Tell us about your tour vehicle.
A blue Vauxhall Corsa 2004 with 40,000 miles and pretty cheap to run. No repairs yet as I just bought it a few months ago. No break-downs so far, but it’s struggling a bit in the winter!
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Eating healthy while I’m on tour is a big challenge. I’m a vegetarian, so sometimes it can be tricky, but I always try to avoid fast food places and I make sure herbal teas and honey are always at hand. Usually venues provide meals, so that’s helpful when it comes to touring costs.
How much do you typically spend maintaining your musical equipment?
I recently bought some keyboard and mic cables, as well as a new microphone for the live shows and a new keyboard stand. I would say it costs a couple of hundred dollars a year.
Where do you rehearse?
I usually rehearse in my home studio in North London. I’ve recorded my first single there and I feel very comfortable rehearsing there. My cat comes in every now and then and demands cuddles, which helps me relax, unless that she interrupts a good vocal take while I’m recording.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
Take Me Away – “Every day I wake up, I know this isn’t real”
Describe your first gig.
I was extremely nervous and it was at Proud Camden. The stage was pretty big and it definitely took me a few shows to control my nerves properly. The response was great though!
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
My last day job was working at Ministry of Sound (a London based record label). I would say that it was my favourite as it gave me a lot of knowledge of the music industry and met some incredible people.
How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?
It’s slowly starting to pick up, but it’s still very hard to make a living from it. Hopefully in 10 years time I won’t have to struggle to cover touring and release costs!
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
That it’s ok to be yourself. Don’t let people try to change you. And always trust your gut instinct.