Our latest artist to spend 30 seconds with M, Zemmy puts her own unique twist on the pop genre, writing songs filled with rich, instantly memorable melodies and smart lyrics. Her influences include Sade, Lauryn Hill, Sia, Dido and Imogen Heap.
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been making music since forever. I began making up melody-driven instrumental compositions when I was much younger and then started making songs with lyrics in my tween years. But I started giving it a real ‘I want to make this a career’ go about three and a half years ago.
What inspired your latest tracks?
For the very last track I recorded, Somebody Sure, I drew on my experience in classical choirs for my vocal delivery and the harmonies/backing vocals I chose. Just listening to the track I can hear the influence of the Magnificats and other lovely canticles I used to sing in my school choir in the melody. The ending ‘Amen’ was deliberately inspired by the endings of such hymns. I think all this choir influence stuff comes about when I get self-reflective or write with a pulsing, driving rhythm in my head (which I tend to like), and I think head or ‘breathy’ voice goes well with that.
The track before that, Lonely Too, is more my typical soulful pop style. I get inspired when I find a cool chord progression and then imagine some cool beat in my head. I like rhythmic phrases and almost using syllables to create rhythms. This song for me was all about the melody complimenting the rhythm. I really enjoy playing this one live.
What process do you go through to create your music?
The start of the process is always different. It could be anything from having a hook just pop into my head at 2am, me playing around on my guitar or piano trying to come up with a hook, singing over some instrumental track that’s playing on TV and coming up with a cool melody or whatever. Then it usually goes on to me building the rest of the song on guitar. Often I’ll blurt out some lyric alongside coming up with a melodic hook and that’ll end up sticking so I’ll write around whatever theme those lyrics imply.
How would you describe your sound?
‘Soulful pop’ and ‘singer/songwriter’.
What would your dream collaboration be?
That’s really hard to answer but right now, probably the genius duo that is The Neptunes – made up of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. I absolutely love their production style.
Where can we catch you performing next?
At The Slaughtered Lamb in London on Thursday 12 April.
www.facebook.com/zemmym
www.zemmymusic.com
Twitter: @zemmyofficial
How long have you been making music?
I’ve been making music since forever. I began making up melody-driven instrumental compositions when I was much younger and then started making songs with lyrics in my tween years. But I started giving it a real ‘I want to make this a career’ go about three and a half years ago.
What inspired your latest tracks?
For the very last track I recorded, Somebody Sure, I drew on my experience in classical choirs for my vocal delivery and the harmonies/backing vocals I chose. Just listening to the track I can hear the influence of the Magnificats and other lovely canticles I used to sing in my school choir in the melody. The ending ‘Amen’ was deliberately inspired by the endings of such hymns. I think all this choir influence stuff comes about when I get self-reflective or write with a pulsing, driving rhythm in my head (which I tend to like), and I think head or ‘breathy’ voice goes well with that.
The track before that, Lonely Too, is more my typical soulful pop style. I get inspired when I find a cool chord progression and then imagine some cool beat in my head. I like rhythmic phrases and almost using syllables to create rhythms. This song for me was all about the melody complimenting the rhythm. I really enjoy playing this one live.
What process do you go through to create your music?
The start of the process is always different. It could be anything from having a hook just pop into my head at 2am, me playing around on my guitar or piano trying to come up with a hook, singing over some instrumental track that’s playing on TV and coming up with a cool melody or whatever. Then it usually goes on to me building the rest of the song on guitar. Often I’ll blurt out some lyric alongside coming up with a melodic hook and that’ll end up sticking so I’ll write around whatever theme those lyrics imply.
How would you describe your sound?
‘Soulful pop’ and ‘singer/songwriter’.
What would your dream collaboration be?
That’s really hard to answer but right now, probably the genius duo that is The Neptunes – made up of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. I absolutely love their production style.
Where can we catch you performing next?
At The Slaughtered Lamb in London on Thursday 12 April.
www.facebook.com/zemmym
www.zemmymusic.com
Twitter: @zemmyofficial
