An East Renfrewshire teenager is aiming for global fame after landing a record deal with his bandmate and earning the backing of two of the most influential names in the music industry.
Archie Paterson, 18, decided to form a duo, now called The Problematix, with his friend Harry Donaldson, 16, in January after the pair instantly clicked during their time with a previous band.
A whirlwind few months followed as the pair’s pop covers and dance moves became an instant hit on social media platforms TikTok and Instagram and soon caught the attention of label True Pop.
In April, they were flown to Sweden to meet Grammy Award-nominated songwriter Jörgen Elofsson and manager Tim Byrne, who is credited with playing a key role in the launch of best-selling boyband One Direction.
Once in Scandinavia, they signed their record deal under the watchful eyes of Jörgen and Tim but admit the speed of their success is taking time to sink in.
Archie, of Newton Mearns, said: “It’s mind-blowing that two wee guys from Scotland are doing this. We can’t get our heads around it.
"In March we got contacted to saying they wanted a Facetime call with us and to discuss things and then the next thing we knew we were out in Sweden signing a record deal.
“When we went to Sweden, it was the first time we had seen Jörgen and Tim in person, so it was a bit nerve-wracking for us, but we got along really well from the get go, which was really good.
“It’s quite strange seeing people in Glasgow city centre going ‘that’s the guy who’s in a duo.’
“I do get noticed a wee bit and Harry does as well up in Fife, where he’s from. It’s pretty crazy.”
The duo have been working on their first album with Jörgen, who has penned hits for big stars such as Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson.
Recording the album is a work in progress, with a release date yet to be confirmed, but they promise it will have tunes to “get hips moving.”
“Don’t get us wrong, we are nowhere near Paolo Nutini or Lewis Capaldi but we’ve got that dream to be just as big as them one day,” said former St Ninian’s High School pupil Archie.
“We hope to go global, worldwide, space if we could.”
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