Esme Bridie
With the release of her latest single Don’t Tell Me What To Do, Liverpool musician Esme Bridie tells us about how different instruments help her write, the other musicians in her family and what to expect from her forthcoming EP.
Has a career in music always been something you’ve aspired to?
I was about 13 or 14 when I started playing the guitar, and as soon as I’d learnt, like, three chords it was something I became obsessed with! Obviously then I was still a child and just enjoyed playing and writing songs, but pretty soon I knew that it was a big thing for me and that I wanted to keep doing it.
How do you write your songs - do you have a process?
It kind of varies per song. Usually I’ll have a lyric idea or a theme of something that I want to write about that’s maybe been brewing up for a while, then I’ll sit down with my guitar and kind of see what comes out. I feel like sometimes songs almost just fall out - I’ve heard other people talk about that kind of flow state, when a song just overcomes you. I feel like the best songs come from that, but it’s very rare! Most of the time it takes a little while. Songwriting is like any other musical skill, you have to keep working at it, and not every song’s going to be the next single.
Do you play any instruments aside from the guitar?
Yeah, I play the ukulele and the keyboard. Mainly the guitar, but I do enjoy playing ukulele and keyboard for songwriting purposes - if I get stuck in the same chords on the guitar another instrument feels different and makes you write differently!
Are you from Liverpool originally?
I’m from the Wirral, which is just across the water, but I moved to Leeds for university - I went to the Leeds College Of Music for three years.
Is there much of a music scene in Liverpool?
I would say so, definitely. I love it here for music, it’s quite supportive between artists which is cool. Leeds does as well, although in my experience it seems more jazz-focused as there’s a lot of jazz musicians coming out of the music college, whereas in Liverpool there’s more of an indie vibe. One of the reasons I came back to Liverpool is because I felt the scene here is more specific to the music I’m making.
Do you tour around much?
I’ve been focusing recently on playing with my band mostly - I used to play a lot of gigs solo, but I feel like a band sound is what I’m going for now. In some ways I’ve scaled down the amount of gigs so I can just play with my band. We’ve done a few things recently, we played in London at The Grace in Highbury, but other than that mostly local shows.
How many are in your band, and how did you all meet?
There’s four of us - aside from me there’s a drummer, bassist and guitarist. The bassist is actually my brother, the drummer I met through recording with him, as he also does some production and recording, and the guitarist I went to uni with in Leeds! We all know each other really well, and they bring such a great energy and sometimes help with ideas for my songs. My dad is the other musician in the family - he played guitar, which was kind of my way in.
Are you involved much in the production of your music?
I don’t know much of the technical stuff, but I have plenty of ideas! My producer, Sam, is my drummer and one of the reasons I wanted to work with him is because we know each other really well and I trust him to take on board what I want.
How long were you performing solo for?
A long while! Since going to uni at 18 - I used to perform a lot of open mics at first, and then throughout studying I performed mainly solo. My first single came out in 2018.
What do you have coming up soon?
Basically I’ve been building up to an EP, and I’m releasing five singles from that. It’s coming out at the end of March, the 31st. I hope I’ll be playing live around then to support it too. I’m also hoping to build off that and maybe have some opportunities off the back of it. I’d like to play some festivals - gotta get those applications in! That’s a goal of mine that I’d really like to achieve this summer. I’d like to play a few more cities with the band as well.
What do you like to do with your spare time away from music?
I like to knit, and I’ve also started bouldering, like climbing. It’s climbing walls, but you don’t go that high so you don’t have a rope or anything. I’m getting stronger from doing it, it’s definitely a good way to exercise!
Words: Scott Bates