It’s been nearly four years in development, time spent perfecting her craft, writing with the likes of Bernard Butler and Ed Harcourt. Now this 20-year-old Pembrokeshire-born singer is ready to debut her music. Forthcoming LP Mountain Echo (released next year on Decca) showcases effortlessly full-bodied vocals that recall Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Here’s what you need to know about her.
Her big break came out of smalltown nosiness.
My dad’s a plumber and he was working at a B&B. Roy, the dad of one of my now managers, Toby [of Transgressive Records/ Management], was staying there. The B&B owner was listening in on Roy’s conversation and heard him talking about his son being in the music industry. She got on the phone to my dad and said, ‘Jodie’s got to bring her CD down; there’s a guy from the industry in London here!’ Dad dropped it in and the B&B owner played it over breakfast the next morning and it went from there.
She’s never really paid attention to the pop charts. For Marie, it’s all about the classics.
My parents listened to lots of blues music –BB King, Albert King, Robert Johnson –and that’s when I discovered Bonnie Raitt, who is one of my favourite artists. I still love Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.
Her vocals were noteworthy very early on.
My choir teacher in year three rang my parents and told them I had something, and sent my name off to a local singing teacher when I was six years old. From a young age I was always writing little lyrics and hiding them away in boxes, but they were probably all nonsense.
She wrote her debut single, ‘Single Blank Canvas’, when she was 16.
I went to Bernard Butler with that one. It’s about someone who meant a lot to me at the time. There were so many things I was trying to say to them, but how could I get my point across? Then there was the idea of a single blank canvas and how there are so many things you can put on it – but where do you start? I did finally get through to that person.
Something positive can emerge from tragedy.
I went into the studio with Ed Harcourt, who was really good friends with Mark Linkous from Sparklehorse. He found out that day that Mark passed away. Obviously, he was really upset. I suggested that he have some time out, but he wanted to carry on writing and we wrote ‘Mountain Echo’. We wanted to write something that was sad, but beautiful.
Mountain Echo is the LP title, too.
We called it that was because on the whole album I’m trying to have conversations with people – like on ‘Blank Canvas’ – but the only thing I’m getting back is my echoing voice, because I can’t get the words out. The songs are my way of telling people these things.
She’s quite the outdoors type.
I love being outside. I love surfing and kayaking and cliff jumping – that’s where you jump off a cliff face into a lagoon. It’s not too high, but it’s still a bit of an adrenaline thing.
And if she makes buckets of cash she’ll buy… a campervan.
I’d probably get an old one and do it up as a project, and just go touring around the country. I’m quite happy surviving on little money, though – I’ve always been used to it.
