Mitch Jones

Mitch Jones is a Welsh pianist, producer, songwriter and MD. He is based in Brighton but works in London a lot. Mitch has worked with pop artists such as Ed Sheeran, Jessie Ware, Mahalia, Tom Misch and many others.

Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself and the role of music in your life up until now?

My name’s Mitch Jones and I’m a Producer/Songwriter and Musical Director.  Music has always been the main focus of my life – having learnt piano from a young age, and attending Chetham’s School Of Music, Manchester aged 12, I knew that music was going to be one of the most important parts of my life thereafter. I followed that with a Jazz Degree course in London and then played with various artists across the world. I’ve worked with artists such as Ed Sheeran, Jessie Ware, and on shows such as X Factor, BGT on the music team. I’ve worked on Grammy nominated records and more recently have been working in the studio making records, since starting a family.

What/who inspired you to want to become a musician?

My Dad

Could you share with us a musical and/or life highlight? How did it make you feel?

A musical highlight was probably finding out that a record we’d been working on was nominated for a Grammy. I guess the recognition alleviated a lot of imposter syndrome type thoughts, which I believe all of us artists have to live with to a certain degree, so that felt great. Also, just proud to have contributed to a record that had won such an accolade.

Could you say a few words about how music relates to mental health from your perspective?

I feel that music can be so important in maintaining positive mental health. For me it’s 2 fold. The actual process of creating music/art is a fantastic means of expression and a wonderful outlet by which to allow your deepest feelings flow out into the world which can be an extremely cathartic process. I also believe that the act of playing music itself is a very meditative one. When I’m sat at the piano, my mind is still. This is something which many people struggle with all of the time (myself included). Incessant thinking and overcomplicating, often resulting in anxiety and stress. When playing the piano, I am present and my mind at ease.

What do you feel you can offer to a participant? What are your areas of special interest?!

Technical knowledge on aspects of keyboard playing, from harmony to programming. Specialist advice on production/mixing records, and general experience of the music industry, both live and recording industry.

Why is being part of Seed Sessions important to you?

Toby Seed was a dear friend of mine, a fellow musician and music was so important to him. The fantastic work carried out by this charity, can, and does make an enormous contribution to the participants with whom it’s involved, and it’s a privilege for me to be able to help out in any way that I can to try and have a positive impact on those who may be enduring challenging times.