When did you begin making music, and did you ever ponder a different career?
When I was in junior school I was in a choir. I was so shy – I permanently wore my green fleece zipped right up to my chin (there’s a pic of me in a newspaper somewhere!), and always sang so quietly in my falsetto you could barely hear me. I started learning the piano at 7 I think. I hated reading music so I used to learn everything by ear and memorize it, then pretend I was reading the sheet music when I was with my piano teacher. I started song-writing at 10 years old and my first song was about the plague!! I was a weird kid! I studied Art at uni, but it became obvious to me very quickly that I had to sing, and I came back every weekend to gig.
How would you describe your music?
My music is mainly influenced by Soul and Blues, and generally just good songwriting, so I guess that spans all genres. It’s a bit Amy Winehouse, a bit Corine Bailey Ray and a bit Hozier and Paolo Nutini and James Bay. Those kinda artists who all have an underlying soul/blues/jazz vibe going on.
What have you been up to so far and what can we expect over the coming months?
I released my first single back in Sept 2013, which was picked up my local BBC Introducing and lead to me being asked to attend an BBC Introducing Masterclass, which was awesome! Off the back of the success of the first single I was asked by Ont’ Sofa to record a live EP, which I released in June 2014. Since then I’ve moved down to London, been gigging all over the shop, started my residency music showcase at The Worlds End in Finsbury Park, and met some amazing producers, which brings us up to now. My single ‘Giving It Up’ is coming out on 22nd June, but its available on iTunes pre-order now. Over the next few months I’m going on tour in the Summer and I’m playing a few festivals – I’m particularly chuffed about playing Victorious at the end of August. Other than that, I’m already back in the studio writing my first album, which I hope to have ready for early next year.
If you could duet with anybody who would it be and why?
Ooooh that’s a hard one – there are so many! I would have to say Donny Hathaway.
What’s your desert island disc and why would you take this one album?
‘All My Tomorrows’ by Carol Kidd – such a gorgeous voice and there’s an old country song called ‘When I dream’ on it that I just love. I listened to it so many times that I broke the record. My dad still thinks that he broke it! Sorry dad – it was me!
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