1. You come from a family of self-taught musicians. How has this helped influence your music? Do you remember the first instrument you learned?
My dad being a musician has been a huge help with my music. It has allowed me to avoid a lot of bad situations and start my journey with his expertise and guidance. He is always involved in my music and regularly plays and comes to the studio with me; that involvement has been great to help me train my ears and learn what it takes to write and produce a song. I enjoy having other people involved with my projects as it helps me to not go down too many rabbit holes! It really has been invaluable working alongside my dad and I’ll be forever grateful for the help he has given me along the way!
I have always sang, but the first instrument I started learning was the Oboe. I took lessons through school and played my mum’s old Oboe for a good few years. It helped me form a lot of discipline and I loved the satisfaction of playing a really hard piece after learning it for months! I’ve managed to translate this to my music now but I do miss Mozart every now and again!
2. How has moving from Stamford to Nottingham played a role in your music?
Since moving to Nottingham, I have had so many incredible opportunities and met some amazing people. It has really accelerated my music and made me work a lot harder! Coming from a small town into a city that has a huge, thriving music scene was definitely a shock and it’s hard to not struggle with your confidence when everyone in Nottingham is so amazing, but it has pushed me to be better and I’ve worked with some great people here.
3. Mustard has learned that therapy is different for every human. You consider songwriting your therapy. How does songwriting help you engage with your feelings?
Songwriting really helps me understand my emotions and what I am going through at that stage of my life. I often write a song and don’t know what it is really about until a few months after but it’s a very useful tool for working things out in your head.
4. Last year you released your EP “Perfect Thought.” How did the EP come together? Do you have a favorite song from the EP?
The Perfect Thought EP was a huge project for me last year and I’m so proud of how it came together in the end. I started work on ‘You’ almost a year before I started work on the EP so it was a very long time coming and a lot changed during the process, so it took a long time to get it right! We recorded some in the studio and remotely and I spent a lot more time considering the visuals for this project. I had just quit my job when the project came about so I had lots of time to get the release just how I wanted it and I’m really happy with what we managed to achieve! There were lots of people behind the EP and I’m very grateful to all of them.
I think my favourite song has to be the title track, ‘Perfect Thought’. I wrote this track in about 20 minutes at home during lockdown and it came together in the studio really nicely. It took a long time to get the right sound to do the song justice but I think it’s a really cool song and I love playing it in so many different ways live. I also love that so many people are on the track and it’s exactly how I imagined it would be; something to make you smile!
5. How has TikTok (and other social media platforms) helped you as an artist?
Social media has been vital to me as an artist to get my name out there. I accelerated my music a lot during lockdown and social media was such a useful tool to do that and connect with amazing artists! It’s hard to keep up as an independent artist but I hope it helps people enjoy my music as easily as possible.
6. “Perfect Thought” is a musical dreamworld. Did you have images in mind of your own dreamworld while making the EP?
I knew I wanted the EP to be very light and positive. I always find visuals the hardest part of a project but with this one, I knew exactly what kind of atmosphere I wanted to create. A lot of the EP is about my future and how I want that to look and I hope that the visuals that go alongside the songs help people to understand that and make their own dream worlds!
7. Do you have a favorite venue you’ve played? What do you consider to be a “successful” show?
My favourite venue that I have played in has to be The Bodega. I got to play a last minute support for William The Conqueror in March and it was such an incredible experience. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so present or enjoyed a gig as much as I did that one. Everything just seemed to come together and the audience were so lovely! I’ve wanted to play there for a long time, so to get to stand on that stage and sing my little songs was pretty cool.
That was a successful show because we enjoyed it! All I want from a gig is to enjoy myself and hope that others enjoy listening to it too. It was great to speak to everyone at the venue after our set and hear how they enjoyed it. A big shout out to my lovely dad, Jack, and my boyfriend, Jay, for stepping in at the last minute to help me with that one!!
8. If you could collaborate with any artist (or band), who would it be? Why?
At the moment, it would probably be Remi Wolf. I’ve been listening to her a lot lately and really love her style. I think it would be a super fun project and push me out of my comfort zone.
9. Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?
Yes! I recently received a NextGen grant from Youth Music to record a single and a music video so I am hard at work for that. I have been so lucky to receive this grant and it has given me such confidence to really pour my all into this next project. Watch this space!
Music Shelf With Mustard 