MEG BIRD - Heart Of A Lioness
It is always a pleasure and privilege to hear a young artist at the beginning of their recording career. Especially when it dawns with an accomplished and assured debut album that is excitingly fresh, and leaves the listener sure in the knowledge that this is just the beginning and that there will be much more to come.
Once such artist is Meg Bird whose album Girls Like Lions is reviewed elsewhere in these pages. Meg is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, and has performed in numerous venues across London, and taking her music as far as The Blue Arroww in Glasgow.
What is immediately apparent in Meg's singing is the desire to look at her chosen repertoire from a different angle, always seeking something fresh to say, and this trait is also carried through to her own song writing.
It was therefore a real pleasure to talk to Meg about her album, along with her writing and influences.
Firstly, can you tell us about your debut album, Girls Like Lions?
I’d have to say the album was something of a lockdown project for me. I graduated in 2020 so didn’t have the experience of a final recital and then had a period, like everyone else, of not being able to perform or play with other people at all. So, I had all these pent up musical ideas and urges and they really all culminated in this one project!
The album has a very eclectic repertoire. How did you choose the songs for the recording?
I’m an incredibly indecisive person. I used to feel such pressure to commit to one particular style, be it jazz, singer-songwriter, pop and I would try to limit myself, but I just couldn’t commit to one thing. One of my very wise teachers at Guildhall, Sara Colman, once sat me down and said that I could sing however many styles of music that I like. They would fit together because it was me that was singing them. My criteria, therefore, was to choose songs I really loved to sing, and could imagine singing over and over again for many years to come and that is certainly the case with the songs that made it on to the album.
You also wrote three of the songs, the title track, 'Weather The Storm' and 'Reason To Return'. Is song writing something that you have always been interested in, and can you tell us about the songs?
Song writing was always something I aspired to and it was really during lockdown that I found the confidence, time and space to do it. ‘Not Yet A Lion’ is inspired by a poem ‘Here Are Girls Like Lions’ by Elisabeth Hewer. It is such a powerful poem, painting a brilliant picture of strong, fiercely brave, ambitious women. However, there was a part of me, when I first read this poem, that questioned why women must have ‘claws like dragons’ or ‘hurricane hands’ in order to be powerful. I very often feel the total opposite of that. Does that make me any less of a woman, or a feminist? I wanted to write a response to this poem that acknowledges that power isn’t always strength and courage. It has many different forms. Weather The Storm’ and ‘Reason To Return’ were both written at the height of the pandemic. I had just graduated, and had a job working in a pub. I would wander around in the quiet moments of my shift, humming the tunes, writing the lyrics, trying to figure out the time signatures and then record them on my phone on my walk home. I revisited those recordings over the November lockdown and began to harness them and arrange them properly. There’s lots of imagery about nature which, I think, reflected my need to go on a holiday at the time!
Once such artist is Meg Bird whose album Girls Like Lions is reviewed elsewhere in these pages. Meg is a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music, and has performed in numerous venues across London, and taking her music as far as The Blue Arroww in Glasgow.
What is immediately apparent in Meg's singing is the desire to look at her chosen repertoire from a different angle, always seeking something fresh to say, and this trait is also carried through to her own song writing.
It was therefore a real pleasure to talk to Meg about her album, along with her writing and influences.
Firstly, can you tell us about your debut album, Girls Like Lions?
I’d have to say the album was something of a lockdown project for me. I graduated in 2020 so didn’t have the experience of a final recital and then had a period, like everyone else, of not being able to perform or play with other people at all. So, I had all these pent up musical ideas and urges and they really all culminated in this one project!
The album has a very eclectic repertoire. How did you choose the songs for the recording?
I’m an incredibly indecisive person. I used to feel such pressure to commit to one particular style, be it jazz, singer-songwriter, pop and I would try to limit myself, but I just couldn’t commit to one thing. One of my very wise teachers at Guildhall, Sara Colman, once sat me down and said that I could sing however many styles of music that I like. They would fit together because it was me that was singing them. My criteria, therefore, was to choose songs I really loved to sing, and could imagine singing over and over again for many years to come and that is certainly the case with the songs that made it on to the album.
You also wrote three of the songs, the title track, 'Weather The Storm' and 'Reason To Return'. Is song writing something that you have always been interested in, and can you tell us about the songs?
Song writing was always something I aspired to and it was really during lockdown that I found the confidence, time and space to do it. ‘Not Yet A Lion’ is inspired by a poem ‘Here Are Girls Like Lions’ by Elisabeth Hewer. It is such a powerful poem, painting a brilliant picture of strong, fiercely brave, ambitious women. However, there was a part of me, when I first read this poem, that questioned why women must have ‘claws like dragons’ or ‘hurricane hands’ in order to be powerful. I very often feel the total opposite of that. Does that make me any less of a woman, or a feminist? I wanted to write a response to this poem that acknowledges that power isn’t always strength and courage. It has many different forms. Weather The Storm’ and ‘Reason To Return’ were both written at the height of the pandemic. I had just graduated, and had a job working in a pub. I would wander around in the quiet moments of my shift, humming the tunes, writing the lyrics, trying to figure out the time signatures and then record them on my phone on my walk home. I revisited those recordings over the November lockdown and began to harness them and arrange them properly. There’s lots of imagery about nature which, I think, reflected my need to go on a holiday at the time!
There is a real empathy with the musicians in the band, very tight but leaving room for improvisation. Is this your regular working band, or just assembled for the recording?
This is a band I have played with a lot! Jay Verma and I have been playing together since my second year at Guildhall and have always had an amazing rapport. It was such a joy to then add Harry and Seth to that mix in the months leading up to the recording. We were also incredibly lucky to have the time to have 4 days of rehearsal in the lead up to the recording too, so we were very in tune with each other by the time the recording came about.
One of the wonderful aspects of the music is the rapport between you and trumpeter Alexandra Ridout. It's a brave move as the trumpet could have dominated proceedings but the way the two of you played together is quite special. Had you worked with Alexandra before, and if so in what context?
Myself and Alex had never played together in a small band context like that. In fact, we had only really played together in function bands and big bands in our early years at college! But we always really got on, and I knew she would understand the vision and style of the music. It really was such a joy to play with her!
The album was recorded with Claire Martin's Soup To Nuts Productions. Can you tell us about the recording and working with Claire?
The recording was the highlight of the process for me, and Claire really made the whole experience much less daunting. She had so many incredible insights, from having an extra day in the studio, to which picture to use for the album artwork, she was just such an fantastic mentor. We recorded the album in April 2021, just as the world opened up again (I think this was the beer garden stage!), so to be in a room, playing music that I loved, with 5 incredible friends and musicians, felt like such a privilege!
How did you become interested in music, and jazz in particular?
I come from a very musical family. My father is an actor who plays the piano brilliantly and writes great songs, and my mum is a Methodist minister who loves Ella Fitzgerald and, according to her, spent the whole of the 90s listening only to jazz. When I was around 7, I contracted chicken pox and had to have two weeks off school. To keep me entertained, my dad took a trip to HMV and returned with a copy of Calamity Jane and High Society on DVD. I absolutely loved them. I developed something of an obsession for old musicals, and there was then a fairly natural transition from Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney CDs to Frank, Ella and Louis.
This is a band I have played with a lot! Jay Verma and I have been playing together since my second year at Guildhall and have always had an amazing rapport. It was such a joy to then add Harry and Seth to that mix in the months leading up to the recording. We were also incredibly lucky to have the time to have 4 days of rehearsal in the lead up to the recording too, so we were very in tune with each other by the time the recording came about.
One of the wonderful aspects of the music is the rapport between you and trumpeter Alexandra Ridout. It's a brave move as the trumpet could have dominated proceedings but the way the two of you played together is quite special. Had you worked with Alexandra before, and if so in what context?
Myself and Alex had never played together in a small band context like that. In fact, we had only really played together in function bands and big bands in our early years at college! But we always really got on, and I knew she would understand the vision and style of the music. It really was such a joy to play with her!
The album was recorded with Claire Martin's Soup To Nuts Productions. Can you tell us about the recording and working with Claire?
The recording was the highlight of the process for me, and Claire really made the whole experience much less daunting. She had so many incredible insights, from having an extra day in the studio, to which picture to use for the album artwork, she was just such an fantastic mentor. We recorded the album in April 2021, just as the world opened up again (I think this was the beer garden stage!), so to be in a room, playing music that I loved, with 5 incredible friends and musicians, felt like such a privilege!
How did you become interested in music, and jazz in particular?
I come from a very musical family. My father is an actor who plays the piano brilliantly and writes great songs, and my mum is a Methodist minister who loves Ella Fitzgerald and, according to her, spent the whole of the 90s listening only to jazz. When I was around 7, I contracted chicken pox and had to have two weeks off school. To keep me entertained, my dad took a trip to HMV and returned with a copy of Calamity Jane and High Society on DVD. I absolutely loved them. I developed something of an obsession for old musicals, and there was then a fairly natural transition from Doris Day and Rosemary Clooney CDs to Frank, Ella and Louis.
Click on the album cover to read our review
Is there any musicians who have been a particular influence on your development as a vocalist?
So many! As a vocalist, one of my greatest influenced is Cecile McLorin Salvant. I have learnt so much from listening to her. Her sound is so fresh and modern, whilst also being completely routed in the traditions of jazz music. I could, of course, never forget the greats, Ella, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln. I am always discovering new things from them. I would also have to include Joni Mitchell in there. Her song writing and lyricism is a constant inspiration to me, and there is a wisdom in every word she sings, especially in her later recordings.
And plans for the future?
Short-term I am continuing to write a new music, embarking on a new musical chapter. I’m really excited to have 2 gigs coming up in the summer, too. I am playing the Spice of Life on the 5th May, and the Vortex on the 23rd June, featuring some of songs from the album, with plenty of new repertoire thrown in there too. Long-term, I hope to record some of that new music and, (fingers crossed!), take that a little further afield!
So many! As a vocalist, one of my greatest influenced is Cecile McLorin Salvant. I have learnt so much from listening to her. Her sound is so fresh and modern, whilst also being completely routed in the traditions of jazz music. I could, of course, never forget the greats, Ella, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln. I am always discovering new things from them. I would also have to include Joni Mitchell in there. Her song writing and lyricism is a constant inspiration to me, and there is a wisdom in every word she sings, especially in her later recordings.
And plans for the future?
Short-term I am continuing to write a new music, embarking on a new musical chapter. I’m really excited to have 2 gigs coming up in the summer, too. I am playing the Spice of Life on the 5th May, and the Vortex on the 23rd June, featuring some of songs from the album, with plenty of new repertoire thrown in there too. Long-term, I hope to record some of that new music and, (fingers crossed!), take that a little further afield!
For more information visit Meg's website at megbird.co.uk
You can purchase Girls Like Lions from Meg's Bandcamp page
You can purchase Girls Like Lions from Meg's Bandcamp page
