Who else enjoyed the longest day of the year on Saturday – and the official start of summer?
There’s no better way to welcome summer in than with our latest track of the week. Discover BIMM Brighton’s Amelia Ceasar and her stunning new EP.
Amelia as been making quite the name for herself on the acoustic scene and describes herself as an indie ambient folk soloist, with a folky soul tone. ‘White Light’, the first track on her new EP, represents the importance of finding peace within ourselves, while the second track ‘Alive’ expresses the euphoria of being surrounded by the people you love. We think this is the perfect EP to soundtrack those long, dreamy summer evenings.
We caught up with Amelia to find out more about her EP, what the key to her sound, her songwriting process, and what plans she has for the future.
What was your inspiration when you began writing the EP?
I’ve spent a lot of time over the past year personally developing, which has mainly involved figuring out my strengths, weaknesses and what truly makes me happy.
I was in quite a negative headspace before I invested in this, which lead to me feeling quite anxious. My lovely mum is a qualified life coach and she taught me the technique of using a hypothetical ‘white light’ to block out any negative energy, which inspired the first track, ‘White Light’. ‘Alive’ goes back to discovering what truly makes me happy; being surrounded by the people I love, the people that make me want to be and do better, but also whilst enforcing I’m enough as I am.
Are there any artists that inspire you when writing?
I don’t think I’ll ever not be inspired by Ben Howard, but I also listen to a lot of Julia Jacklin and Angie McMahon. Angie McMahon has a song called ‘Pasta’ and there’s a line that says “I spend so much time eating pasta, although I’m probably allergic and other people seem to move much faster” – I love the way she can write something so great about something as simple and ordinary (but delicious) as eating pasta.
What is key to your sound and how do you make your music stand out?
I think now my sound has matured it’s becoming more distinctive, I hope so anyway! I think you’re going to hear a lot more of the vocal mirroring the guitar melody. I always write in the same structure, building up to a layered ending, so I suppose that is really key for me.
I’ve gone completely electric now. My boyfriend is in a noise rock band so I get to steal his pedals and I think my take on his pedals is only going to be an interesting infusion.
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How does your songwriting process work?
It’s changed a lot over the years, but I always find the vocal melody by finding it on the guitar first. I can’t read music, so I love that everything is always created through experimenting and going by ear to find a weird tuning I love. After that, I play around with the vocal melody and try and figure out some lyrics; they usually start out pretty basic and I develop them over time. It’s easier to do this once I know the basics of what I’m trying to say.
Describe your sound in 3 words…
Ambient, dark and meditative.
How has studying at BIMM helped you develop as an artist?
I learnt a lot about marketing yourself, excelling in the comfort of your own lane and not to underestimate how important investing your time in learning about the business side can be for you.
What’s next for you?
I’m so relieved these tracks are out, I’m already writing my next project and I’m so excited. I think my next release will have a lot more substance. The feedback I’ve received so far has been super lovely, but apparently two tracks weren’t enough .. I’ve got a lot of work to do! I’ve eased people into my new sound with these tracks. Now the real fun definitely begins.
Keep up to date on Amelia’s music by following her on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
