Amy-Jo is ready to release her new single, “Love Before the Internet.” She is an adventureress who brings her adventures into her songs. Here to entertain, she is fast squeezing the lemon of success, appearing in headline shows around the UK and developing a growing audience of enthusiasts.
Picking up from where we left off, there was the contemplation about what happened next. Amy Jo had been singing and posting songs in lockdown, had completed a first degree with the Open University, was considering doing an MA and was unsure about whether a full-time music career was for her. Two years on and the music career is taking off; she is hitting the live shows around the UK and the MA is successfully in the bag.
Amy-Jo: It is strange when you stop and look at things—how matters change over even two years. You rarely get the chance to just stop and think about how things are changing. I did finish the first degree, which I loved and I continued throughout to work on and perfect my songwriting. I got into the LSE, which was an amazing experience. This was a time when I was in London every day, so that changed my outlook and it was a big step for me; I got over my worries about the tube and things like that! And in terms of music, the releases have kept coming (“Caught Me on a Bad Day” has over 105k listens now on Spotify), and many have gone really well, better than I could have ever imagined. These last few months, since I made the decision to concentrate on my music career, have seen me gain momentum. Where previously I felt I was at the start, trying to build up momentum, now I feel I am more in the middle with it and I am like in the middle of the wheel, trying to keep it spinning.
We live in a different era of music production when nearly everyone can make music in a back bedroom and get it out there. It doesn’t necessarily mean everyone should, as the quality control has gone haywire! But better artists like Amy Jo can still swim through the crazy amount of music released to streaming (see our October editorial) by getting out there and developing the live audience. Amy Jo appears to be involved now in building that live audience, where previously she was tied into her MA.
Amy-Jo: I fully agree with that. The last few months, post-MA, I went headfirst into music with a ‘it’s now or never’ mentality. I have been writing songs for fifteen years and I have so many that I am enthused about playing live. I played a set in London that you guys came to see and now I am playing shows around the country and developing the audience base that is so important.
The magazine sent Roy and Hazel to see the show in London (review link here) and they commented:
‘The intimacy of the venue allowed for crowd interaction, with the audience invited to sing along, participating in the call-and-response moments. Thanks to Amy Jo’s stage presence, it felt less like a concert and more like a gathering of old friends, united by their love for country music.’
Festival.Amy-Jo: The whole act of bringing people in, collecting an audience and retaining the audience is vital. This is what you have to do as an independent artist, and the selling of tickets, the promotion side—there is so much to do. Festivals, for example, are something I am seriously looking at, and hopefully they may be on the agenda for me next year. In August this year, I was part of the British Country Music Festival. I was on the bill at the Horseshoe Pavilion stage, which was the acoustic set-up. As I was last on, I was able to watch most of the acts prior to my slot, and I enjoyed that; I like to see the other performers and what they do.
The development of the audience is very important, and retaining that audience (for us as a magazine too!) Is Amy-Jo starting to recognise some familiar faces?
Amy-Jo: That is one of my favourite things. I do look out and I start to see some familiar faces; it is like seeing an old friend! I remember specific things about the faces in the crowd, and I may see them a year later and if they spoke to me, I will remember where they are from or some other little detail, which they like. I think I genuinely care to listen and I make a huge effort to be present for the people who come up to me. They have taken time from their day to come and see me, so I see the importance of what I need to do in return. I do pride myself in that. There are the familiar faces in the shows now, and there are people on line who may not come to shows but will comment on every photo or YouTube video, so I notice this. There are also the Spotify listeners who will just wait for any new track to arrive on Spotify; they don’t really follow on social media; they are just waiting for new material to stream. But that is the part I love and live for. I want to feel connected to these people and I have watched it grow over time. My advice for any artist who wants to see that growth is to appreciate those that are there; don’t get too hung up over trying to get the numbers to grow; give the attention to those who are there and who return. Give them the value they deserve. No one will give you more unless you value the ones you have.
We think that the music business failed to protect musicians lines of finance when streaming came in. It has forced artists to turn toward merchandise and touring for revenue as opposed to record sales as in the past.
Amy Jo: With streaming, there is very little in it for the artist, but when the industry has given out so much for free, it is difficult to expect people to go on and donate or something. We have lost, especially with the young, the sense of music as a commodity or as something that they pay for, as there is an expectation that they will get it for free. It is so easily available for free, so how do you monetise it when it is so available out there?
Also since we last met, Amy-Jo has developed a slight image change. From a girl next door look with the long skirts standing in the field, she has gone to the slightly rockier look with the leathers, rings and so forth.
Amy-Jo: I do experiment with the image side, but I never know if people notice! I am influenced by certain things; I do like the rings and the hat that goes with country, but I have been influenced by a more urban look from being in London, so I like to mix country style with an urban vibe too. I like my look to reflect my person.
We must turn towards the new single that Amy-Jo is releasing, and as we hadn’t heard it at the time of the interview (around 2 weeks pre-release), we thought she could tell us about it. The single is out November 8, and we are timing this feature to coincide with that date.
Amy-Jo: It’s called “Love Before the Internet,” and I have been performing this live now for about 18 months in shows, acoustically with my guitarist Callum, and he also produced this. It is a one-man talented band here! But as we performed this, every gig would see people come up to tell us that this was a favourite. Someone actually wrote me a handwritten note to tell me what their life was like pre-internet. This was crazy; he had written it during the show and then gave me it afterwards. Some people say it made them cry; others would complain if I didn’t perform it at a certain show and they had come specifically for that one; it was gaining so much traction I felt that I had to put the track out. It is an interesting story as I am the narrator in the song, but I’m not talking about myself; I’m too young! I came out of the womb and was on the net! The song tells of a couple before the internet and the girl works part-time at a village cafe; he has never really left his town and they are heading to the diner. It is a simple tale, a made-up story that seems to have connected so well with my listeners.
Different styles of music have their place at different times of the day! One of our reviewers, Anna-Louise, likes to say that jazz is for late, late night listening when you are on the sofa, pop to wake you up, rock while you drive down the motorway and country when you are cooking or in the shower! How does she feel her songwriting is developing to connect to her growing base?
Amy-Jo: Increasingly, I am looking to try and be a bit more witty in my songwriting, introducing a bit of subtle humour in the lyrics; that will come through in my following songs. I like to approach more serious topics with a bit of humour, and my personality is a positive one, so that comes through, I hope.
Our reviewers at your London show noted how you mixed up your material with some classics like “Jolene.” Is it hard getting the balance, as everyone knows the classics, yet you want to bring your music in?
Amy-Jo: It depends on the venue. If I’m doing a festival, but it’s maybe in a pub, then I will play more covers than originals, but mostly I try to include far more originals by ratio. I think that people who are willing to come to headline shows of mine are the coolest of people ever. Those people are willing to try something new, which many people aren’t willing to do; they are willing to listen to the stories that may be something they don’t easily relate to but they will listen. And, lastly, they become part of something that is largely unknown to the rest of the music world; they are in this room together listening to the same thing while the rest of the world is unaware. All of those things make somebody so cool who is willing to give new artists a try.
And a last point was over anything else that Amy-Jo could share with us all before she headed off!
Amy-Jo: There is an up-coming show in Blackpool, which is on November 21. It is the last headline show from my first headline tour. We did Lancaster, Milton Keynes, Bowness-on-Windermere and now Blackpool. The venue is ‘Dirty Blondes.’ It is part of the ‘Friends We Meet Along the Way’ Tour, the premise being that these are friends, songwriters I have met within my time in the industry. So I have Ryan Cregan on the bill too, a vocal piano player who plays a diverse range of well-known music, applying his own interpretations using influences of soul, reggae, blues and R&B. Also, Kev Kendal, who does self-penned acoustic-based material (tickets available here). In the Lancaster show, I had my Lancaster friends with me; in the Bowness show and Milton-Keynes, I had my friends from there and Blackpool is where it ends. But I am currently planning part two next year, so that is in the works. But this is the last headline show to grab now before maybe September 2025.
I hope you liked the review. If you liked what I did, then please show your appreciation by buying me a coffee at the link below. It always makes me smile! Also, hang around a bit and check out our features, reviews and merchandise. Nice having you here!
Artist website here
Stream music by Amy-Jo here
By Mark C. Chambers
and
Lorraine Foley
