Rising Stars interview: AMY SIMPSON
Amy Simpson is only seventeen yet she has just released the excellent EP ‘Fairytales, Stories & Myths’ and The Huffington Post tipped her as one of their’Ten Artists to Watch’…
1. What have you got planned for the next few months e.g. recording, touring etc.
I have a few local gigs lined-up across the next couple of months to promote the EP. You can visit my website www.amysimpsonmusic.com which has links to my Facebook page and Twitter account, I always post about what I’m doing on there and you can listen to some of my music, too! Recording-wise, I am hoping to record an album during the summer; I have already got some new material and am really excited to get working on it!
2. What made you want to start to sing and what music/artists have influenced you and why?
I have always loved singing, even when I was younger I was always the little girl in the school shows that would sing her heart out during every performance! For my 12th birthday I got an acoustic guitar and since then I have sat in my room and played it whenever I can, learning and writing songs.
But the moment I realised I would love to pursue music and record my own songs was on my 15th birthday, when my Mum got me some studio time as a birthday present and I recorded covers of six songs by artists such as Maroon 5 and Adele. That day made me realise the effect music has on me and how amazing it would be to continue singing and recording.
When I listen to a really good song I always think I would love to write a song like that, a song that comes on at a party or when your iPod is on shuffle and it makes you get up and dance or sing really loudly along to it. Artists like Adele who can write songs with so much meaning behind them, and Katy Perry who can write songs that make you feel really good, inspire me to write and sing.
3. The excellent EP ‘Fairy Tales, Stories & Myths’ is out now. Can you take us through the songs on here e.g. how they were written, story behind the song etc.
The EP has 5 tracks on it, all written by me and my co-writer and pianist Robin Young. ‘Homemade Rocket’ is the single from the EP; it’s about a person in a struggling relationship who wants it to be alright again but knows that it won’t be. The next song is ‘All I Wanna Do’ is more upbeat and about someone who is in love and wants nothing else but to be with the person they love.
‘Only You’ is a slow love song and it’s about two people who are the only thing in the world that matter to each other and that nothing can come between them. The next song ‘Glow’ is, again, more upbeat and about having the time of your life and just living for the moment.
The final song, ‘Everything’ is almost like a story, as the song goes on the story unfolds about two people finding each other and falling in love. When writing songs, I try to create music that will make people stop and listen or will change the way they feel or act that day and I believe that comes across in these songs.
4. What was the reaction like to your debut single ‘Homemade Rocket’?
The reaction was incredible, I had so many people telling me how great they thought it was and to have The Huffington Post call it ‘timeless’ was unbelievably amazing! Initially, I was quite nervous to get it out there because I had no idea what would come from it and, being only 17, I definitely wasn’t expecting much of a reaction, so it felt amazing to receive the great reaction that it did; I still can’t quite believe it!
5. You’re currently studying for your A-levels. How have you managed to juggle your musical endeavours and studying?
Admittedly, it can be difficult sometimes. I’m currently in my last year of A-levels, I’m taking Biology, Psychology and Maths, and I’m also planning to go onto university. My exams start on June 3rd so I do have to spend a lot of time preparing for them but because I love going to the studio and making music so much I will always find the time for it. I feel that it is just as important for me to keep music in my life as it is to continue my education because music is and always will be a massive part of who I am.
6. What have been the live highlights so far and why?
I always find it so difficult to describe the ‘buzz’ that I get after performing live. When I performed live on BBC Radio London, it was so surreal! I walked into the building and felt so many different emotions; I was so nervous but also immensely excited and happy to be there! And after I performed, even though my legs felt like jelly, I got the amazing buzz that made me want to keep on singing forever! I got the same feeling when I performed on Will Gompertz’s show on BBC Radio Oxford, which was again so surreal! I couldn’t believe that I had been given these amazing opportunities and I felt so lucky.
7. If you had the chance who would you like to tour with and why?
There are so many amazing artists out there! Part of me would want to choose someone like Katy Perry who puts on a massive production so that the audience won’t forget the night they saw Katy Perry live.
I would love to be able to sing alongside her because she has written so many brilliant songs, some that make you really happy and some that make you realise that she’s only human and can have really bad days like the rest of us.
Another part of me would love to tour with Adele; I love the way that when she sings she just stands and sings with so much emotion. Her songs have the power to influence the way that a listener feels and I would love to have the chance to meet her and watch her sing.
8. What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from music?
Whenever I do have spare time I usually incorporate music in it somehow! At the moment, I don’t really have much spare time because of my upcoming exams. But when I do, I usually put music on really loud and allow it to fill me up, like when I take the dog for a walk I always take my headphones with me so that I can listen to music! So really, I never have spare time away from music because, when I’m not singing, I love listening to other people sing!
9. Message for you fans…
Just thank you so much for your support! It means everything to me and, prepare for a cliché line, I hope that as this journey unfolds you’ll be on it with me!
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
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