Let’s start at the beginning, you grew up in Milton Keynes surrounded by classic 70s records. What first made you want to write your own songs rather than just listen or perform?
When I was younger there was always music in the house. Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tori Amos and Adele were among the favourites when I was growing up. I feel like I’ve had the ‘Rumours’ album engrained into my brain since I was a kid.
I used to find a song I love, change the lyrics to make them my own and then sing it louder than the recording. This might have been my first try at songwriting.
Really, I’ve always been drawn to music, I know it’s cliché but I’ve never wanted to do anything else. I’ve always had one of those brains that doesn’t know how to turn off, but music helps me slow things down. I started learning piano from a really young age and I found that writing songs, particularly when I went through tricky experiences or feelings that felt far too big, helped slow it all down and gave me room to process what was going on. It’s still the case now – I use songwriting to help make sense of the world around me and understand how I really feel about things.
“Broken Me” is your first release from the upcoming debut EP. Can you take us back to when you first wrote it at 16 and what inspired that original version?
That feels like a lifetime ago now – I’d just experienced my first heartbreak and it destroyed my little 16 year old heart. I had written plenty of songs before Broken Me, but this was the first that just poured out of me. It was the first time I was able to take such a big feeling in my life and put it into words. It wasn’t about what had happened but about every emotion that came with it.
You mentioned this song has evolved with you over six years. What changed in the writing or production during that time and what made this version feel like the one to release?
In terms of the writing, I think it just matured with me, with every new experience and every heartbreak. Looking back at some of the original lines I’d written, I don’t think I really knew what I was feeling or how to say it when I first wrote it. But as I revisited the song more and more, I was able to talk about my experiences with some perspective. My feelings became clearer and so did the writing.
In terms of production, working with Matt (Matt Terry) and getting to record at VADA really brought the song to life. Taking the song from just me and the piano to writing parts for all of the live instruments was so special for me. Hearing it with the full band for the first time was like seeing everything I had imagined in my head finally become real.
You described it as a letter you never got to send. How does it feel putting such a personal story out into the world after holding it so close for so long?
It definitely feels vulnerable but I think a really important process for me with my songs is to live with them for a while. Have you ever loved a song, played it on repeat for weeks and let it define a little part of your life? It feels the same way for me before I release them into the world. I’ve made peace with that part of my story before sharing it, and I’ve had Broken Me in my pocket for over 6 years now. I know how I feel about the song, I know how it’s helped me process and move through things. Now it’s time for other people to have it and experience it their way. Listening to it might make them feel something totally different to how writing it made me feel, and that is the most special thing about releasing it to the world
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You’ve said in the past that you used to create characters to mask your feelings in songs. What gave you the confidence to step into the spotlight more honestly this time?
Writing about how I feel, and not thinking about if the song will be ‘good’, has improved my confidence but also my songwriting. I’m no longer looking in at my own songs from a distance, but living them – feeling them. I’m finally in a space where authenticity feels creatively freeing and safe at the same time. I no longer have to hide my true feelings in a song or act as though those feelings belong to someone else.
And as a songwriter, I don’t want to look back in 10 years and look at my work feeling disconnected from it, and the only way to do that is to write from the soul.
You’ve gone from busking on weekends to playing venues across the UK. How have those live shows shaped the way you connect with your songs and with the people listening?
Oh they’ve shaped me in every way possible. I think busking definitely builds your confidence, but with a live show, people have chosen to come and see you perform, and experience your songs with you, and that’s so special but also so terrifying.
Knowing that my songs can make people feel something is surreal. At a gig I know that we can share those feelings together and that is amazing. All I want to do is put on the best show possible and make sure people feel like they have a safe space to feel all their feelings. Some of my favourite concerts are ones where there’s those little moments of connection between the audience and the performers and I would love for someone coming to my shows to feel that way.
With “Broken Me” out and your debut EP on the way in October, what can we expect from the next few songs? Can you give us a sneak peek?
I am so excited to show you this EP and I’m awful at keeping secrets so keeping this one under wraps has been nearly impossible. The next few songs are some of my favourites, and I’d say you can definitely expect excitement but also variation from them. I have a lot of musical influences and they’re all quite different – there are lots of different directions I like to go musically. I’ve always thought that this EP is my first chance to really say something and I think when I was writing it, all of my feelings sort of fell out of me. I don’t want to spill too much because I’ve been so good and keeping it quiet so far. What I will say, and this is still pretty secret, is that the next track is called Piece of a Lover and it might be my favourite track of the whole project.
Listen here:
