Songwriter · Vocalist
Lyric-driven music with hints of a story — for you to finish in your own imagination. Folk, soft rock, a touch of jazz, sometimes just quirky.
01 — About
I'm a songwriter and vocalist with a focus on lyric-driven music, though melody is often my starting point.
A lot of my work centres on storytelling — or hints of a story — that people can expand with their own imagination; creating songs that connect emotionally and feel genuine, whether that's through stripped-back acoustic arrangements or more produced tracks.
Writing songs is how I try to make sense of things, often the things people don't say out loud. Some start with a word phrase, some with a feeling, and some with a moment I realise I can't quite let go of. Alternatively, I may kick off with a musical phrase, which has its own metre, that suggests a word phrase, then suddenly I'm thrown into an interesting topic. The process can be quick or tortuous, but at some point I'll know I've created something worthwhile that warrants sharing.
I share my music through live performance and songwriting competitions, earning four semi-finalist spots in the UK Songwriting Contest to date. Recently, I have transitioned into the recording studio to produce fully arranged, professional tracks, which are available on streaming services like Spotify.
I'm inspired by music that feels like a conversation rather than a performance — though I often add touches of humour, exaggeration for effect, and word play that aim to entertain.
If something here resonates with you, then the song has already done its job.
02 — Listen
If you take a few minutes to listen to one, thank you — it really means a lot.
About how money, or commercial considerations, can alter — or wreck — relationships. An outline of a story that involves disappointment and hurt, but also adjustment, learning, and even a touch of optimism. I wanted this song to have the vibe of an intimate early 1930s Berlin club. Close your eyes and you may hear the cigarette smoke. Available on various streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.).
An empowering protest song about the worst kind of politics — involving clichés, insincerity, lies — and individual politicians. It's not about any particular party, neither is it saying 'they're all as bad as one another'. An upbeat punk-ish style song. Strong on melody with a catchy chorus.
A haunting folk-style song about people displaced through war; partly told in the first person, adding to the sense of immediacy and empathy. It is not about any one place or time.
A song about attending an intimiDATING 'singles event'.
A ballad with a little tongue-in-cheek; the outline of a story that's short on metaphors…
A mash-up of themes from fairytales that feature in pantomimes, ballets, etc. around Christmas time. The first song of mine to undergo enhancement from a producer/recording studio — we kept the treatment simple, aiming for 'atmospheric'.
Written shortly after a friend died and I was thinking about all that her surviving partner must be going through emotionally. Raw, but literally 'upbeat' — for those times that demand a prolonged howling at the moon.
An upbeat song about space exploration, full of enthusiasm, some yearning, then acceptance of the inevitable ‘fizzling out’ of a probe: like a life.
03 — Influences
My style is fairly eclectic: folk, soft rock, a touch of jazz, sometimes just quirky.
Apart from classical music — which has likely imprinted much of my melodic template — artists I've listened to a lot include:
…in fact way too many to mention.
04 — Acknowledgements
To everyone who has helped and encouraged me along the way.
I am very grateful to all of you who have encouraged my songwriting and performance. Self doubt can easily creep in at any moment and the occasional positive comment is worth a great deal to me.
In particular, my husband, Mike — who has had to adjust to a new version of me, since I rediscovered my music-making self. It’s been a bit of a takeover. He’s more than shared any anxiety at live performances and is a dedicated carrier of the music stand.
Stella and Rob Maidment — close friends for as long as I can remember — have both been incredibly encouraging from the start, as well as providing considerable practical help, advice and Rob's occasional stunning guitar riff (Band: DNA; rob@sharpfocusproductions.co.uk).
My voice coach, Sonia Edgy. Sonia is a vocal artist, session vocalist, lyricist and jazz-based music creator (soniaedgy@gmail.com). Using her “Meet Your Voice” voice training method, she continues to help me to find and develop my own voice. Re-finding any voice was the first challenge, after many years of neglect, but Sonia’s tutorage took me to the point where I had the confidence to join a choir, and then sing alone, in public (whether they liked it or not!).
Working with Prod Pritchard, at Start Recording (Oxford)(www.startrecording.co.uk. Band: Airstar) has been one of the most transformative parts of bringing my songs to life. A musician and songwriter in his own right — his ear, instinct, and his musicianship elevate all my offerings. I’m grateful for the care he’s taken with my tracks, for the way he’s developed them and lifted them to a higher level of quality and listening appeal. His talent is unmistakable, and his contribution has been essential.
05 — Memberships
06 — General comments
General comments and casual messages live here for everyone to read — a public visitors' book rather than my inbox.
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07 — Contact
For collaborations, commissions, bookings, or licensing enquiries, please use this form — a few short questions help me understand what you have in mind, so I can reply properly.
I read all booking and collaboration enquiries. For general comments or casual messages, please use the General comments space.