Growing up in London, 'Mersey Wylie' was surrounded by creativity thanks to her musician father, photographer mother and the community of artists that all played their part raising her, often spending days on the sets of fashion shoots and nights in rehearsal rooms and at gigs. She spent her teenage years in Perth, Western Australia, and despite always having a love for singing, began to pursue classical saxophone at high school and later university - studying at the prestigious Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. In 2010, she moved back to the UK to pursue singing and songwriting eventually back to her scouse roots as she settled in Liverpool, following in the footsteps of her dad, Pete, who has already made his musical mark in the city. She joined Sense of Sound choir and began working as a session musician, becoming lucky enough to perform alongside Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr, Siouxsie Sioux, Boy George and Mick Jones of 'The Clash' in some of the most esteemed venues in the country. Her influences vary massively because of her background in so many different types of music, but her main loves will always be Ella Fitzgerald for the total ease with which she sings, Michael Jackson for the ultimate pop songs and performances, Nina Simone for her presence and conviction and artistry and Jill Scott for the perfect marriage of poetic lyrics, unexpected melodies and lush harmonies. It was her dad who was the first one to introduce her to the 'Jackson 5', and Motown, which started her love affair with soul music.
Writing soulful music she began gigging in 2014, before putting together her nine-piece band the following year. A lot of the musicians she plays with she actually met through the Threshold House Band - back in 2014 when she first let other people hear her music. It was Kaya Carney from Threshold who gave her the opportunity to put a band behind a couple of her songs which was such an invaluable experience at that point introducing her to some great people. The singer-songwriter has been building her reputation on the Liverpool live scene for sometime now and, combined with her impressive backing band is set to ramp things up a notch. Known for her unique take on neo-soul, her debut single proper 'Don't Give Up On Me', complete with rubbery bass-lines and snazzy brass, saw 'Mersey' exude a shoulder-rolling sass and ballsy vocal build. Music blog, 'Getintothis' had this to say about her in 2016, "Her sound is also something special, as it's a completely unique blend of jazz, blues, funk and soul that weaves rich harmonies under the smooth tones of Wylie's vocal talents, her soulful tones can be comparable to Corinne Bailey Rae's". She has performed at notable festivals and venues across Liverpool and the UK, and has been featured on BBC 6 Music and in Mojo Magazine.
In 2018 she released her debut EP, 'The Skin I Live In' to critical acclaim, a collection of songs that chronicle her journey with her mental health. Coinciding with the release she played at Studio 2 on Parr Street with the steadfast and talented Jack Beacall on keys, Jack Taylor on guitar, James Thorne on bass, Dan Thorne on sax, Alec Brits on drums and Dionne Lammin and Nina Cox on backing vocals. It was reported that the evening exploded with talent, a stage full of voices and musical ability that would have sold out the Philharmonic Hall, let alone adding the intimacy that held court inside Studio 2.
 |
| At Constellations at The Threshold Festival Day One on 1st April 2016 in The Baltic Triangle |
Others have said of her:-
"A powerful document of a talent coming in bloom, working with outright confidence." - Clash Magazine.
"It is without a doubt one of the most rewarding releases of the year." - Planet Slop.
"In a world of X factor auto tuning dross the fact this woman remains largely unknown is criminal." - Louder Than War
"Mersey Wylie is infectiously enjoyable and creatively outstanding." - Liverpool Sound and Vision
In January 2022 she posted on her Facebook page, " We’ve started recording the next EP!!!! 
After two years of postponed dates and four years since 'The Skin I Live In', we have finally broken ground on the next record 
I have spent the weekend with three of my all time favourite humans (James on bass, Alec on drums and Dan by my side) at @musicinthecabin and I can’t tell you how excited I am!! To hear this music brought to life by the absolute best is even more special after so long away from making music together. It is sounding incredible, better than I’d ever envisaged, and I can’t wait to share it. We’re doing things a bit differently so it’ll be a few months at least, but it’ll be worth it 
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/04/pool-of-sound-probes.html
No comments:
Post a Comment