Exclusive Interview With Lead Singer of UK Rock Band D5 Aaron Cain

An exclusive interview with Aaron Cain, lead vocalist of D5

Interviewer: Oliver Hayes

Oliver Hayes: Let's start right at the beginning. For anyone who might not know the story, how did D5 actually come together?

Aaron Cain: It's quite a funny story, really. D5 started with me and Ryan. We'd known each other for years, grew up together, and music was always something we bonded over. We were both obsessed with rock music and wanted to do something of our own. We didn't really have a plan. We just wanted to start a band, play some gigs and see where it went.

Tyler, Jake and Mason came into the picture, and suddenly we had something that actually sounded like a band. We were all young, probably a bit stupid, but we had a lot of ambition.

Oliver Hayes: So Ryan was there from the very beginning?

Aaron Cain: Yeah. Ryan was one of the original creators of D5. It was me and him who started the whole thing. We grew up together, so he wasn't just some bloke I'd met at a rehearsal. He was one of my closest mates.

I don't think people realise how much history there was between us.

Oliver Hayes: Ryan eventually left the group. What happened there?

Aaron Cain: Look, I don't want to sit here and completely slag the bloke off. We had some brilliant memories together, and I'll never pretend otherwise.

But I think Ryan started believing he was bigger than the band. He wanted to pursue his own dreams, which is fair enough, but I think he began seeing D5 as something holding him back rather than something we'd built together.

Eventually, he decided to leave. It wasn't easy. We were losing someone who'd been there since day one. But at the same time, the rest of us still wanted to carry on.

I wish him well, genuinely. I just think we wanted different things.

Oliver Hayes: Was there ever a moment when you thought D5 might actually be finished?

Aaron Cain: Absolutely. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't. When someone leaves, especially someone who helped create the band, you start questioning everything.

You wonder whether the chemistry will still be there, whether people will accept the changes, whether you're doing the right thing.

But we had three other lads who still believed in it. We weren't prepared to throw everything away.

Oliver Hayes: And then Emma Johnston joined the band. How did that happen?

Aaron Cain: Emma came into our lives at a really interesting time. She's Australian, and she brought something completely different to the group. She's got an incredible voice, she's musically brilliant, and she's got a personality that fits with us.

She wasn't brought in to replace Ryan as a person. Nobody could do that. She came in to become part of D5 in her own right.

And, obviously, somewhere along the way, I fell completely in love with her.

Oliver Hayes: She's now your fiancée, of course. Did you ever imagine that when she first joined?

Aaron Cain: Not a chance! (laughs)

I mean, I thought she was beautiful, obviously, but I wasn't sitting there thinking, "There's my future wife."

We became close naturally. We spent so much time together, touring, recording, travelling, doing all the ridiculous things bands do. Eventually, it just happened.

She's my best mate. I get to make music with her and then go home with her. I'm a very lucky bloke.

Oliver Hayes: Let's talk about where you all came from. D5 has always had quite a British identity. Where did everyone originally come from?

Aaron Cain: Manchester is home for me. That's where I'm from, that's where a lot of my story started, and it's always going to be special.

Ryan was originally from Manchester too, so that's where the original idea for the band really came together.

Tyler's from down south, around the London area, and Jake and Mason are both from Birmingham.

So we've always had different backgrounds, different personalities and different influences. I think that's part of what makes D5 sound like D5.

We're a British rock band, and we're proud of that.

Oliver Hayes: What were those early Manchester days actually like?

Aaron Cain: Rough. Really rough. (laughs)

We weren't exactly living the rock-star lifestyle. We had cheap equipment, rehearsals wherever we could get them, little gigs, and absolutely no idea how we were going to pay for half the things we needed.

There were nights when we'd finish playing and have to work out how we were getting home.

But those are the memories I genuinely love. There was something exciting about having absolutely nothing and still believing you could build something.

Oliver Hayes: You mentioned management earlier. I've heard the early management situation wasn't particularly good.

Aaron Cain: Oh, it wasn't. Not at all.

We had some pretty horrible management experiences. I won't go into every detail, but there were times when we felt like we were being treated as a product rather than five people who actually loved making music.

We weren't always listened to. Decisions were made for us, and sometimes it felt like the people managing us cared more about what they could get out of the band than what was best for us.

Thankfully, things are very different now.

Oliver Hayes: You're referring to Dexter, of course? Dexter "Dex" Miller?

Aaron Cain: Absolutely. Dex has been brilliant.

He's super supportive, super nice, and genuinely cares about us as people. He's not just interested in numbers or how much money something can make.

He actually listens. If you've got an idea, he'll hear you out. If something's bothering you, he'll sit down and talk about it.

Honestly, if you ever get the chance to interview him, do it. He's such a nice gentleman to be around.

We're genuinely grateful to have him managing us.

Oliver Hayes: Did you ever expect D5 to become this successful?

Aaron Cain: Not really. I just... we just tried so hard to become one of the best.

Actually, I don't think we really care about being the best anymore. We care more about making music, playing for our fans and making memories.

We don't care about making loads and loads of money or becoming the biggest band on the planet.

And I know this might sound a bit strange, but I think becoming the biggest can sometimes be a bit shit. If that's okay to say! (laughs)

I just don't think being the biggest music artist in the world automatically means you've made the best music or had the best career.

I'd rather play a gig where everyone in that room knows every word than spend my life chasing some ridiculous number.

We want to enjoy what we're doing. That's the whole point.

Oliver Hayes: Is there pressure now that people expect so much from D5?

Aaron Cain: Definitely. You'd be stupid to say there isn't.

Every time we release something, people have expectations. They want something bigger, heavier, better, different.

But we can't spend our entire lives trying to guess what everyone wants. Sometimes we just want to go into a studio, make something we love and put it out.

If people love it, amazing. If someone doesn't, that's fine too. You can't please everybody.

Oliver Hayes: Your recent music has explored some very different themes. You've gone from emotional songs to something like RAGNARÖK. Is that intentional?

Aaron Cain: Yeah, absolutely. I don't want D5 to become a band that only makes one type of music.

We love heavy rock, we love metal, but we also love emotional songs. Sometimes you want to write something that makes people want to jump around, and sometimes you want something that makes someone sit in their bedroom and think about their life.

With RAGNARÖK, we wanted something massive. Something cinematic. Something that sounded like the end of the world.

We don't want to put ourselves in a box.

Oliver Hayes: What's been your proudest moment as a band so far?

Aaron Cain: That's difficult. There are so many.

I think seeing how far we've come is probably the biggest thing. Thinking about those early rehearsals in Manchester, then looking at where we are now.

And honestly, seeing people singing our songs back to us. You can have all the success in the world, but when someone tells you that one of your songs helped them through something difficult, that stays with you.

That's why we do it.

Oliver Hayes: And finally, where do you see D5 in another five or ten years?

Aaron Cain: Hopefully still together, still making music, still annoying each other.

I want us to look back and think we've had a brilliant time. I want to have albums we're proud of, tours we'll never forget and memories with the people who've supported us.

I don't know what the future looks like. None of us do.

But as long as we're enjoying it, as long as we're making music we believe in, I'm happy.

Oliver Hayes: Aaron Cain, lead vocalist of D5. Thank you for your time.

Aaron Cain: Thank you, mate. It's been lovely.

D5 — FIVE MEMBERS. ONE BAND. ONE HELL OF A JOURNEY.