COMPLETELY self-taught and using his music to transport his listeners into a place of youthful nostalgia, a former St Columba's High pupil wants everyone to know that if you want something, and you work hard enough, you can achieve it. 

Angus Brown grew up in Dunfermline, and like many in the city before him, he's chasing his dreams and building himself a career in the music industry. 

The 23-year-old told the Press: "I always liked music and I always wanted to find a way into it but I found it super hard to stick in and learn an instrument.

"I didn’t know how I'd fit into it, I never felt like I fitted in a regular way. My friend one day showed me this software and he was like ‘This is where loads of beats are made for like, rap songs’. 

"I just kind of got obsessed and got into the whole culture of how people make songs and I thought it was so sick. The fact you can do it yourself, DIY.  

"The performance aspect and just creating stuff, it was just my outlet, there’s nothing magical but I was just mad into it."

He's gone from learning how to produce his own music to reaping the rewards, releasing multiple EPs and playing shows in London and Glasgow. 

He credits his long-time friend, Alistair Moriarty, for giving him the push he needed and since then he's been taking it slow and following his passion. 

Angus continued: "Over the years, I bought one thing at a time. For Christmas gifts, I'd get things, so it’s gone from using free trials of things to getting a wee keyboard that I connect in and hand-me-down guitars.  

"I couldn't even sing, so for years I was just trying to produce for people but I couldn't really get anyone to perform or use the beats I was doing.

"I was like, you know what, some people I'm inspired by had the same situation and they just started singing on their own and making their own songs.

"I love singing, I’ve always been mad into Frank Ocean and Frank Sinatra, all these guys with amazing voices and I thought, 'Let's just give it a go.'  

"I literally started out of necessity. Everything has been learned on the job, one at a time, slowly - and being aware of how s**t stuff was as well, making stuff that was a** and being like, this is a** and being realistic.

"Eventually after making stuff every day for years, I picked up a thing or two."

It's been years of hard work, but the sense of accomplishment and knowing that from start to finish, the work is entirely his has kept him motivated. 

"One day," he said, "I'll get better and get into a studio or something, but I like earning it.  

"I feel like what I want to get out of this doesn't come without putting in the graft. Earning it is such a good thing.  

"It's almost like an outlet as well. I love just being in there by myself just creating ideas. The process fuels me and I like doing it. It’s something that has become such a large part of my life."

And when he's working on a project, it's all-consuming. It's clear how much the music means to him and he's always grafting to make sure he can share it. 

"If I'm going somewhere, I'm walking and I'm listening to it and making notes. I have a whiteboard that just stays filled with stuff. I just love creating stuff, it’s what I live for."

Angus performs and releases his music under the stage name boy*, which is a nod to the feeling he wants to create with his music. 

"I was always looking back at being younger in a fond way," he said. "It was this blissful ignorance where everything is class.

"I’m trying to create a vibe where you sort of live in the past a little bit, in a positive way."

He's done shows in Glasgow and London and said: "Performing live, it feels so good. Being with people, singing my stuff and hearing it sung back - it's just so cool.  

"My first show was nerve-wracking, it was stressful, I had to go down to London and everything was new to me. I didn't know what to expect so it was kind of like going into the deep end and seeing if I could swim.  

"In Glasgow, it was home turf, and friends were showing up, I had done it before so I knew what to expect and I was the headline so that was recognition enough. I was booked by someone from BBC Radio so it felt like a key moment, a milestone.  

"When you think about the crowd just being people, just like you or me, wanting a good show, wanting a good night and have a drink with their mates, it's just so easy to have that relationship with them on stage. There’s nothing like it."

Angus' latest EP, 'Yoel Season', was released this summer but he isn't planning on slowing down any time soon. 

"It’s escapism," he continued, "I’ve got so many ideas, so many emotions to get out, so many new things to write about.

"There’s lots of change in my life and that's going to come through. It’s moments like these where it feels good to have an outlet so I'm going to try and direct it into making new things."

In the meantime, Angus wants everyone to know that no matter where they come from, no matter their background, they can achieve everything they set out to. 

He added: "I had mates growing up that were in bands and I was always really impressed, I thought it was beautiful what they were doing. I find it awesome that they have their way of doing it.

"Because I’m going about it a different way it's shown me that I need to find my own way of fitting into the scene.  

"It's cool because it guided me and showed me that people can do this stuff, if you commit to it, and make really nice stuff. And they can be from the same place as I am.  

"If you want something hard enough you can do it."