Howard Keith Debono barely remembers a life before he discovered music. Looking back, he says that his earliest memories of music take him to when he was just seven years old, when he became curious about how sound was created and records were made. “We had a number of instruments at home,” he recalls. “ An organ, a red guitar, a harmonica and a red flute; they all sounded horrible because they were just toys, but the fact I could create sound from them had me absolutely hooked. “My parents were quite into music too. My mother would play a few songs on the piano, and my father was into his sound system and collecting records. It’s not what I would call a musical family as such, but music was always welcome and alive.”

As he grew up, Howard says music became the best way for him to express himself when he wanted to be different from everyone else. He would spend hours in his bedroom, locked away, with his mind wandering to the music he would create.
Once he had developed some skills for music making, he wanted to get his hands on as much equipment as possible. “My first synth was actually smuggled in a carpet from Saudi Arabia,” he grins. “Those were the dark days of importation!”

By age 12, he had everything he needed to create and record music, at which point he formed a band with some friends. “We sounded awful but I was addicted!” he says, adding that he realised he wanted to dedicate his life to music just a few years later, aged 17. “I watched my dad take his last breath in hospital and knew I didn’t want to be on my own death bed not having done what I wanted to in life. So, music became my everything.”

Like most people, Howard says he got started in the sector by having s ridiculous passion to get better at his craft. He practised endlessly, and was driven towards an end goal he couldn’t see but was determined to reach. “There were days I hated music,” he admits. “It was like a drug I couldn’t get rid of. But I was lucky enough to perform abroad and to realise that we were susceptible to many habits locally.”

So his 20s were dedicated to breaking that mind-set – at which point he took the brave decision to leave his architectural studies behind and pursue music full-time. He was on a mission to change the way the island saw music, to adopt a professional approach, and to sow the seed for an industry to develop. “I have always hated anyone who told me something was impossible,” he says. “I have had my fair share of disappointments, of course, but that gave me a tough skin. I have seen the industry at its best and its worst, and I have learnt to recover and readapt.”

As a result, Howard has many highlights to look back on. He cites one of his best decisions ever as co-founding a production company in 2003 that also develops and manages artists, including local stars such as Ira Losco.

"That gave me the perspective I needed to look at a record and an artist through an industry perspective,” he continues. “I knew the sector through the eye of an artist by then, both locally and internationally. So, it was a natural progression for me to take things to another level, whether as an artist, performer, producer, a manger, organiser and, most recently, as a judge on X Factor Malta. I do think I will write a book about it one day – especially with regards to all the experiences I have had wit Ira, and the other acts I have worked with. But not just yet – I’m not quite ready to spill the beans,” he quips.

Today, Howard’s work life is divided into two parts – the creative side, and the managerial one. “Sometimes they intertwine, like when we are organising Earth Garden,” he explains. “On other occasions they are totally separate.

“I am always searching for broad strokes, simple concepts – and many times that is followed by a rush of other ideas.” He admits that once he is convinced about something, there is no turning back. “Thankfully I have learnt to delegate more over the years and not to micromanage. I regard trust as one of the mot important things in the world, and reward that. I don’t hold back, and I expect nothing less in return.”

X Factor, of course, has dominated his recent months. He now looks back on the experience with a smile but highlights the immense hard work that went into it. “I didn’t plan to be an X Factor judge,” he says. “I wasn’t actually sure abut the idea at first. It was an honour, of course, but I had gotten used to being the guy behind the scenes. Thankfully it came naturally to me and we had a fantastic team. The comments didn’t bother me at all because I am used to being the one that gets the heat on behalf of artists. The hardest part was not having enough time to develop the acts to the standard I would have personally wanted to; you really have no time to think things through.”

Asked about his life outside of work, Howard is quick to explain that his routine isn’t exactly nine-to-five. “Off days are never really off days, but I do try to avoid working on Sundays. My wife and children are very supportive and understanding, and are actually involved most of the time. Music is now 24/7 in all our lives but that’s just what we are used to. I do very much look forward to time when we can travel together, as we really connect and are all on the same page. The only downside is that we miss our pets – our two adorable beagles and cat. They are part of the family.”

But, Howard says, there’s very little rest time planned – and he has already jumped back into a number of projects, even though X Factor has only just been completed. “I recently met one of the tightest deadlines I have ever had – delivering an album during X Factor period. It was nuts! But I am so glad we did it and everyone is happy. The artist has just released his album and is touring in the USA and Australia.

“I actually feel very lucky to be inundated with requests; I refuse a lot of work, mostly because I don’t want to find myself in a situation where my gut is not on board. My focus is now to keep going and building, whether this is with our production label Jagged House Studios, with our work with Ira and other artists, such as Michela and other X Factor finalists, on Earth Garden, and with everything else. I think seven-year-old me would be very pleased.”

This interview originally featured in today’s edition of Style on Sunday magazine, out with The Sunday Times.

Photography by Matthew B Spiteri; Styling by Sarah Micallef; Clothes by Bortex; Watches and Accessories by Sunlab; Shot on location at Hugo’s Hotel, Paceville