My album launch party was an incredible night – thank you so much to everyone who came along!

It’s so hard to find the words to describe what a special night it was. This show was the first time I’ve ever headlined a ticketed show, my first time performing with a backing track, and my first time performing my songs without the piano, so it was a huge step up for me as an artist and performer. My hands and voice and heart are exhausted, and I feel so supported and seen.

Thank you to everyone who made such a big effort to come to the show and support my work; thank you for being the warmest, kindest, most supportive audience, and for revelling in my weirdness.❤️

I also want to shout out my fantastic support acts Foxxglove and Ophelia Lark – if you liked their sets, go check out their music!

If you want to support my work, here are 3 ways to help me that won’t cost a penny:

1. Listen to the album a few times on Spotify – more streams helps Spotify show the album to other listeners
2. Follow me on Spotify – click the “follow” button here
3. Share the album with a friend who you think might like it, and encourage them to check it out (anyone who likes Kate Bush, Tori Amos, and The Dresden Dolls might like my album too)

how I look online vs how I actually look every evening

I was hoping to send this email 3 weeks ago. Unfortunately, after an incredibly intense few months preparing for the album launch, I found myself completely burned out and exhausted. I was so excited to make the album release campaign and the show as successful as possible, and so I worked harder than I’ve ever worked in my life, for 6 months straight, with almost no days off.

I’ve also struggled with the rejection and the apathy. In our current instant-gratification, super-low-attention-span online culture, it’s hard to get people to listen to a new song, or watch a music video, or read a blog post. It’s difficult as a new artist, to work so hard on something that you’re immensely proud of, to pour so much of your time and energy and money and heart into something, and to feel it’s not getting the engagement it deserves. This industry is hard on those of us with a soft heart.

As a result, I’ve been spending December fully focusing on rest and recovery, and I hope to eventually recover enough that I can start creating again. I’ve got loads of ideas for album 2, and I’m looking forward to moving away from promoter-mode, and back into songwriter-mode, which is where I really belong.

These complaints aren’t to detract from the amazing achievement, by the way – I’m incredibly proud to have written and created an album, with amazing people, and now I’m sharing my music with people all over the world. I’m also so happy to read all the lovely messages, comments and emails from friends and fans who’ve loved the album – that means so much to me, and every nice comment gives me a morale boost that helps me get through the hard times. Genuinely, from my heart: thank you.

The reason I’m sharing this is because I think it’s helpful to be honest about the difficult reality of being a musician. Social media is for showing off our wins, but there’s rarely space for us to connect over our shared challenges. Shed the light on the dark things, always.

WHAT COMES NEXT?

I’m currently writing a longer reflective post about 2022, which I’ll be sharing next weekend (I don’t usually send newsletters twice in one month, but I felt like I had a lot to say in the lead-up to the new year).

As for plans in the new year: look out for an album tour (I’ll be announcing the dates very soon), a single co-written and co-performed with another amazing artist, new videos, and the beginning of the creation of album 2! And, hopefully a bit more down-time than I allowed myself in 2022.

INTERVIEW WITH WELSH CONNECTIONS

Last week I was interviewed by the radio show Welsh Connections, where I talked about the album and its themes, some of the challenges of the new music industry, what it was like working with Brian Viglione from The Dresden Dolls, and a peek into what’s coming next for me. Mike and I had a lovely chat, and I’m very grateful for all his kind words and support!

ALBUM MERCH

If you haven’t already seen, I have some beautiful album merch available to buy! We have:

• A digipak CD with 6-page booklet
• A companion zine featuring lyrics, personal stories, analysis of each song, and loads of photos from the creation of the album (A5, black and white, 48 pages)
• New! A digital PDF download version of the companion zine
• 5 vinyl sticker designs themed around songs from the album
• Signed and numbered A4 art prints featuring Scott Chalmers’ beautiful photography (limited print run of 25 each)
• A discounted bundle with 1 of everything