Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I’m from a town called Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire and grew up between there and Stansted, Essex. I lived quite far away from friends so when I was younger everyone else would be ‘playing out’ or going to the park I’d be writing songs at home. It started with writing little lullabies with a guitar I’d only show to my friends but when I got older, I really got into spoken word artists and electronic music. That’s where my love for production and blending spoken elements with singing grew.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: Not much. Never had singing lessons, though I’d like to one day, but had a few lessons on piano and guitar growing up. I struggle to read music so couldn’t get too far with piano lessons and I much preferred learning guitar on YouTube than with a teacher. I’m mainly self-taught on those. Production was also self-taught up until 2020 when I did a master’s degree in production.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: I think Kate Nash and Lykke Li were my favourite artists and biggest influences when I was younger. Kate Nash for her early work and the way she’s so experimental with her writing. And Lykke Li’s voice and melodies just mesmerize me. I also think The Streets were a big influence for me as I got older.
Q: You have just released your new EP, ‘Raw’. Is there a story behind it?
A: I tried to piece it together so it flows through a relationship timeline. The first track is focusing on the excitement of falling for someone and then it ends with Raw 2 which is about letting go.
Q: Can we expect an album from you in the near future?
A: You can expect an album from me. How near in the future is still up in the air at the moment. I really want to take my time and focus on experimenting with my sound right now before I can deliver the album I’d want to make.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: For me it’s all about storytelling. I think the lyrics and the story are what I want people to resonate with. I love how connecting with a song can make you feel less alone in something. My sound’s still working itself out at the moment, but I’d describe the new work as quite ethereal, stripped back and dark.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?*
A: Yes, definitely. I work long hours but all the time I spend working on my music is extremely rewarding. Making music is the way I process difficult emotions and how I try to understand the world around me, so without it I think I’d be really lost.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: It can sometimes start with lyrics, usually writing poetry or concepts on my phone notes late at night. I also sing melodies with random words or sounds all the time and when I catch myself singing a melody that I like I’ll record it on my phone. I have hundreds of voice recordings of melodies which I like to go back to and piece together with lyrics.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: I lost my mum when I was younger, and I think that’s always been the hardest thing for me. I think grief like that really makes you value life and people a lot more and is one of the things that makes me want to make music, so I can connect with others. She’s also the person who pushed me to try music and acting when I was young, so a part of me will always be trying to make her proud.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: Learning how to produce and not giving up on producing my own work when I found it tough. I think lots of women can get disheartened when trying to get into production as it seems like such a gatekept and male dominated space. I’m proud that I self-produced this EP and stuck to the way I wanted it to sound from the beginning.
