A FIREFIGHTER who released his first solo single on Amazon has reached number two in a matter of days.

Graeme Thom, from Bowling, decided to write his own songs during lockdown as a way of expressing his emotions.

He told the Reporter: “I have been writing songs for a few years now and I also play in a band.

“We couldn’t get together for different reasons, so I had a lot of time on my hands and decided to fill it by writing my own pieces to stimulate my mind.

“Most songs I write are finished in a few days, but over a period of a few weeks I like to go back and edit it to evolve the song to create the final piece.

“It was my first solo single so I really didn’t have any expectations.

"It was such a surprise.

“Thankfully a lot of people supported me which pushed the charts.

"It started at number seven and reached number two the next morning.

“Ed Sheeran was at the top and I don’t think I was ever going to push him off that spot.”

Graeme’s single, Gods of War, which also placed number 25 on the iTunes rock chart, reflects on the mental health issues many people are experiencing, especially as a result of Covid.

He added: “The song is a metaphor for the mental struggles people have to go through.

“It highlights the toxic things they may have in their life whether it is people, substances or situations and how they can resist that.

“Gods of War resembles having a good guy and bad guy on your shoulder and trying to listen to them both. For some it is a constant battle and there are days where you can struggle.

“I can’t thank my musician Derek Phillips and amazing producer John Carson enough.”

Graeme is now heading back to the recording studio to create more tracks to show off to his local fans.

He added: “I am currently writing more songs which is so exciting as I hope to release it at the end of the year.

“The next song, The Shore, focuses on reminiscing over my childhood and hanging out with my friends down at the Old Kilpatrick shoreline, at the beach.

“My influence growing up was my older cousin Alshy,who for as long as I can remember had always played in punk bands. His band Distorted Truth were well loved when I was growing up.

“I’m hoping to shoot a music video there with an amazing videographer John Stewart, which I am looking forward to.”