NARC. #162 June 2020

INTERVIEW

MUSIC

CHARLOTTE GRAYSON

THE COMMON DENOMINATOR IN THE SONGS IS THAT THEY ARE TRUE, AND THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME

DAMIAN ROBINSON TALKS TO HARTLEPOOL SINGER-SONGWRITER CHARLOTTE GRAYSON ABOUT THE RELEASE OF HER DEBUT ALBUM There’s undoubtedly something seemingly important about a recording artist getting into a good rhythm and building up momentum. Whilst it may take artists time to find and develop their sound, once they’ve got it the best thing for them to do is to fly straight into the next piece of work. And the next. And the next.

Success in the pop world seems to be grounded in a mixture of confidence and momentum. Which is something Hartlepool singer-songwriter Charlotte Grayson currently has in spades at the moment.

Flying high thanks to last month’s statement of intent, her debut album Grow, Grayson is already thinking about how and when it’s followed up; she’s on a roll. In fact as (bad) luck would have it, the first week of the enforced lockdown was planned for Grayson to record follow-up music.

The Gods of pop may well be sorry if they’ve upset Grayson’s momentum…

“It was annoying to have to stop, though we weren’t sure if this was to be an EP or an album, or what it might have turned out to be.”

Grayson confirms.

For some, the lack of studio time may well have stopped creativity, not so for Grayson. “The lockdown’s keeping me busy and I keep writing demos and sending them across to the label to hear. Once I can start writing a song I won’t stop until it’s finished.”

Receiving accolades upon its release, Grow is a particularly high standard of a debut, and if new music may follow soon then it’s to be

looked forward to. Filled with a country pop sound, Grow is full of optimistic, melody-filled songs which sparkle with confidence and confident vocal delivery. Opener Tiptoe sets the standard high for upbeat, acoustic-driven emotive pop which glistens as much for its honesty (“I like to test you just to see how much you care”) as it does for its Americana-styled electric guitar lines. Likewise, All You Have To Do and Drunk Girls sound like country-infused Taylor Swift; purposeful pop with strong hooks and cleverly crafted, honest, vocal lines.

Grayson explains the title of the record was chosen purposefully.

“We decided to call it Grow as it’s my first album and my label’s first album so I feel like ‘grow’ encompasses my feelings about how I’m developing and how the label is developing.” She remains confident that her creative choice of being as open as possible is essential: “The album is about me up to this point in my life. The common denominator in the songs is that they are true, and that was important to me. It was only the song People that I felt was a bit too direct so I tweaked a few lines, but other than that I ran blindly into this – that’s life.”

Promoting the album through livestreamed gigs, Grayson is also keen to maintain her momentum with more performances, an album launch party when possible and recording new music. “I can’t wait to get out and play live as soon as possible,” she enthuses.

Grow is out now via Shy Bairn Records www.facebook.com/charlottegraysonmusic

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