Mano's Daughter
Ever since I was a small child I remember being fascinated by music. Growing up in a house where there wasn’t much music, I remember being so intrigued by how people knew which notes to play on the piano. Giving in to my curiosity, my Mother bought me a piano for my 8th Birthday. I began lessons and loved it. I remember recording Top of The Pops with my little brown Fisher Price tape recorder, holding it up to the TV and then scuttling into my bedroom to write out the lyrics and work out the chords on my piano. This was my introduction to songwriting.
I have been hugely influenced by many people and one of the main reasons I love music and songwriting so much is because of it’s ability to connect with people on such a deep level. You can say out loud something in a song, to people who you’ve never met before, something that you probably wouldn’t tell your closest friend. There is a beauty about that which is so honest and it reassures me that everyone is the same underneath all the bravado. We all love, get our hearts broken, are searching for something, are elated when we find that thing. When I hear a great songwriter its incomparable to anything else.
Prince is a huge influence of mine. He is just brilliant. A few years back we saw him at The North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam. He played a show at 1am for three nights in a row. Each night was totally different. I wasn’t drinking alcohol at that time and even totally sober, I danced until 4am each night. I think he’s probably the only artist I could do that for. He has perfected the art of a contemporary music show - getting people up and dancing like there’s no tomorrow! Genius.
I started properly writing songs at college where I had my first band. I have always loved writing, and recording is a tool that I’ve always used. Ever since I got my first computer with logic on it, I’ve always been into that side of things. I think it’s really important to try and learn as much as you can about the creative process you’re involved in. Even though I would never call myself a producer, I know enough about a studio to make decisions on what I want a certain vocal to sound like or a certain synth to do. It gives me much more creative freedom.
As artists, both myself and Matthias (the other founding member of Mano’s Daughter) are fully involved in everything to do with this band from the artwork to the videos. I love creating anything really. I know what was in my head when I wrote each song and also know how I want it to be portrayed to an audience. I don’t think creativity stops after you’ve written a song. The performance, every night, has to be a connection between you and the audience. Whether it’s a room of 2000 people or 10, I think every time I get on stage I do so to tell stories and make a connection. I want to do that with our videos too and hopefully it comes across.
Mano's Daughter release their EP 'Smart' on March 31st. Find out more at www.manosdaughter.co.uk, or follow them on Twitter at @manosdaughter or on Facebook at facebook.com/manosdaughter.