Ross Merrin

After decades immersed in the music industry as a performer, educator, and creative mentor, I’ve experienced the many highs and lows that come with pursuing dreams in a world where artistry and business often clash. Working with extraordinary talents, from budding musicians to chart-topping artists, has given me a front-row seat to the challenges of creative expression, the struggle for authenticity, and the relentless pressures of fame and live performance. Added to this, with the world evolving and social media shaping new storms of misinformation and shifting beliefs, the dissolution of long-held certainties inspired my novel, How Beats the Original Heart.

This odyssey unfolds across the landscape of a post-religious world, following a singer in a band striving to define and stay true to his principles, both artistic and spiritual, while grappling with the compromises demanded by success and life itself. Writing became my way to explore humanity — the heartbeats that drive us, the sacrifices we make, the difficulty of choices and the resilience required to persevere when the odds feel insurmountable.

As a professional musician based in North London, I work with students of the guitar and bass guitar, as well as songwriters, performers, and lyricists. I share my experience to help them navigate stagecraft, overcome creative blocks, refine their compositions, master recording techniques, and tackle stage fright. Over the years, two of my students have gone on to the Royal Academy of Music, one to The Royal Northern College of Music, two to The Brit School, and one to BIMM Music Institute, while two others have achieved UK number-one albums.

I’ve been doing this professionally for 25 years, though I’ve been playing for over 40, performing as far afield as France and Asia. Nowadays, I primarily record my own compositions in my home studio, releasing them through my creative development company, Deaf Fret. This company supports creative talent, organises regular live music events, and manages and records the brilliant singer-songwriter Terence Charles. Deaf Fret has also expanded into film production, recently branching in to Executive Producing short films.

With years of supporting creatives, I’ve always believed in storytelling as a vital tool for connection and understanding. Through fiction, I aim to share a new kind of narrative—one that hopefully resonates as deeply as the music that has shaped so many lives.