Jemma's journey...

By Angela Spence

June 2013

See this article as it appears in the magazine

LISTENING to one of Jemma Tweedie's songs, it is easy to assume she has been a musician and songwriter for years. But that could not be further from the truth.

The 20-year-old student from Nairn only picked up a guitar 18 months ago and didn't start playing gigs until last August. Now she is about to embark on her first UK tour.

What is equally astounding is the fact that Jemma had no interest in pursuing a career as a musician – she didn't even pay that much attention to music.

But that all changed when her dad bought her an acoustic guitar for Christmas in 2011.

She said: "I was staying in uni halls, I didn't have a TV and there wasn't much to do apart from go out and get drunk, so the guitar soon became something that I just couldn't put down."

In her first year of a degree course in radiography at Glasgow Caledonian University, Jemma discovered a real love for music. She started paying more attention to the Glasgow music scene and taught herself to play covers from artists such as Johnny Cash and The Clash.

But Jemma soon grew bored of covers and by April 2012 she was writing her own material.

"I thought it would be good to write my own songs and maybe someone would be covering them one day."

Jemma's songwriting ability came as naturally as her affinity with the guitar and she unmasked a talent that some musicians can only dream of having. She remained unaware of her skill until she started gigging, but perhaps that was a blessing as it meant she could create music without any preconceived notions.

"I'd never really thought about the songwriting process or put that much work into it, I just got bored of covers and started writing."

"I think if I tried to rehearse it too much or stressed myself out about it too much I wouldn't enjoy it.

"I get inspiration from all over. It's mostly from conversations I have with people or places I go and situations I'm in. It's a nice way to express yourself and I find it very therapeutic.

"I always carry around a notebook so if a phrase comes into my head I will scribble it down or I'll text it to myself on my phone. Then when I'm playing guitar I quite often just mess around and find a new melody. Then I'll think of a topic and see what I have written down to go with that and it comes about that way."

Last August Jemma felt ready to share her songs and covers with others so she started performing at open mic nights in Glasgow.

"Sometimes when I was doing open mics the organisers would invite me back to do the wee 20-minute headline slot so that was good for building confidence."

She also supported a local band from Nairn called Hugo Drax when she was home from university.

"They would play for about two hours and have a half-hour break in between and they would let me go on and play during their break.

"That was quite good confidence-wise because there was no pressure, which is weird, but I feel more comfortable playing in front of people I know. Because I was local and there are people who know you, there is always someone to encourage you."

For Jemma it was all about the songs and she didn't give any thought to her actual singing voice.

But just as her abilities for making music came as a complete surprise to her, so did the fact that she could sing.

She said: "I'd only ever sung along to songs in the car but I thought everyone could sing and I didn't think of myself as being anything that special.

"It was more the songwriting I was interested in people liking than my voice, but then I discovered that people liked my voice as well so that was a bonus.

"The first time I actually sang in public for people was the New Year after I got my guitar. There was someone at a house party playing a song and everyone was singing along. I was the only person who knew the words to one particular verse so I just kept singing and everyone was like, 'where did that come from?'"

"Once I saw people taking an interest, and realised that I enjoyed doing it, it was just a matter of building confidence. At first I didn't dread playing live, but I'd almost be thankful if I got through it from start to finish. Now it's definitely what I want to do."

Although Jemma's musical gifts came easily, the recognition she is receiving as an artist is all down to her own hard work and determination. She has performed many gigs around Scotland and even supported Charlotte Church when she played at Bogbain Farm near Inverness last October.

"Yvonne from Bogbain told my dad they had a support slot they thought I might be interested in for someone quite big but she didn't tell us who.

"At that point I didn't have any demos recorded so I just sat in my room and sang into my laptop and sent Bogbain two or three really badly recorded songs. I just left it at that and didn't expect a shout. I didn't even know what it was for, so I'd kind of written it off.

"Then I got a phone call to tell me I got the slot and who I was supporting, and I was gobsmacked. Charlotte was lovely, really down to earth. She chatted away after the gig and she took one of my CDs and I took one of hers."

After putting together a rough demo for the Bogbain gig Jemma realised she needed to make a professional recording. Last October she released her first EP Two Hands with the help of Inverness musician Colin Fraser.

She said: "For my first EP I didn't really have a sound, I just threw everything on there. But it's had airplay on BBC radio and I've sold a lot more copies than I thought I would so I'm really happy with it."

The success of Jemma's EP has helped to raise her profile and she is now playing larger venues and supporting better-known artists. She was also nominated for the best acoustic category at this year's Scottish Alternative music Awards.

Recently Jemma supported singer/songwriter Billy Lockett when he performed a sold-out gig at King Tut's in Glasgow during his first headline UK tour, and will kick off her own UK tour in Aberdeen on 16 June, in association with Café Nero. Playing in 41 stores over 20 days, Jemma finishes in London on 4 July.

She said: "I've only done one gig in England before, at a train station in London as part of the Station Sessions, which was really bizarre. I expected it to be like glorified busking but a crowd of about 100 people gathered.

"I know I have a few English fans who are really excited about me going down so it will be really nice to meet them in person."

Jemma is also playing a number of festivals this summer, including goNorth, RockNess and the Cornbury Festival in Oxfordshire.

"It is massive to be playing all these festivals, especially because this time last year I wasn't even doing this!

"I'm hoping to play the Edinburgh Fringe too – if I do that's my goals for this year achieved – King Tut's, RockNess and the fringe."

Her goal for next year is to go to New Orleans for her 21st birthday and visit a couple of studios there, which she hopes will provide inspiration for her first album. In the meantime her university studies take priority.

"My classmates and tutors don't know about my musical career and they probably think I'm pretty weird when I come in half asleep at 9am after a gig the night before. I don't get involved in the whole student life because I just want to get the work done so I have less to do at home.

"The university course was only two days a week last year but next year I will be in pretty much every day, which will be tough. But as long as I pass and don't have to waste time doing re-sits I'm happy. The sooner I get it out of the way the sooner I can focus on what I want to do."

It is clear that Jemma's heart now lies solely with her music but she feels it is good to have something to fall back. However, if her future as a singer/songwriter is anywhere near as incredible as her journey so far, it is highly unlikely she will become a radiographer.

* For more information about Jemma Tweedie, visit www.jemmatweedie.com or visit her Facebook page.