My main instrument is my voice but I took up the piano a couple of years ago. It’s not easy but that’s part of the reason I enjoy it, because of the sense of achievement when I can play something that previously felt impossible. I always wished for a piano when I was growing up but never had the opportunity, so as far as I’m concerned, this is living the dream.

I have been told that I sound like neo-soul singers such as Angie Stone and India Arie and it’s a sound I embraced even before I knew who these artists were. Twenty-five years ago I was the lead singer in a jazz band in Edinburgh, our sound was described as a new soul, so I guess it fits.

I was a huge fan of the Jacksons because they had hair like mine. We had an eclectic mix of music from Louis Armstrong and Bob Marley to Jim Reeves. I also wanted to be Miriam Makeba, she was beautiful and I tried ever so hard to do the Xhosa clicks like she did on songs such as Pata Pata and Baxabene Oxamu.

I am a solo musician although I’m in the process of putting a small band together to do some local gigs.

It is a song about surviving an abusive relationship. Abuse is not just physical, emotional abuse can be every bit as damaging, mostly because you don’t see it coming and it smacks you right between the eyes even before you know you’ve been hit. You spend a lot of time doubting yourself and everyone around you, especially those who love you, because your abuser finds ways to isolate you from them. This is a song about realizing that the problem doesn’t lie with you but with your abuser and that you have a better life ahead to look forward to.

The track was recorded in Newport Pagnell by a friend of mine called Chris Edwards and my daughter Erin played drums on it. 

It’s very much a collaborative process with Chris. We agree on instrumentation as well as what sound and feel is best for the song. He always manages to come up with great musical hooks and I get to add my two pennies worth. I like recording vocals last because I’m usually changing lyrics until the last minute, but this is one song I didn’t need to do that with, because I knew exactly what I wanted to say.

Most of the time I start with the lyrics then find a rhythm and move on to the melody, very rarely do I do it the other way around, maybe because I have always been interested in words and how we use language.

I was inspired to write this song by someone who was being very badly abused by their partner. I tried to help her but eventually, she went back to him. I’ve never understood how people could deliberately set out to hurt others or not have compassion for those less fortunate than themselves. If I think my life is precious, someone else’s must be just as precious to them and I should honour that whether I like them or not. For everyone standing in front of me, a long line of people have had to survive to get them there. Someone loved them enough to give them a name so if I treat them badly, I disrespect all that history, heritage, and the people who love them as well.

I loved working with the band in Edinburgh, the musicians were at the top of their game so I was incredibly lucky to work with them and learned a lot about how to communicate with them while we were on stage, especially when something unexpected came up, we all knew exactly how to handle it together. I loved that! I love performing and connecting with the audience, and I love being able to chat with them afterward so we get to know each other, that way it feels more personal when I perform in front of them again because I know their story and they know where I’m coming from.

I’m just grateful they’ve got this far in the interview and I thank them wholeheartedly for that. If I could, I’d personally hug each and every one of them.

 

Social Media

Instagram

Facebook

Youtube

Website (Coming soon)

I will also have a YouTube page linked to the website.