We caught up with musician Zoe Phillips following the release of her superb EP ‘Paralysed’. Read the full interview now!
How did you first get into music?
I played a number of different instruments as a child and saved up for a drum kit by the age of 10. I started writing songs on my parent’s upright piano and think I used to write my own music to try and get out of what I was meant to have practised! I listened to a lot of rock and was lucky enough to be taken to several iconic live shows as a teenager like The Who, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Roger Waters, which was pretty exciting!
What is the first song that captured your attention as a youngster?
This is tough! I was into quite a bit of rock from my parents like REM and indie music, but I’m going to say an early Abba album definitely got me singing to every song!
Who influenced your latest release ‘Paralysed’?
I’d say Holly Humberstone and Phoebe Bridgers with a little bit of Lianne La Havas.
‘Paralysed’ has been co-produced by Jack Gourlay, what sparked the collaboration?
I worked with two amazing producers – Harri Chambers and Jack Gourlay. Harri initially helped us track the band in Sarrachin Studios and co-produced, and then Jack added some extra production sparkle and mixing over at Ferocious Production. He’s super talented!
What’s the music scene like in Hertfordshire?
Hertfordshire has a few hidden gems like George Ezra and James Bay! I was lucky enough to squeeze in a live show last month for the re-opening of Club 85 in Hitchin for my EP launch, which is a really lovely Hertfordshire independent venue.
What are your other passions aside from music?
I love anything creative like painting, drawing, fused glass art, and just being outdoors in nature running and cycling.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I’m not a very competitive person so I would somehow take out that side of things! And take away the social media streaming numbers and page numbers etc. So the focus is really back on creating the art and less about the internet.
What is the best music advice you have ever been given?
I think the simplicity of creating something authentic, as you can never please everyone anyway. Also when I first started gigging someone said about using silence in performances and owning that control if you want to just stop the song and let it breathe… that’s always stuck in my head.
What new music are you listening to at the moment?
I’m liking Holly Humberstone and Olivia Dean at the moment, who I saw at a Communion showcase. I also love watching Rachel K Collier’s live videos with Ableton – she’s amazing!
What musical plans do you have for the next two years?
Post lockdown I can’t wait to get back into live gigging again, it’s been a strange year! I have recently got a new strat which I’m enjoying so definitely writing more guitar-based tracks as well as experimenting with more production too. I enjoyed layering up all the EP with a band which we were gigging live, so I’m looking forward to playing around with live setups in 2021, and I have a few exciting collabs lined up too!
FV Music Blog November 2020
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Twitter: @ZoePhillipsUk
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