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Up and coming local artist ‘Aphra’ talks openly and honestly to Outline about her transition from solo artist to front woman of a fully-fledged live band.


APHRA


First things first, I’m curious- where did you get the name ‘Aphra’ and what is its meaning? Its actually my first name as well as my artist name. My parents got it from the poet Aphra Behn and I also think it means ‘dust’ and maybe ‘deer’. When did you first start taking an interest in music? When I was younger I used to write really embarrassing rap songs and poetry and when I was about 14 years old I started to teach myself guitar and write chords to accompany my lyrics and that is kind of how it all started. How did the current band come to be? The band are my backing band but equally they are quite involved in the sense that they write their own parts and we collaborate about the songs. I met the producer of my EP “A Wonderful Adventure” and he introduced me to the drummer and then I brought in the bassist. There is also a synth player and an electric guitarist. We all work really well together … Do you prefer working as a band in comparison to being a solo performer? When it comes to the live shows I definitely prefer being part of a band because it is just so much fun and it is what I have always wanted- to have a band a play live music. The only difficult thing is organising everyone and coordinating our time so we can rehearse. What is your favourite venue in the city that you have played in so far? I really like Epic Studios because it is really big and the lighting is really great. Open is also really good for that reason and I love the Art Centre as a venue because the stage is quite high up and set away from the audience; even though it is quite intimate I can feel like a rock star. Do you feel your sound can be defined under a particular genre? Who are your influences?


My style is pop/folk but I do have rock influences some of my tracks are quite lively and upbeat to. My influences include Paulo Nutini and Lucy Rose, on the production side I’d say Pine Grove and Eliot Smith also add to it. My EP sounds quite low-fi because we recorded it all on tape which I feel has really helped me to capture my sound in comparison to when I was recording myself. My songs are quite varied from one track to the next and I needed something to tie them together and having it all on tape has enabled me to create something that sounds more unified. Tell me about any tracks that stand out for you or that you are particularly proud of. A few songs on my current set-list get a good reaction and I am happy with this because I want to make people feel intense emotion- that is my big aim. I also want people who see my play my songs live feel safe enough to feel emotions too. Some of my really sad songs have made people cry. I have a track called ‘Billboards’ which talks about the more difficult issues in society that don’t always get addressed; like self-harm, rape and other issues faced by women. I feel that it is important to address these issues as an artist. Do you feel that your creative process allows you scope to express how you are feeling too? Definitely. The lyrics are really important to me especially as I didn’t even play guitar when I first started to writing. I also feel that if I am writing about and experience that I have been through then it is quite therapeutic …. I can look back upon it and reflect on how intensely I used to feel about that situation. I also find it really interesting how people can relate to my experience; I have had people come up to me aſter shows and tell me how they had been through a similar thing and that is a really nice thing.


Kelly Page 34 / JUNE-JULY 2018 / OUTLINEONLINE.CO.UK


Read the full interview online at outlineonline.co.uk


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