22 April 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Edinburgh based artist Erin Wharton to find out more…
Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I’m originally from Glasgow and have been singing and writing music for as long as I can remember. I started playing piano at 10 and that kind of pushed my writing along. As soon as I could play simple chords I was writing songs.
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
The first time I was ever aware of songwriting was probably Taylor Swift’s Fearless album. I remember listening to that when I was 8 or 9 and wanting to create songs like that.
As I’ve gotten older I gather inspiration from so many different artists, but I’m always really inspired by Americana/country/folk songwriters. I love Beth Neilsen Chapman and Gretchen Peters, I think they’re probably two of the best songwriters around. Most recently, I’m a huge fan of Kacey Musgraves’ new album and Lizzy McAlpine’s new album, there is something so honest about both of these that I’m so glad songwriters are getting back into, I relate to them both so much.
How would you describe your sound?
I’m probably a mix of quite a few things. There’s definitely Americana/country in there and folk as well. My music is generally mellow and warm and I guess that’s the main thing I’m always going for when writing.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
My debut single is called ‘Watercolour’.
I wrote this song two years ago, so I was 19 at the time. The song isn’t about me specifically but the nature of relationships that I noticed at that time. It seemed to be a cross-roads time for a lot of relationships from 1st year of uni/long distance relationships from school. I noticed that a lot of people seemed to be in denial or complacent about problems in their relationships and would rather stay in them because it was easier than breaking things off.
I came up with this little metaphor to describe that.
What’s your local music scene like?
Edinburgh is great, has a lot going on for music. I’ve done a few gigs here and there but am keen to do more in the future.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I’m just about to graduate uni so I’m currently finishing up my studies and then after that am planning to write and play as much as I can!
My producer and I are planning to start work on my upcoming EP next month which is super exciting. I am so proud of those tracks and just can’t wait to start recording them!
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Gosh too many to name. Absolute dream would be Beth Neilsen Chapman or Gretchen Peters. I would love to sing with the guy from the Fruit Bats too, he has the best voice I’ve ever heard.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
I guess just that I am a lover of music and of beautiful songwriting. I’m so inspired by music that I feel a connection to. The reason I fell in love with writing music is to express my feelings and hopefully connect to other people’s. I hope Watercolour can mean something to people in some way.
You can find out more about Erin via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Instagram, Spotify or TikTok.
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