Songwriting credit sits at the heart of You Wrote Hallelujah, the latest single from Austrian-born, Scotland-based singer Ferdinand Rennie. Written by Michael Andrew Storm and Meg McAndrew, then produced by Alan Vukelic alongside Rennie, the pop ballad considers the personal experiences that can give a song lasting emotional power.

The subject carries particular weight within Rennie’s own career. Across three decades, he has recorded original material, interpreted established songs and performed leading roles in productions including Les Misérables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors. His work has taken him onto Austrian and German television, on tour with Vicky Leandros and to Monte Carlo, where he performed during a couture fashion show attended by Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene. International radio airplay has also brought personal messages from listeners who chose his recordings for weddings, funerals and other significant moments.

Now based in Dunoon and releasing music through Fabscots Music, Rennie continues to explore the relationship between performance, authorship and emotional honesty. In this interview, he discusses the writers behind You Wrote Hallelujah, the instinct that guides his release choices, the privacy involved in personal songwriting and the collaborative work behind a finished recording. He also reflects on musical theatre, performing in Monte Carlo, the changing character of his voice and the point when his understanding of being an artist expanded beyond the stage.

Ferdinand, thank you for joining us. The title “You Wrote Hallelujah” addresses a songwriter directly, while the lyric moves from Leonard Cohen’s complicated relationship with faith to John Newton’s history of remorse and redemption, then opens outward toward everyone who turns experience into music. When you sing the word “you,” who stands before you in your imagination at the beginning of the song, and does that presence change by the final refrain?

When I start to sing the words I am directly referring to the Leonard Cohen then John Newton, but towards the end of the song I am addressing everyone as I feel the song has an important message for us all.

“You Wrote Hallelujah” arrives after a career spanning three decades, during which you have moved between original music and interpretations of established songs. What made gratitude toward other writers the subject you wanted to place at the centre of a 2026 release, and can you trace that decision to a particular conversation, performance or period in your life?

I have had the great luck to have had so many great opportunities to collaborate with many talented writers over the years. I came to realise that most songwriters are often overlooked by the majority of listeners and thought it would be a good subject to discuss in music.as a songwriter you pour so much of your soul into each song which sometimes can be challenging and emotional.

Michael Andrew Storm and Meg McAndrew’s lyric treats faith, love, grief and remorse as experiences that can become comfort for strangers once they enter a song. Across your own catalogue, where do you place the boundary between emotional honesty and personal privacy, and has that boundary shifted as your audience has grown across Europe and beyond?

I believe that as a singer/songwriter you often open up completely in your songs, even although this sometimes can be very painful but over the years as social media has made it so much easier to communicate with my audience I have realised that my listeners love my honesty and if my music touches them and can help them through tough times in their lives then it is all worth it.

Songs often become associated with the voice that records them, even when other people wrote every word. With “You Wrote Hallelujah” explicitly honouring songwriters, how did you want Michael Andrew Storm and Meg McAndrew to remain visible in the way the single was presented, and did that affect decisions around the credits, artwork or promotion?

Working on a song for me is very collaborative and each person brings a new viewpoint or inspiration so it is very important for me to acknowledge the collaboration in the credits. My job in the end is to bring everything to life and get as much emotion as possible into my performance.

By June 2026, an extensive catalogue of originals and interpretations gave you several possible directions for the next release, while this reflective ballad placed the craft of songwriting itself at the centre. Was another track under serious consideration for the same release window, and what specific quality tipped the choice toward “You Wrote Hallelujah”?

I tend to always have 2-3 new songs as possible new releases at once and sometimes choosing the next release can cause much reflection but I always follow my gut feeling and go with which song touches me the most.

Performing for Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco placed you in a setting shaped by ceremony as well as music. Take us through the minutes before you walked onstage: which detail of the room or occasion affected your preparation most, and how did your reading of the audience change once the first song began?

My husband Brian is a successful, international fashion designer and he asked me to perform live during his couture fashion show in Monte Carlo. Being surrounded by gorgeous models in stunning hand beaded dresses was an amazing experience.

As I already knew several of the models and rehearsed beforehand with a choreographer I also knew meant that when it came to showtime I was already very comfortable.

When the lights came on and I looked out to this amazing audience with Prince Albert and Princess Charlene as well as many celebrities that I had also met through my husband, then I did actually get goosebumps with excitement.

Les Misérables, Jesus Christ Superstar, Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors ask performers to move among tragedy, spiritual conflict, romance and black comedy. Which role forced you to reconsider how much of a character’s inner life an audience needs to see, and can you recall a performance when the crowd’s reaction led you to play a scene differently the following night?

Working in different musicals was so much fun – each character I played was so different to the others so it was an exciting challenge.The fabulous thing is you get immediate feedback from the audience- to have them clap loudly after a performance was always a push to try and do even better the next night.

International radio airplay has carried your recordings across borders and helped build a worldwide audience alongside your stage work. What is the most unexpected message or invitation that came back through one of those broadcasts, and what did it reveal about the distance between the audience you pictured and the audience that had actually found you?

It gives me such a buzz to hear from my audience especially when they are so far away. I have had people who opened up fan clubs for me -even in Australia. People have written to me saying my songs were played at a relatives funeral and that the songs meant so much to them. People have played my songs as their first dance at their wedding. Being part of these very important milestones in people’s lives is so rewarding.

Three decades of theatre, television, touring and studio work have left you with recordings of your voice at many different ages. When you return to one of the earliest today, which quality in your present voice has deepened most clearly, and which change took the longest to understand as a creative advantage?

My voice has become richer over the years and definitely more soulful. I still have a very wide vocal range which is a gift that I am so grateful for. A part that I am continuing to develop and experiment with is the softer side of my voice. I know I have a powerful voice and learning to control that power and hold back is an interesting challenge for me now.

Across musical-theatre roles, interpretations of classics and original releases, you have worked inside other people’s creative worlds as well as under your own name. When did “artist” begin to mean something different from “performer” for you, and which concrete career decision followed from that distinction?

In musicals you were part of a very large team and had to support and be supported by others performances. As a solo artist its all about me and me alone on stage.When I started writing my own songs again after a long break and collaborating with other songwriters this encouraged me to explore more and become more open to new things.

This article was made possible through our editorial partnership program. All information provided is prepared in accordance with editorial standards and is intended to offer useful insights for readers. Please note that the opinions, interpretations, and evaluations expressed by the author may substantially differ from the viewpoints of our readers or the general public at large, and we respect the diversity of opinions.