Suzanne Gailey On the Making Of ‘Plain Speaking’
How did you come up with the theme?
My songs are very candid and honest so ‘Plain Speaking’ felt like the right title!
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for 'Plain Speaking?'
The songs on the EP were written at different times in my life some such as “Patience” and “Epilogue” just came to me straight away others such as “Nowhere Left” and “Eyes Wide Shut” took a while to turn it into the final version on the recording but I don’t recall any challenges just a longer creative process!
Which song(s) do you like the best and why?
I love all the songs on the EP, different ones fit for different moods! I love the power of “Epilogue” and the beauty of “Patience,” the emotion of “Driftwood” makes it a great one to sing and both Nick and I became very emotional during the recording of this one. “Nowhere Left” has become quite a signature song for me and of course “Eyes Wide Shut” sounds amazing particularly with that slide guitar!!. I loved working with mulit instrumentalist Nick Williams who has done an amazing job in producing and recording and making the songs what they are.
Can you share a bit about your musical background and the journey that led you to where you are today?
I was classically trained on the piano from a young age until I got distracted by punk and rock! After rediscovering my need to create and perform music I studied vocal technique at the Institute of Contemporary Music in London, picked up the guitar and started writing songs. Following a move to Brighton I created and performed for a short time in the avant guard vocal group WAWM and following that I began writing and performing as a solo artist.
How do you approach the process of creating a new song or melody?
I normally start jamming on the guitar and then shortly after that the melody appears followed by the words!