T
hinking back to the Next Big Ting Final, the clearest memory is of winner, Raevennan being held aloft by her
rival bands, all of them in abject joy for their competitor. It was a wonderful, warming sight. It could have been a scene at the end of High School Musical, or something, except the music was really, really good. When you look into Raevennan’s life so far, it could strengthen the idea that you might just be witnessing a film in the making; captivating her audiences with angelic singing, conquering a temporarily ruinous illness – you’ve come in at about Chapter 3, but we’ll try and fill in the blanks…
So I was going to ask you about your time since the Next Big Ting win – it’s been a busy couple of weeks for you, hasn’t it? What’s been happening? Loads of things, loads and loads of things… but actually when you ask me now I can’t remember anything! But my diary – never in my life has my diary looked so packed; lots of meetings with people, lots of new gigs have come up from the Next Big Ting, thing. I feel like I’m in a completely different ball game now. I’m playing with the big boys now! It’s bit scary, a bit overwhelming!
One of our judges came from Decca Records and I heard that you might have moseyed on down to Decca Records for a meeting after, is that true? Yeah, I shimmied down, as you do! Tat was a bit surreal; the offices were in this place that looked like a film set. It was like a Hollywood film set, with the security and barriers and big arch. I did imagine that I was kind of walking in to Universal, well, I guess I kinda was, but that was a bit weird! Cool weird though!
Yes, because Decca’s a name that’s synonymous with an amazing heritage of releases over the years. I know, I was like, ‘hold on, they want to see me?! Really?’ My legends have come from that label! Half of my record collection’s probably come from that label.
16 /January 2013/
outlineonline.co.uk
So the competition itself, what made you want to enter? Well, it was about two years ago, so September 2010, I was doing a few things after graduating and I went to do a session for Future Radio and they said, ‘Oh, we have this competition and you should enter it.’ And I was kinda thinking about it, but then I got ill and I couldn’t do it, and so last year I was just getting back into playing the guitar again because I just left it – it was always out, but the only thing I really wanted to do with it was break it into pieces because I was very angry. Ten when it came around this time, around August / September time when the thing opened, I just thought, ‘well, you know, I’ll enter it and see how it goes.’ I looked on the website and I don’t have a Norwich following like lots of the other bands and I don’t have much of a profile here, but at least if I enter it and I don’t get through, then I know I didn’t get through instead of wondering whether I could have done it, or whatever.
We kept harping on about the success that Ed Sheeran had had since winning the competition – did that inspire you at all? I know you have a slight connection with Mr Sheeran… Ever so slight, you know, he probably doesn’t even remember me, but there was a time that I’d just got out
of hospital and I was invited to open for him at some Norwich gigs and I made the effort to come through, with my walking stick, up to Norwich but I wouldn’t have been able to even sit up for half an hour and sing, but it was really nice of his people to ask me. I’m good friends with his good friends, and that’s the only link I really have
now! It’s bit scary, a bit overwhelming!
different ball game now. I’m playing with the big boys
I feel like I’m in a completely
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