How did you get your start in music?
Well, I grew up in a very musical household. My dad’s a singer so I was always surrounded by a plethora of wonderful music growing up. Then it was really in 2011 that I really started writing music and I was like “I need to take this seriously.” If you want to have a career in music you’ve got to have a ton of vision for it. You have to be passionate about what you’re doing in all aspects, whether it be songwriting, performing, or the business side of things. It’s kind of just grown since then. I absolutely adore it! I don’t want to do anything else.
How long have you been touring as a musician?
That’s a really good question. I guess the first proper tour I did was last year, not that long ago. I released my first EP in March of 2015, so although I’ve been involved in music for a really long time, I feel like I’ve only just started with that first release!
So this is your first US tour?
Yes.
How are things going so far?
It’s been really exciting. I did my first show at Rockwood Music Hall in New York on the 21st of June and that was super special. Playing in a country you’ve never played before, you’d expect there won’t be many people there. But the room was absolutely full and everyone left after we played and it was really exciting. It was a really responsive audience that was silent while we played but super responsive in their applause. And it was just a really exciting start to the tour.
How long have you and Sarah (of Bryde) known each other?
Not really too long… maybe a couple of years. We kind of played and met on the same circuit in London and yeah, I just wanted to come and tour in the US. I was just going to all of my singer-songwriter friends because I just wanted to share in it with other artists. It’s just a really exciting trip to do!
How did you and Sarah end up touring together?
Well, it was my idea really to do the tour, and I wanted to tour America. So we just basically – I just asked a bunch of my friends, Sarah being one of them, if any of them fancied coming and then we booked the shows. And then I met my management out in LA and came out here. And there were a bunch of potentially exciting things on the business side that came about through making the trip. It was a bit of an unknown as to what it would be like but it’s totally been worthwhile. It’s just so wonderful that it’s turned out that way.
Any especially memorable experiences so far?
Honestly, the New York show. I’ll never forget that show. It was so amazing. I had and sold a bunch of CDs and the industry people really enjoyed it and the room was full. It’s hard sometimes to get people to shows. Everyone’s busy, and it’s especially hard when you don’t know the artist. People seemed to hear that Sarah and I were playing though and came out. But yeah, New York by far has been my happiest moment so far!
Who are your musical influences?
I love Carol King and Jeff Buckley and Carly Simon. I’ve been really lucky to grow up listening to amazing music. I’ve been really spoiled it that sense.
Have you noticed any significant differences in touring here as opposed to touring in the UK?
Not yet. I don’t think I’ve had long enough to really notice it. Geographically, is a lot larger and we’ve been flying around rather than driving, but it’ll be nice to see. Tonight we play Nashville and then after that we play Hotel Cafe in LA. It’ll be nice at the end of the tour to kind of get a sense of that. I’m really drawn to Nashville actually. I love New York, but I really, really, really like Nashville as a place and it’s someplace I’d like to spend more time in when I come back.
Yeah, there’s so many great places to see here in the US. Do you think you might like to do a tour here where you are able to drive?
Definitely! It’s always a timing issue. But yeah, 100%. There’s nothing better than a road trip, and when I’m touring in the UK that’s absolutely how you get around. But it’s just allowing for the time off to do it. But yeah, next time I would love to do that!
Do you have plans to record more music soon? Perhaps a full album?
Yeah, I just released my second EP in April called Dear Joey. It’s number three [on the] iTunes singer-songwriter charts in the UK, which is a really, really special moment. So yeah, when I’m finished touring I’m heading back into the studios and I’ve got my next London headlining show in October. There’s always something going on which is wonderful.
What are your plans for the future, besides recording?
An album’s not at the forefront of my mind at the moment. I’m really enjoying being able to release fewer tracks more often, you know, just to keep people interested. Albums, to be quite honest, cost a lot of money and take a long time to make, so for me it makes sense right now to release stuff more frequently, just to keep on building. I love The US, so for me, as much I want to keep building my fan base and following in the UK, I’d also like to do that here. It’s really important for me to reach out into other territories and hopefully start touring worldwide. It kind of goes around in circles for me, with writing, recording and touring, but I love each of those processes and touring is my absolute favorite. When I’m playing live, that’s, for me, when I come alive. That really is my favorite part.
Are there any places in the US that you would love to play next time?
I’d love to go to Austin and San Francisco. And I think I’ve heard that Boston has a good music scene. And the, in the UK, when I’m talking about life goals, The Royal Albert Hall in London is the most amazing venue and I’d love, love, love to play there. I’m just going to continue to build on all of these goals until they become a reality.
By Emily May
