Air Specialist Class 1 Martin Goffin, a photographer at Royal Air Force Coningsby in Lincolnshire, has released his debut single on Apple Music and Spotify.
Released under the name ‘Only Martin’ the new single is called ‘6am’ and is inspired by Martin’s memories of getting up early in the morning for a job he didn’t enjoy. He said: “Everyone knows how it feels to get up early and work a horrible job, when all you want to do is switch that alarm off and go back to sleep.”
AS1 Goffin, a RAF Photographer, or Visual Communicator, joined the Royal Air Force in 2023 when he transferred over from the Army. RAF Photographers play a varied range of roles, capturing everything from aerial reconnaissance images to public relations portraits.
The serious interest in music started in his twenties with urban, hip-hop, and UK rap; but it was in the Army that ‘Only Martin’ took shape. He said “It began in Cyprus when I had singing lessons, and that laid the foundations for me. I love indie and soft rock and that was the music I wanted to make going forward.”
6am took only three days to write but was written over a year ago. Like many emerging artists, AS1 Goffin spent the best part of 12 months deciding whether he was going to release any music at all. Two more singles from his coming album will be released in due course.
Martin balances his career as an RAF Photographer with a busy home life, as a father of three children with a fourth on the way. His colleagues and chain of command have been nothing but supportive. AS1 Goffin said: “Everyone at work has been great; the guys put 6am on in the office and just listened to it.”
Corporal Shauna Martin works in RAF Coningsby’s Photographic Section. She said: “He’s a guy who can turn his hand to anything, success in the Army, now as a photographer in the RAF and to add to that we find out he’s a talented singer and songwriter! We all love it, Martin! Just remember us when you’re famous!”
Group Captain Paul O’Grady, Station Commander at RAF Coningsby said: “This is great news for AS1 Goffin, it takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there and invest so much of your own experiences in your music. Congratulations Martin, publishing anything for the first time, whether it’s a book, or a painting, or a song, takes hard work and dedication.”