Introduction:
- Wolverhampton’s Emma Swindells, UK country artiste and hugely enthusiastic country fan, has been making steady progress since her inclusion at the (C2C) Country To Country Festival back on March 2015 at London’s O2 Arena.
- Later that year she notably found herself nominated along with other young acts Katy Hurt and Toria Lynn, Belfast based The Rising and Outlander (eventual winners) at the 2015 British Country Music Awards (BCMAwards) in the Horizon Act of the Year category.
- She was voted W21music’s Best newcomer in 2015.
- She names her influences as The Dixie Chicks, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, John Mayer, Carrie Underwood, Mumford and sons, Ed Sheeran and more.
- Her music has been played across UK Internet stations, community radio & Local BBC stations (Shropshire, Cumbria, Norfolk).
- She has played at numerous gigs and festivals which include: Wolvestock 22, Buckle and Boots Festival (2016 & 2017 Review), FSA (2016; Fort San Antone Festival, Newark Showground), Little Mountain Festival (Wrexham 2016), Rock Ridge Round Up Festival (2016) and Welshpool Country Music Festival (2016 & 2017 Mainstage).
- For the past 2 years she has been the frequent resident act at numerous Wolverhampton Country Songwriters Nights held at Bantock House (Wolverhampton WV3 9LQ).
- Her 5-track self-titled EP released 25 March 2016: EP) Review
- In October 2017 she was crowned the BCMA (British Country Music Association) 2017 Horizon Act of the Year.
- Her band includes sisters Laura (Drums), Clare (Mandolin, Acoustic Guitar, vocal harmony), Richard Hockney (Bass) and Daniel Salter (Lead Guitar)
NEW EP!
EP - RADIO SILENCE (P)© 2018 Emma Swindells
Release Date: 19 Jan 2018
5 Tracks / Time: 16:41
Tracks:
1. Radio Silence 2. Lover and My Best Friend
3. Carry Your Load 4. Disappear 5. Lost for Words
Available for download: Amazon UK – UK iTunes
Physical copies will be available from Emma’s website store and her gigs!
"What a good EP this is, well recommended" - Roger Peck British Country Music Show (Album Of The Week on CMR Nashville)
‘Disappear’ is by far the stand-out track on the EP for me. It’s a really pretty, elegant track with simplistic yet effective instrumentation and Emma delivers with lovely emotion; it comes across as a very personal one. It’s got that goose bump factor, particularly with the beautiful harmony throughout the track.....I’m sure this will prove to be another popular EP with Emma’s contingent of followers and I’m sure people at festivals all over the UK will have the chance to hear the material over the course of this year. Dan Wharton Your Life In A Song (EP Review)
RADIO SILENCE goes #1 on UK Country iTunes Chart!
UPDATE Chart Success!:
Jan 19: UK Country iTunes Chart Debut: #4
(#301 UK iTunes overall), then #5 (#327, #358 UK iTunes overall), then #7
(#428, #458 UK iTunes overall), #3 (#339, #324 overall, #320), #2 (#233, #253
overall; #188 overall, #179 overall)
Sat Jan 20: #1 UK Country iTunes Chart (#162,
#177, #249 overall) then #2 UK
Country iTunes Chart (#281 overall)
Sun 21 Jan: #2 UK Country iTunes Chart (#327 UK iTunes overall)
Mon Jan 22:
#17 (#822 UK iTunes overall), then #23 (#1264 UK iTunes overall), then #43
(#1438 UK iTunes overall)
Tues Jan 23: Fell off the UK Country iTunes top 200 Chart
Tues Jan 23: Fell off the UK Country iTunes top 200 Chart
Interview
Hi Emma, Thanks so much for this Q&A and talking to Country Routes News.
Your new 5 track EP RADIO SILENCE drops on Friday January
19th. What are your hopes and expectations for this EP?
Emma: I don’t really have any
expectations for this CD. It has taken a lot of hard work to make so I just
hope people enjoy it J.
Is
there an official EP Launch Party?
Emma: There isn’t an official
launch party but we are playing the Wolverhampton Country Night on Saturday 20th
Jan. We will be using this night to sell the physical CDs and celebrate the
launch.
Do you feel both excited and a little nervous about how RADIO SILENCE will be received or has the award given you a newfound confidence that both your music and live performances are being so acknowledged?
Emma: I just feel excited! I
am so proud of these songs; however it is received I am happy to have made the
CD.
Did you go through a lot
of songs in the selection process for RADIO SILENCE?
Emma: Yes there is always a
selection process; I wanted to ensure there was a good mix of tracks in terms
of temp, subject matter and production.
Have you previously
showcased any of the songs and other new material at your live shows (such as Wolverhampton Country Nights) in order to gauge the reaction to them
from an audience?
If so which songs were
best received and which ones do you enjoy playing live the most?
Emma: Yes we have played the
songs live, I wanted to gage the crowd reaction- this helped with the selection
process as mentioned above.
Are all the songs
relationship themed, are they self-penned or were other cowriters involved in
the project?
Emma: No not all are
relationship themed. Three of the tracks are self penned and the other two were
co-writes. I wrote ‘Lover And My Best
Friend’ with Ash Cooper and I wrote ‘Radio
Silence’ with Stuart Landon.
When and where did you
record RADIO SILENCE, who produced it, did you hire musicians or is it your own
band?
Emma: We went to record our
live session for the Angels With Dirty Faces Youtube channel this time last
year. Their keyboard player ‘Chris Bucknall’ has his own studio and is a
producer. We got into discussions and he agreed to produce the CD. Stuart and
Neil from Angels with Dirty faces played on the tracks and we brought in a
session drummer. I played the banjo part and some of the acoustic guitar parts
on the CD. It was definitely a team effort!
What was the most
challenging part of the recording process?
Emma: Trying to bring the
songs to life. We tried several different drum beats, guitar parts, different
effects. It is hard sometimes when you have so many options deciding what is
best for the song. I am happy we took the time to get it right though, I am very
happy with the final product.
What
would you say the difference is between RADIO SILENCE and your last self-titled
EP?
Emma: The sound is definitely
different- more electric guitar and heavier drums. The songs on my last EP
represented what I was going through a couple of years ago. This EP is more
representative as to what I am going through now.
Which
song are you most proud of on the EP?
Emma: Disappear. I love the simplicity of it. Chris nailed the production
and my sister Clare did a fantastic job on the harmonies.
The
opening cut “Radio Silence” is an
interesting title. What inspired it and will there to be an official single
promoted to radio with an impact date set for airplay!
Emma: “Radio Silence” is a phrase my old boss used to say to me. When I
went to the writing session I took this idea with me and the song was written
very quickly. The whole concept is about another party not being open with you
and cutting off all communication. There is no official single yet.
Test drive on iTunes:
I
have heard the song “Lost For Words”
played on Phoenix Country Radio. Is it a personal or observational score which
describes the difficulties, frustrations, and embarrassment in not being able
to say the right things and relate your true feelings to a loved one?
Emma: This song was my attempt
at writing a love song ha! It is so ironic as a song writer that when it comes
to relationships and feelings I just can’t find the right words to express how
I feel. This is a song about how I don’t want to feel like a typical cliché, I
want to show you how much I love you but I can’t find the words.
They
say every album needs a cheating song and Track 2 Lover and My Best Friend, which aired exclusively on your hometown
station 101.8 WCR FM (Wolverhampton Community
Radio), is certainly one of those! I trust regarding your engagement
in the fall last year that the subject matter is purely fictional or an
advanced warning sign? LOL Is there a sharable story?
Emma: This is a true story but
it isn’t my story. I had just finished reading Shania Twain’s autobiography and
I couldn’t get over her story. How she hasn’t written a song about it yet I
don’t know! Her ex husband cheated on her with Shania’s best friend... and then
Shania got with her best friends husband. An actual husband swap! I had already
written the riff and had an idea of a basic melody but I asked Ash Cooper to
write it with me. Ash is incredible at writing lyrics, I love what he did with
this song.
I
see you have hired Professional CMA photographer Anthony D'Angio once more for
your promo shots and EP cover art, they are terrific aren’t they! What’s it
like working with someone who has been commissioned by the likes of Country To
Country Festival, Eric Church, Kip Moore, The Brothers Osborne and Maren
Morris!
Emma: Ant is so easy to work
with. I feel uncomfortable posing for photos and he makes it so relaxed which
is nice. Because he is so experienced I can trust him to know we will get a
shot I will like. For this CD I wanted it to look very different from the last one.
I told him exactly what I wanted, and he made it happen :) Considering he has
worked with so many big names he is so down to earth and treats every shoot the
same.
Guitar is a red electric ESP (Amazon UK (black). Skirt and boots (Product) were brought from River Island.
Emma: I think the more hours
you put into any craft means you develop over time. I like to think the songs
get more mature as I get older. The live sets have improved as my confidence
has developed and my band has grown. We are at a great place now where we can
relax on stage and just enjoy it.
Do you have a
preference of playing in a studio or playing live, which do you enjoy more, the
creative side or the performance aspect?
Emma: I think I prefer the
performance aspect; you get to see the crowd’s reactions and meet people after.
It is a lot more sociable. Saying that I love the process of hearing your songs
come to life in the studio.
The single “Where You Left Me” with The Ash Cooper
Band made the Top 5 on UK Country iTunes chart in 2015 although is was a rather
quiet release. We feel it is your recorded vocal performance to date. Are there
any plans to include it on a future EP/ Album and give it some fresh exposure?
Emma: I love singing “Where You Left Me”. As I mentioned above
Ash is an incredible song writer and this song really proves it. But it is an
Ash Cooper Band song so will not be included in an Emma Swindells CD.
In the UK there was another big spike in consumption due to streaming (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer and other audio streaming services).
More people now feel there is less of a need to “own” the music.
CD Sales were down 11% in the UK and in America country music album purchased sales were down 15% and Digital took a big hit down over 24%.
How do you feel the way the industry is moving and what would be your view if your music was only available digitally on a subscription cloud based system and not for download? What do you consider to be the pros and cons of having your music on the streaming platforms?
Emma: There is definitely an
advance to streaming; your music becomes a lot more accessible. However,
because of this music doesn’t seem to have the same value. I am really lucky
with the country music scene that fans still appreciate having the physical CD.
The costs for making a CD are not cheap; it is the physical CD sales that help
cover the costs.
What
do you consider to be the biggest challenges for an Independent artist?
Emma: For me it is time. I
have a full time job on top of being a singer. It is called the ‘music
business’ for a reason. You still need to be able to network and get yourself
on the various festivals and gigs. This
takes up a lot of time and effort. Even down to arranging band practices. The
other aspect is cost. Being about to afford to cover travel expenses for some
of the gigs and affording to make new music.
What music are you currently listening to?
Emma: I am currently obsessed
with the soundtrack to the new film “The Greatest Showman”. Other than that we
brought a record player for Christmas and have been playing some classics like
Paul Simon, Billy Joel and Dire Straits.
Is
there anything we have missed that you would like to convey to your fans?
Emma: Just to say thank you to
everyone who has supported me over the years, it is really means a lot. I
really hope you enjoy the new music and that we will see you soon at some of
the gigs we have booked for this year.
QUICK-FIRE Questions
Best Gig you have
played?
Emma: C2C
Best Gig/ Concert you
have attended?
Emma: This is tough! Might
have to be top 3 Paul Simon/ Sting, Taylor Swift and Dixie Chicks.
Who would be a dream male duet partner?
Emma: Ed Sheeran- maybe then I
could write a good Love Song :p
Favourite Food?
Emma: Chocolate!
Favourite Colour?
Emma: Red
Favourite TV Show?
Emma: Friends
Favourite Film?
Emma: At the moment the
Greatest Showman
Favourite clothes, make-up?
Emma: Don’t really have any
favourites, just something I feel comfortable in and feels like me.
Favourite Time of Year?
Emma: Summer!
Favourite Country to visit?
Emma: America
How Do You Like To
Relax?
Emma: Playing my guitar and
snuggling on the sofa watching a film.
Catch Emma live, forthcoming
dates:
AN AUDIENCE WITH...
Angels With Dirty Faces, Emma Swindells, Simon Clewlow, One Crow
Sorrow
SAT 17TH February 2018 - WELSHPOOL:
Town Hall (Broad Street, Welshpool SY21 7JQ) 6:00pm £12.50 + £1.25 Booking fee
= £13.75 Event
Past 2018 Gigs
Saturday 20th January 2018 – Wolverhampton Country
Songwriters Night, Bantock House Museum (Finchfield Road, Wolverhampton, West
Midlands, WV3 9LQ) £5 ENTRY Tim Milligan, Simon Clewlow + Emma Swindells Band
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