doing it publicly.
"Now I have to put these songs out, make TikToks about them and promote them," he laughed. "That's the weird bit. But it's all in the hope that these songs find the people who need to hear them."
Thankfully for fans, Blair hinted that there may be even more music waiting in the wings.
"There might be a deluxe version," he teased. "I can't say too much just now, and next year we've got a whole other project coming that I can't really talk about either. There's still a lot of songs and a lot of truth left to share."
While there's plenty to look forward to over the next year, playing TRNSMT was already a huge milestone.
"I've wanted to play this festival for so long," Blair admitted. "I was just too young for T in the Park, then TRNSMT started and I've basically been waiting ever since to get here.
"Now I'm finally here and I'm just going to give it my all because I've been waiting for this moment for so long."
And if anyone was wondering what to expect from his set?
"Massive love songs, kindness, joy.. and three-part harmonies," - grinning ear to ear (which was a common theme throughout this chat), which feels like the perfect way to describe Blair Davie as an artist.
Warm, thoughtful and refreshingly genuine, he's built a career on writing songs that make people feel understood. With You Like Ugly, Don't You Babe he's taken that honesty even further, creating what promises to be his most personal project yet.
If his performance at TRNSMT proved he's ready for Scotland's biggest stages, this upcoming EP might just prove he's ready for an even bigger audience.
You Like Ugly, Don't You Babe is available for pre-order and out 9th September