Songs Of Love, Loss And Starting Again
Forbes Massie shares music shaped by fatherhood, grief, and unexpected turns of life.
We love it when creative people share their own story with us, and Forbes Massie recently got in touch to do exactly that. He’s an Aberdeen-born singer-songwriter whose debut album grew out of a life-changing year marked by becoming a father and losing his grandfather. His music carries both of those experiences at its core.
His debut album, The Space Between, grew out of a personal turning point. In 2016, his grandfather passed away, the man who first introduced him to music. That same year, Forbes became a father. “It was the year that changed my life,” he says. The album’s title reflects that pull between past and future, between grief and growth.
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How music found its way back
Forbes’s musical path wasn’t straightforward. He picked up drums at 12 and gradually taught himself other instruments, following his curiosity. Born in Aberdeen, he went on to build a career in architectural visualisation, founding STUDIOFORBESMASSIE in 2009 and growing it into a 15-person team.
The turning point came years later, after relocating to Copenhagen with his then-wife and daughter. Following his grandfather’s death, he bought a keyboard, and that spark set the songs in motion, improvised between chords and memory. “The memory of it will never leave me,” Forbes recalls.
Writing from experience
What followed was unplanned. Most songs arrived at the piano or guitar without notes or drafts. That looseness shaped The Space Between. The 16 tracks feel closer to diary entries.
Much of the album explores his life as a single dad. His young daughters, Blossom Rose and Billie Lou, are central to it. He’s open about the strain of parenting after separation, about the blur of the past and the uncertainty of what comes next.
“Some of the words are heavy,” Forbes admits, “but they are juxtaposed by melody and groove.” That balance keeps the songs from sinking under their own weight and gives them shape.
Playing without armour
Forbes’s live shows are stripped back: just him and the instrument. It’s a vulnerable way to perform, but it’s how he feels most connected. “I thrive on the fact that I put myself in an emotionally unfavourable position when playing live,” he says. “Sometimes I cry. Sometimes others do.”
Earlier this year, he recorded an acoustic version of the album at London’s RAK Studios. The eight-song set grew from fan feedback. People wanted to hear the songs without studio production, closer to how they were first written.
Between here and somewhere else
Forbes isn’t signed. He’s living in Denmark, raising his children, and finding audiences where he can. The industry may prefer neater stories, but Forbes is content with honesty.
“I don’t know where I’m going,” he says in the film, “just floating in the space between.” The songs don’t resolve every question, but they offer a chance to pause and feel something true.
The Space Between and The Space Between (Live at RAK Studios London) are available to stream right now. You can follow his latest updates on Instagram.
