Where did your love of music come from?
I’ve always had a love for music from a young age, both my parents would blast such a variety of genres in the car, I was exposed to artists like Kate Bush, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin and The Corrs. I think as I grew older and left home that was when I really discovered my love, I became obsessed with finding artists new and old and from every era and genre. I have such a broad taste now that I can honestly say I appreciate all music.
How would you describe your music for someone who may not have heard you before?
So I like to describe it as pop music with elements of electronic and folk. I sing songs with messages of positivity and empowerment and my voice is a weird sounding mix of Jessie J, early Adele and P!nk.
Do you have a usual songwriting process? If so, what is it?
To be honest I don’t. I always envy those that have such a concise way of writing. Usually songs come to me in the middle of the night, I sleepily unlock my phone and open the notes section to write whatever’s coming to me. These are my favourite because it’s almost like I’m not the one writing them, it all happens all at once and the song’s usually written itself. Other times being triggered by a situation is where a song is born, when my emotions need to be put into words. Of course I still sit down to write and sometimes something comes out of it, but it’s usually more forced and thought out rather than being something that happens naturally and easily.
Where has been the best place that you have played and what made this experience so special?
It’d have to be my first ever gig, it was at The Worlds End pub in London, I honestly had absolutely no idea what I was doing and was so nervous, I’d just bought my harmony pedal and was trying it out for the first time. It was special because all of my friends and family were there, they cheered me on like nobody else mattered and the support was incredible. It gave me the momentum to keep going and keep gigging regardless of equipment and experience.
Which song of yours is your favourite to perform live and why?
Millennium Dream. Always. For some reason this simple song will always have my heart, and I know for most people it’s their favourite too. It was written out of such emotion that I think so many people can relate. I’m waiting for the right time to release it properly because it’s my ‘baby’ as it were and I know it needs to be done with the love and attention it deserves.
Does your latest single ‘Energy’ have a story? What was the inspiration behind it?
It does in a way. Not necessarily one incident but more a whole load of them. As a human I feel like I ride the rollercoaster of emotions on a daily basis, one minute I feel like I’m up and getting somewhere and making headway, the next I’d rather stay in bed and feel like everything’s falling apart around me. My brain and thoughts play such a massive part in all of this, and the way we as humans speak to ourselves can do so much good, or so much damage. So really the song is about me moving through this, letting go of all of that negative energy holding me back and moving forward, not allowing the saboteur that lives in all of us to rule our life and get in the way of the life we want to lead.
Who are some of your favourite bands and artists in the London music scene?
So I met a friend of a friend at a Matt Corby gig and got chatting with her and it turned out she was also a singer. I started following her on IG and have become obsessed with her voice. Her IG handle is @officialrothwell, and honestly her voice and vibe is amazing. She’s smashing it. I’m also loving artists like Emily Burns, Nina Nesbitt, Sinéad Harnett, and Ella Eyre at the moment, and just to throw in an ‘outside UK’ curveball – Victoria Canal, her song ’Drama’ is just beautiful.
Do you have any plans to play anywhere else in the UK outside of London?
Currently I don’t, but once this lockdown is over and it’s safe to do so I’d definitely be up for seeing what I can do in terms of outside London gigs.
What advice would you give young women looking to get into music and performing?
Go. Get. It!!! 100%. Do it. All I can say is have fun and explore what you love making and what you love singing about. My sound and style has developed so much and I’ve only really been doing this for a few years, I’m excited for what will change and keep developing in the future. There needs to be more women bossing this industry so I can only encourage and say go for it. Don’t listen to anyone telling you that you can’t or ‘music isn’t a real job’ or even your own voices saying you’re not good enough, you are. So if you love it, do it.
What are your plans for future releases?
I’m currently raising money to get myself the equipment I need to be able to release my next few singles from home. With everything that’s happened with Covid-19 I think it’s become essential that us artists need to be able to be as independent as possible, ‘Energy’ was done with so much help from friends with access to studios, but because that’s unavailable now I’m doing everything I can to make it happen from home. I have so many songs written and ready and I’m in the production stage of one that I want to release next that I’m super excited about! I also have a few collaborations that I’m working on which will be released in the next few months. All very exciting and I’m just getting started really!
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