The 411 Magazine The 411 Magazine issue 4 July/Aug 2017 | Page 18

FEATURE
When/How did you discover your voice?
I was around 4 years old when my Grandma
caught me singing and stood me up on her table
in front of my family and told me to sing for
them. Nervously trying out my first songs in front
of my loving (if not a little tipsy) family at parties
was like taking singing baby steps.
What is your earliest memory of music?
My mum had the greatest hits of Aretha Franklin
on tape. My earliest memory is at 4/5 years old,
sitting crossed legged on the living room floor of
our house in Nottingham, clasping the
headphones to my ears so they wouldn't fall off
and innocently belting 'You Make Me Feel Like A
Natural Woman' at full, unapologetic, volume...
What are your fondest musical memories of
music, in your house/neighbourhood/town?
At 14 I met my friend Richard. Boy he LOVES
music. All music. He was like a musical Rafiki, he
introduced to me rock, rap, folk and everything in
between. To mark our last week of term he put
on 'The Best of Times' by Sage Francis. A nostalgic
spoken word/rap with incredible music behind it.
 Throughout our friendship Rich had found all
the musical advice we needed to help us navigate
our complex teenage years and he was the first
to really show me how supportive and
comforting music can be.
Tell us about the music scene in Nottingham and
what makes it different to other cities in the UK
you've performed in?
Nottingham's music scene is a gumbo of music
for sure: rock, soul, RnB, rap, grime... it's all here
and each is as loud as the other. City-wide