Thomas Dolby – HuffPost 10.28.11

Mike Ragogna: So, let me ask you about new artists. Is there any advice you would give to them?

Thomas Dolby: It’s to follow your heart. Every artist when they’re 17 believes that the public’s going to hear their music and fall in love with them and they’ll be a superstar. When I was 17, I was actually wrong. (laughs) That’s not the way things work. First, the music industry had to approve my music before the public ever got to hear it. But these days, it’s actually true. You could become an overnight star whether it’s by X Factor or via putting a Facebook clip of yourself singing in your pajamas in your bedroom up on YouTube as Jessie J did, and waking up a month later to find yourself a global superstar. So, the barrier to entry is down and it’s easier than it’s ever been before. If the cream rises to the surface, and you’ve got talent, then you will indeed be a star.