Amy SimpsonAt just 17 years old, Amy Simpson is doing well to carve a career path out for herself whilst remaining in education and causing waves whenever anybody hears her fantastic vocals.
Compared to the likes of Taylor Swift, she's a UK-born future superstar, and Female First got the chance to put some questions to her, to which she responded in a mature manner beyond her years.
When did you realise that music was the path you wanted to go down?
I have always loved music for as long as I can remember. 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. The moment I realised that I would love to pursue music was on my 15th birthday, when my mum bought me some studio time and I recorded covers of six songs, including ‘Rolling In The Deep’ by Adele. That day made me realise the effect music has on me and how amazing it would be to continue singing and recording.
What is it about music that appeals to you?
There are so many things I love about music! I guess the main reason I love it so much is that a song that one person writes can have the power to make so many others feel something so strongly, whether that’s happiness or knowing it’s ok not to be ok. One song can influence the day that that listener has, despite them not knowing the person who wrote it. I love that music can make you get out of bed in the morning and dance around the room in your pyjamas, or make you cry when that’s all you need to do, and I would love to be the person that makes others feel all of that simply by listening to my songs.
How do you get yourself into the right frame of mind to write a new song?
This question is definitely a tricky one. When I was younger I used think that writing songs was so difficult, but growing up I’ve realised that it isn’t that hard, you just need inspiration and an instrument of some kind. A lyric will come to me when I’m alone, usually about something that has happened that day, and from there I develop it into a song. I sit down with my guitar or at the piano and come up with a simple melody to try and match the lyric to and then carry on from there.
Where do you draw influence from as an artist?
My influence comes from other artists and their songs. 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.
How best would you describe yourself as a musician and the material you create?
I would describe myself as someone who likes to write songs that make people stop and listen. I try to be honest within my music and talk about all the ups and downs in life so that, hopefully, my songs will make other people feel the way I feel when I listen to a song that makes me sit down, no matter where I am or what I’m doing, just to listen.
What sort of feelings did you go through when you got such a good reaction from your debut single 'Homemade Rocket'?
It was so amazing to have that kind of reaction after releasing 'Homemade Rocket'. I was quite nervous to get it out there at first 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!
You were invited to play a live session on Will Gompertz's radio show, how was that experience?
I can never find the words to describe the ‘buzz’ that I get after performing live. I felt so nervous before Will’s show, but once I got in the studio and started talking to him about myself and my music it felt really surreal. The nerves kind of slipped away and he made me feel really at ease. Then it came to singing and the nerves definitely came back a bit, but when I sing I always seem to get lost in the song, which helps when performing live I guess! Once I had sung the first song ‘All I Wanna Do’ I got that buzz that I love so much and I just wanted to keep singing all day! It’s definitely an experience I will never forget, for all the right reasons.
What should we expect from your debut?
Well, my debut EP which comes out on iTunes on May 19 this year has 5 songs on including 'Homemade Rocket'. Some of which are slow love songs and the others are more upbeat feel-good songs, so I’m hoping it will appeal to a wide range of people. Some people have compared me to artists like Taylor Swift. Overall, I like to think that my songs have the ability to make people feel some kind of strong emotion.
How do you balance the music side of your life with your education?
Sometimes, this can be difficult. At the moment I’m in my last year of A-levels; I’m taking Biology, Psychology and Maths, and I’m also planning to go onto university. Revising for my exams and school work definitely takes up a lot of time, but because I love going to the studio and making music so much I will always find the time for it somehow. 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.
What's the big dream or aim?
Honestly, my big dream was always to write my own music and try and get others to hear it. I feel so lucky because the wheels are definitely in motion now; lots of people are listening to my music and they seem to like what they hear. Obviously, it would be amazing to have a stable career based solely around music but, truthfully, I feel lucky enough to have recorded and released my own songs and am excited to see where this road will take me.
If you could work with any one person on a new track who would you choose and why?
Oh my goodness, there are so many people out there that can write insanely good songs it would be so difficult to pick just one! If I had to choose one person, I think it would have to be Adele. When I first heard her songs I fell in love with them and knew that I wanted to be like her. I wanted to write songs that could move so many people just like her songs do.
Is there anything else you're currently involved with you can share some details about?
I have a few local gigs lined up across the next couple of months to promote the EP, one of which is the EP launch gig in Banbury on May 25th, and another is me performing live on BBC Radio London on May 21st. You can visit my website www.amysimpsonmusic.com which has links to my Facebook page, Twitter account and SoundCloud. I always post about what I’m doing on there and you can listen to some of my music too!
Amy Simpson's debut EP 'Fairy Tales, Stories & Myths' is released Monday May 19.