Deeper than sound: a look into what inspires female vocalists
By Resonate | November 26, 2021
Words and photos by RUUMEDIA
The music industry is bubbling with female talent, so it felt only natural for Resonate to shine a light on a few Bristol babes who are ahead of the game. From open mic nights to hosting their own events, the grind doesn’t stop; however I wanted to look beneath the surface and explore where these Bristolian Musicians gained their initial creativity and inspiration to write, play and sing.
Shannon Flynn
Animated from the get go, Shannon opens her front door and leads me up a few flights of stairs to her room; her black dress and jacket contrast against her white chamber. Instantly, I can sense the enthusiasm and passion Shannon has for her musical journey.
Mellow tunes play in the background as Shannon describes how she likes to subconsciously create the imagery of her surroundings through her music. “A lot of my songs are very sad and a lot of those ones I write at night in my room alone. You can definitely sense the loneliness within them,” she says. We discuss how her desire for that effect stemmed from losing herself within the music she listened to as a young girl and the ability to relate to complex emotions through music has always inspired her.
It’s clear for Shannon, emotions are a strong driving force for inspiration and a motivation to write. She feels her best songs were born when she was overwhelmed with emotion. “I have this one song called Running Out of Reasons, and every time I play it I realise more stuff about the emotions within it and where they had come from. When I wrote it, it was just an outlet.” As Loyle Carner seeps through the speakers, Shannon and I chat about how solo bus rides are a key element to her musical inspiration. During her bus trips, Shannon peers through the window like a lens to her extended imagination. “There was a woman the other day who caught my eye as I was listening to Aretha Franklin. I completely lost myself within her story. That definitely had an influence on my writing, giving a story to the listener. I like drawing out really mundane things and enhancing the emotion within them.”
It feels as if Shannon needs to be completely absorbed by emotion during her creative writing processes. I feel living within busy Bristol can often be overwhelming, yet filled with endless inspiration. However, Shannon explains how she sometimes needs to be in the middle of nowhere to write: “Being in the city might inspire me for a song concept, however sometimes it takes going home to put it all together.”
Kayco’
As I sit in Kayco’s cosy flat, which resembles an urban jungle, I find myself curious as to why she chose here for the interview. Whilst she rearranges the plants, which cover most of the furniture, Kayco explains how she feels most inspired at home. She refers to the flat as her ‘sanctuary’ and tells me that she is so grateful for it, despite it being tiny. “I’ve been through some of the best and worst times here over the past two years, both of which have driven me to make music,” she says with a degree of melancholy. We discuss how nature is a key element to her creativity and how inner-city life can leave you feeling disconnected from it. She states: “No matter where I live, my home will always be full of life and greenery to keep me grounded.”
As we continue to discuss what colours and emotions stimulate her creativity, memories appear to be a recurring factor. “The colour sky-blue has always been an inspiring colour for me, maybe because it’s my dad’s favourite colour – and the colour of Coventry City’s football kit, who we went to see a lot when I was younger and to visit family. It gives me a sense of nostalgia.”
Kayco’ and I discuss what kind of mindset she’s usually in when she feels her most creative, and she tells me how writing with a clouded mind often leads her to a clear one. Inspiration can come spontaneously: “Lyrics just pop into my head at the most random times and I have to quickly write them down before I forget.” I notice the yoga mat in the corner of her flat and various self help books placed on the shelf above us. We venture on to the subject of self care but naturally the conversation circles back around to music: “Honestly music is the main thing which just gets me out of my own head. I find it really tricky to switch off and not think about anything, so singing gives me that escape – music is my meditation”.
Belle Dawson
The sky is a clear blue as Belle and I wander down Stokes Croft towards Lakota. Belle explains how “deep blues” resonate with her music and she describes her songs as “soft and floaty, almost like waves” and suggests this is perhaps because she sings over liquid DnB tracks. I captured a few photos of her standing next to some graffiti which is painted across the back of Lakota. We reminisce about nights we’ve both had there and discuss how vocalists performing over DJs at DnB events is an exciting way they can showcase their talent.
As we stumble upon some red artwork, Belle describes what colours spring to mind when she performs. “I imagine cherry reds and pinks when I’m playing my guitar or working with others in a band; the more instruments involved, the deeper my lyrics.” Belle explains how she first starts writing music by jotting things down in her notes. “I could be anywhere and see something, or overhear somebody’s conversation and then I’m inspired.”
We touch upon the fact that for Belle, writing helps her deal with her emotions. She explains she found this especially helpful during lockdown. “Lockdown made me feel a way, but the fact I could write about my feelings helped me to deal with it.” Some may say lockdown starved artists and creatives of inspiration, however Belle suggests she was inspired by the smallest things. “I would even just write about how I was speaking to people online because that’s all we could do, I would just describe how that made me feel. I used that time to do some soul searching.”
During a busy bus ride home, Belle and I discuss Bristol’s nightlife and how the growing number of clubs closing could be detrimental to the Bristol music scene. However, the conversation ends on a positive tone – we decide it’s down to us to maintain and improve it.
You can catch Shannon and Kayco’ performing at the RESONATE LAUNCH PARTY on the 9th of December at ARTCLUB.
For more artist interviews click, here