By DENIELLE LEONG
alltherage@thestar.com.my

JOE Brooks knows that where there is a will, there is a way. So, for his upcoming album The Boy & The Broken Machine, Brooks decided to do it entirely on his own.

The currently unsigned singer-songwriter admits that the one-man task is a great challenge and adventure, with a fair share of bumps and hurdles.

“There are a lot of difficulties, especially financially and I’ve had to fork out my own money for it,” he reveals in an interview in Kuala Lumpur on Monday. Brooks was in KL for the second time (he was in Malaysia last year) for a showcase at The Bee in Publika, Kuala Lumpur.

Even though Brooks, who celebrated his 26th birthday last weekend, has more responsibilities and a bigger workload now, he remains optimistic about managing his own music career. “This independent project has allowed me to explore every aspect of the process (of making an album), and I get to say that I’ve done this and tried that.”

He produced his own music videos, too. Two months ago, Brooks released his ‘Til My Heart Stops Beating music video and it has since garnered over 460,000 views on YouTube.

Brooks believes that other musicians should try their hand at independent projects and says there are endless possibilities when doing it. His EP, A Reason To Swim, for instance, was funded by his fans through Pledge Music, an online platform which many independent acts utilise.

“I hope that they could adopt my mentality in doing things and to be confident enough to do it themselves,” he says.

The charming singer also opens up about his love life – he is currently dating Molly, who has two children from a previous relationship.

“I never imagined my first serious relationship to involve two children, but I am just open to anything. The kids are absolutely delightful, but they can be monsters at times,” he gushes. The children – aged four and seven – find him delightful too.

“But it’s not always just bunny rabbits and candy floss, I do try to discipline them as well.”

Although he is taking his parental responsibilities seriously, he jokes that he does not intend to have “hundreds of children” just yet as he still has loads to do, namely completing The Boy & The Broken Machine.

He says that the album is an honest reflection of his growth as a musician in the past few years. It will feature songs that talk about his struggles as a musician, some female interests (from the past, obviously) and even Malaysia’s own Port Dickson!

“The Island is actually the first track,” he reveals.

Fans got to listen to the song for the first time at his show later that evening. Besides tracks from the album, Brooks also performed old hits like Holes Inside, Hello Mr. Sun and Someday.

Fans were ecstatic to meet him, and he was just as eager to greet them. During his visit to KL last year, he stayed past midnight to ensure that everyone got his autograph.

“I believe that my fans are the nicest people. If you’re nice to me, I’ll definitely treat you well.”