Take That’s Gary Barlow on the importance of artist identity

Gary Barlow of Take That has opened up on the importance of artist identity.

The singer of the 90s pop group – who have landed 28 Top 40 songs in the UK Singles Chart, including 12 Number Ones – has previously released music as a solo artist. Barlow has shared that creating your own music is an integral part to forming your own voice as an artist.

In an interview with Sky Italia (Per Music News), Barlow said: “Identity is everything for an artist and I feel like when you’re a songwriter you give everything its identity, because you are coming up with the music. It must be hard if you’re not coming up with the music to find an identity. I think that is really challenging, but we are lucky, because we write our own songs.”

He continued: “So we create what is in here [our hearts] not waiting for someone to do it for us, we do it ourselves.”

His Take That bandmate, Mark Owen, agreed and attributed the idea of the band making music they would want to hear as the reason for their success and multiple hits.

“We are blessed. I think that is because we make the songs. It’s maybe [because] we like our own songs, we are fans of the songs that we make, so that works well,” said Owen.

In other Take That news, the group – consisting of Barlow, Owen and Howard Donald – recently teased a potential Las Vegas residency, saying a run of shows in Vegas is on their bucket list.

During a Q&A as part of their Take That: This Life live podcast, the group were asked if there was anything left on their professional bucket list that they still want to do. Barlow quickly answered with “Las Vegas”.

Donald added that it “looks promising” while the rest of the band joked whether the Vegas shows would be “sitting or standing” and “inside or outside”. Barlow added: “It’ll be August, so it’ll be 160 degrees.”

Back in September, Take That shared their first new single in five years, ‘Windows’, and announced details of their ninth album along with a huge UK and Ireland tour.

“New music, it is exciting,” Barlow said. “We’ve been together for 33 years now so it’s like, ‘What’s next? How do we sound in 2023?’ That’s the exciting bit.”

The trio are due to hit the road next spring for a run of stadium and arena shows in support of their ninth studio album ‘This Life’. They will be joined by “very special guest” support act Olly Murs. Visit here to purchase tickets.