SINGING IN CHOIRS,PLAYING INSTRUMENTS AND STORYTELLING THROUGH HER SONGS FROM 14 YEARS OLD AND NOW I CHAT WITH UPCOMING COUNTRY/POP ARTIST ‘ELERI ANGHARAD’ ALL ABOUT HER NEW RELEASE ‘EARTHBOUND’ SET TO DROP ON APRIL 12TH!

What  is your name?

Eleri Angharad

What is your genre of music?

Country/Pop

What made you go in to music?

I grew up in a musical family and was always singing in choirs, playing piano and guitar. I started writing songs when I was 14 inspired by the storytelling songs of James Taylor and Dolly Parton as well as the music of Taylor Swift.

Are you a signed?

No, I am currently an unsigned artist, I release my music through my own label –

Train Track Records

You have a debut album ‘Earthbound’, tell us more about the album.

My album Earthbound will be out on April 12th 2019. It’s a very honest collection of songs centred around my travels, friends, relationships and coming home.

What is the meaning behind the Album.

I chose the title ‘Earthbound’, which is also the name of one of the tracks because it really tied in with the themes of home that run through the album. Whether home is your hometown, or a person or just a feeling of belonging somewhere. I travelled a lot around the US and Ireland so a lot of places feel like home to me and I’m lucky to have friends all over the world that keep really grounded, so Earthbound encompasses all of that.

Describe each track in two words.

Earthbound – Reality Check

This Ship – Stormy Breakup

Sunburn – Summer Romance

Don’t Take Me Home – Empowerment, Escape

Chicago – Travelling, Nostalgia

Stronger Stuff – Empowerment, Independence

Smokey Steel Lights – My drive home

Stuck On You – Forgetting Ex-Boyfriend

Blood Strong – Being Welsh

Never Get To Say Goodbye – Going in circles

Staircase – Another Life

What was the writing process like?

One of the most exciting changes is I’ve really embraced co-writing on this record, with three collaborations making the final cut. I worked with Swansea musician, Sam Gardner (Twin Pine), Cardiff based songwriter Naomi Rae and Owen Powell from Welsh rock band, Catatonia. That particularly was an incredible experience for me as Catatonia were one of my favourite bands as a child, and I got to collaborate with one of my songwriting heroes

What was the recording process like?

I’ve worked with an amazing producer Lee House for a few years now and I always love being in the studio with him. We recorded all of the piano, guitar and vocals first and then I invited various musician friends of mine to perform on some of the tracks. It was a very collaborative process.

Who did you work with on the Album with?

I wrote half of the album by myself, and also co-wrote with Owen Powell, Naomi Rae and Sam Gardner. I recorded with with an incredible producer, Lee House, and we brought in some local musicians, Scott Mckeon, Steven Priest, Sioned Maskell and my partner Jordan Shamsaee, to play some on some of the songs.

You also released the video for ‘This Ship’, what was the making like.

We filmed the video on Bracelet Bay in Swansea at the end of last years glorious Summer so it was such a beautiful place to shoot. We also did a couple of scenes in my house, which was quite surreal to see in the video. A school friend of mine Rhys also played the horrible boyfriend in the video, so it was fun to shoot that with him, he’s really not horrible in real life!

Who did you work with on the video?

A South Wales based company called Fine Rolling Media. I’ve worked with Kris from Fine Rolling before and they always do an incredible job at making my vision come to life!

Do you have any shows coming up or a tour in planning?

My UK Tour has just been announced and I’ll be playing two big shows with my band in Cardiff (April 13th) and Swansea (May 3rd) as well as some smaller shows around the country – in London, Manchester, Bristol, York, Brighton and a few more along the way!

What else can we expect in 2019?

After the tour, I want to make some more music videos and maybe release another track as a single. I’ve also got a busy Summer of festivals coming up too, How The Light Gets In, Live on the Wye and Home Farm Fest, which have already been announced!

Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?

I’ve really loved working on collaborations this year, I’ve got a few for other artists in the pipeline, but also a few of my album tracks have been co-writes. Stronger Stuff was written with Cardiff based singer/songwriter Naomi Rae, and I wrote Never Get To Say Goodbye with Owen Powell, who used to be in the Welsh rock band ‘Catatonia’.

Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?

I’m always up for doing collaborations with other artists and producers so I’d love some more to get in contact. I also run ‘SIREN’ all-female songwriting workshops and sessions in Cardiff, which are open to any women in music who want to come along.

Do you play any instruments?

I play the Guitar and Piano.. also the Ukulele a bit and I used to play Saxophone but I was terrible!

Who are your influences?

Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, James Taylor, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris

How do you get inspiration to write songs?

What I love most about songwriting is that the creative process can be completely different every time! I took last year off from releasing music to really focus on my writing skills, and have had some brilliant mentors at university. It honestly varies where I start with a song, sometimes I’ll just get a melody stuck in my head, or a song title, or lyric, and sometimes I have to sit down with my guitar or piano and just play until I’m inspired. I’m very traditional with good old pen and paper when it comes to writing. The songs on Earthbound are all based on real life experiences, places I’ve travelled to and people I’ve met along the way.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?

At the moment my main goal is to reach new audiences with my debut Album ‘Earthbound’, sell out tickets for my tour and play some really fun shows. Long term I’d really like to get into more co-writing and exploring new sounds as my music develops. Songwriting is my favourite thing to do so I want to do a lot more and hopefully each release builds on the last one. I believe in dreaming big so I’d love to tour my music across other countries – around Europe and America especially. It would be cool to have a record deal, but with the power of the internet these days many unsigned artists have proven to be hugely successful – so who knows?

When you’re not doing music, what do you do?

I also love cooking, particularly coming up with new vegan recipes and baking – I even have my own instagram food blog ‘WhatEleriEats’.

What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?

Probably 9-5 by Dolly Parton, I was in a play I wrote called ‘Cup of Ambition’ in school that was based around that song and I knew then I was an absolute dreamer I’d never be happy in a typical 9-5 job. I adore Dolly Parton, I think she’s wonderful!

What’s the best advice you have ever been given?

Never give up on something because of the time it takes, the time will pass anyway!

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and  just as an artist?

Just keep being creative – make music, listen to music, see shows, support other local artists and bands.

What quote or saying do you always stick by?

“Put on some red lipstick and live a little”

Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?

We have some beautiful beaches surrounding Swansea that are definitely worth exploring!

Your coming off tour;

1/ Where do you go first?

HOME to sleep!

2/ Who do you see first?

My mum.

3/What do you eat first?

I’d love a huge veggie roast dinner with lots of potatoes!

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?

The most important things I bring to a gig are,

1. Of course my guitar

2. A pair of cowboy boots,

3. A snack – you never know when you might need one!

4. Lipstick

5. A smile

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/EleriAngharadMusic/

TWITTER:

https://twitter.com/eleriangharad92

INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/eleriangharadmusic/

SOUNDCLOUD:

https://soundcloud.com/eleri-angharad

SPOTIFY:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/1uj6FDopUhDvYqPbY0WzDF?si=rq1J0RAVTLGlVLoaS8PloQ

WEBSITE:

www.eleriangharadmusic.com

YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Elzonline/featured?

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