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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with Liverpool based artist Mersey Wylie to find out more…

Where are you from and how did you first get into music?
I’m based in Liverpool but grew up between London, Liverpool and Australia so all three places have shaped me in different ways. My parents were both in the music industry so I was surrounded by creatives and great music taste from a young age, and was immediately drawn to soul and Motown. I then found the glories of 90s pop and 00s RnB and studied classical and jazz through school and uni so all these different influences found their way into my music when I started writing.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
Growing up I was obsessed with Michael Jackson, Judy Garland and the Spice Girls and honestly still am. I then discovered Ella Fitzgerald and Jill Scott who are two of my heroes, and fell in love with the songwriting of Burt Bacharach, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell and Carole King. I’m always excited to hear what Laura Mvula, Tune-Yards and Lianne La Havas are creating and am overjoyed with the massive resurgence of pop queens we’ve seen in the last year!

How would you describe your sound?
It’s a real melting pot of sounds on a bed of neo-soul. Expect lush harmonies, intricate lyrics and unexpected musical foundations. It’s political and deeply personal at the same time.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
“Together We Rise” is the second single from my upcoming EP ‘Woman’. I was writing a collection of feminist, ranty, political songs and knew I wanted to channel that energy into something with a sense of urgency, a sense of protest and a sense of jubilation and that ended up being “Together We Rise”. The song is about the power we have when we work together – if your feminism isn’t intersectional, it isn’t feminism!

What’s your local music scene like?
The scene in Liverpool has always been amazing, there’s music in the bones of this city. The scene changes all the time and we’ve had so many venue closures like so many cities, but there are always people making things happen and I love that about Liverpool.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
I’m really excited to see the full EP of ‘Woman’ come out in the summer and put on a big headline show later in the year to celebrate! This will be the biggest headline show I’ve done to date so please keep an eye out for the announcement!

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
I’d love to work with ESKA or Imogen Heap. They’re both such incredible musicians with such a unique point of view and are always at the cutting edge of what is happening. I’d also love to work with someone like Roomful of Teeth on an experimental vocal exploration. Closer to home I’m always excited by what Stealing Sheep are doing and was so over the moon to work with Rosa Kusabbi on the visualiser for Together We Rise!

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
We played The Narrative last week and just before the show was due to start, all our gear got locked in the green room and the key wasn’t working! Luckily someone broke the door down just as we were beginning the show and it all worked out. I’m also renowned for being an incredibly awkward speaker on stage and managed to accidentally insult my fellow musicians whilst trying to be self deprecating but it’s all part of the charm!

Do you have any upcoming live dates and performances?
I’m waiting on a date for my EP launch later in the year!

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
Being an independent artist is such hard work but the people who take the time to listen to your music and support you make it SO worth it. I have a chronic illness and several other jobs so it’s hard making it all happen on my own, but I so appreciate it when someone stops me and tells me a song means something to them. Thank you!!

You can find out more about Mersey on her website or via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok or YouTube.