BECCA LEIGH - CHINA BLUE
Becca Leigh is one of those undiscovered artist, that just need to be found. And soon! For now the young woman from Charleston, South Carolina, has only put out one EP and a couple of other songs. Her music seems to be connected to traditional folk, but it still has a contemporary vibe. „I try to listen to as many different kinds of music as I can. The more diverse my music collection is, the bigger my palette is when it comes to creating my own sound“, says Leigh, who calls Solange, St. Vincent and Joni Mitchell some of her female musical idols. „So while I do listen to a lot of traditional singer-songwriter type music, I’m inspired by everything from R&B to electro-pop to punk.“
Recently you returned from a short tour through Germany. How was it? It was great, of course. There were points throughout when I thought I had to be crazy - like what am I doing playing folk songs I wrote to a whole bunch of strangers in Germany? But I had a wonderful time. I went into it with almost no expectations, which I think was the right way to approach my first solo international tour.
Can you please describe the main differences between a typical show in South Carolina and the experiences you made in Germany? Where I live in South Carolina there aren’t very many listening spaces. Normally when I play a show, it’s at a bar or a rock and roll club, and maybe a third of the people there actually care about the live music. It’s especially difficult to play quiet music in a live setting. I had heard that audiences in Germany were great, but nothing prepared me for almost completely silent audiences at every single show. It was so affirming and maybe a little unnerving to have crowds of people attentively listening to my songs.
What was the first thing that you did, when you came back home? What did you miss the most? Well the actual first thing I did was eat an absurd amount of barbecue. I really worked up an appetite sitting on all those trains and planes. But I was really riled up about music when I got back, so I started recording demos for my album, planning for future shows, and writing new material. I can’t think of anything I particularly missed while I was gone. Except you, Mom.
»Fields«, »Garden Bed«, »The River«. Many of your songs refer to nature or use certain metaphors. Are you a »child of nature«? Probably. I do often find solace in nature. Modern life is full of constant distractions, so being close to nature helps me think. I also find that sometimes experiences with natural phenomena leave us with feelings we can’t necessarily explain. I’m drawn to the mysterious, and I have a hard time explaining any of my feelings, so I write songs about them.
What are your plans for the near future? When do we get an Album? I’m planning on starting and hopefully finishing the recording process for my album in the next few months. I’m really excited because I think recording is an absolute blast. So stay tuned for more news about that soon, including a possible pre-order I have in the works.
Follow Becca Leigh on Facebook and visit her homepage.
https://www.facebook.com/beccaleighmusic/ http://www.beccaleighmusic.com/
