Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with unsigned Glasgow singer Bethany Ferrie to find out more…
Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I am a singer/songwriter from Glasgow, Scotland. I first picked up a guitar when I was about 10 and my dad taught me the basics but I didn’t start singing and performing until I reached high school. I started posting covers on YouTube and the music teachers at my school got me into doing talent/Christmas shows at school. I never showed anything that I’d written myself to anyone until university and I only started releasing music in 2019 as part of a university project.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
I grew up in the Disney Channel age of Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers so a lot of the music I was listening to was the pop rock kind of style they were pushing. I also had a really great music teacher in primary school that had us listening to Joni Mitchell and the Beatles. I think we all hated it at the time but I’m so glad that I was introduced to that music really early on because I love it now.
My pop rock roots have stayed with me but I think my taste has developed into other artists nowadays.
For a time, I really was not a fan of Coldplay. But with this new music I’ve been writing lately I’ve been looking for inspiration in different places and artists I don’t usually listen to. I can say I’m a big of it now, their sound is incredible.
How would you describe your sound?
It’s definitely influenced by the kind of music I’m listening to. The past few of my releases have been different in sound and style. I try to do that, not just to fit the song but I never want to pigeonhole myself into being a certain kind of artist. I really try to be as honest as possible in my lyrics because I think you can tell with something like that if it’s insincere. I like huge sounding drums and lots of guitar elements.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
It’s called Bones and it’s all about opening up to yourself and letting yourself feel the things you’ve been running from. I think a part of it came from being alone so often because of lockdown. You have to learn to deal with yourself and you struggle to ignore things a lot more when you’re running out of distractions. I wanted the song to sound like that moment of clarity, you feel unburdened and free because you recognise the good, the bad and the ugly are all a part of you but you can still move on from them.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I’m just finishing off my honours degree and should start my masters in songwriting course in September. Other than that, I just really want to write as much as I can and get a collective piece of work together, like an EP, out through the summer.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I try to be diverse with my music style as much as I try to be consistent. The songwriting is the main part of the process for me and I try to put across personal experiences in a way that other people can relate to.
You can find out more about Bethany on her website or via Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Twitter or YouTube.
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