She's fierce, she's fun, she's got an incredible voice and she's got the best hair you'll ever see, meet Merika! 
Tell me a bit about yourself...
Tell me a bit about yourself...
Oh wow, things like this always throw me! Well, my name is Merika. I’m a singer/session musician/songwriter, I basically just love to sing! I’m 22 years young, originally from the North of the UK but currently based in the South. Seeing where life will take me. I have a massive love for my family, elephants and big hair, representing natural curls all the way! I’m a sucker for detail, I adore accessories and shoes, usually trainers. I’m a mixed chick, proud of my Barbados culture and take my influence from my multicultural background by focusing on how it makes me feel.
What do you do?
Like previously mentioned, I’m a singer / session musician / songwriter. Currently working with Lebeaux as a backing vocalist. It is unreal how much fun I have performing with each individual. There is never a dull moment. Lebeaux’s vocals are just perfection! I’m also working with covers bands whilst I find the right producer to write my own material. I write my own melodies and lyrics, I’m just trying to establish what my own personal sound is. No rest for the wicked!
When did you get into music?
I don’t ever remember music not being in my life. I enjoyed school choirs and productions. My parents gave me the chance to learn any instrument, but I was just very impatient. I grew up with older siblings who loved music, brothers who DJs and a father who sung in a band at weekends. House full of noise! Never a quiet moment. We sung and danced around the house on a regular basis, especially me! My mum says I sung before I could speak. I didn't really start to take singing seriously till A Levels. It was a friend questioning my choices in A Levels and reminding me about my dream, she made me realise that I could make a career out of singing. Thanks to her, I wouldn't have pushed it the way I have! From then on, I never looked back.
My plans are to stay myself and establish what sound speaks ‘Merika’. I want to have fun! I would love to work with so many different talented musicians along my journey and see what comes of it. I want to continue helping other artists by adding backing vocals to their live performances, helping them with their visions. Alongside, writing writing writing music of my own. Hopefully one day I’ll see my name in lights, be known for my vocals and hard work. Keep your eyes peeled.
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My biggest influences are my family members. I admire all their hard work and constant determination. Without them I wouldn't be who I am today. The support we all give one another is just amazing and I couldn’t thank them enough. But vocally, I would say Lianne La Havas is a big influence. When she had her first appearance on Jools Holland, I was in awe. I heard her vocals and melted. She has such a gorgeous tone that is a little similar to mine. I love her! She is just so cool. I could go on but I’ll keep it at that...
Cats or dogs?
Dogs
Favourite food?
My Aunts Macaroni pie! Or literally my Mums cooking!
If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
Barbados (My gorgeous island)
All-time favourite song?
I couldn't just say one in particular but my favourite right now is Hold Up by Beyoncé. Such a summer banger!
If your friends could describe you in five words what would they be?
My friends are pretty brutal so it would be something like:
Air-head
Generous
Modest
Charismatic
Smiley
Must have beauty item?
I’m torn between lipstick and eyeliner...
A quote you live by is...
W.W.B.D - What would Beyoncé do?! or You have as many hours in a day as Beyoncé (As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of hers)
Dream holiday?
Ooo wow, I’d say the Maldives. Mmmmmm, sun sun sun! Or even just a holiday to spend time helping rescued and rehabilitate Elephants.
WHERE TO FIND MERIKA ::
TWITTER - @miimerika
INSTAGRAM - @miimerika
Keep your eyes in Merika's social media pages to find out about gigs, new music and to see what musical mischief she gets up to day to day!
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Meet the lovely Hannah Bown!
Music student by day, Singer Songwriter by night, Hannah has just released her debut EP so I snapped up the chance to snap some photos of her and have a chat about her future plans, EP releases and get to know her a little better...
Tell me a little bit about yourself ::
"I like to think I'm a pretty happy person, I'm quite friendly, I love being around people as I'm a bit of an extravert and I completely buzz off other peoples energy! I am witty and sarcastic so I like making people laugh (even if they're laughing at my stupidity...!) I love dancing, watching romantic comedies, having wine and fancy meals - I like to feel posh, even though I'm not at all! I like adventures, I get bored with being in the same place, I love to travel."
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What do you do?
"Well I’m a singer/songwriter obviously and I’m a student, so that takes up most of my time. I am hoping to do a PGCert after uni to go into music teaching and vocal coaching as I love teaching, it makes me feel good. Music is important to me but I also need a realistic money earning job as I would like to feel secure... and obviously so I can drink champagne every day haha!"
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When did you get into music?
"From a very young age music and dance was always a
big part of my life. I was
always singing and I’m pretty sure I thought I was the next Britney! But from the age of 13, it became more real doing open
mic nights and gigging working with my boyfriend at the time - we practiced a lot
and music was a big part of my life. When your 14 and going through family
struggle, that’s when it's easy to find an album and really connect to it. Mine was
Avril Lavigne Let Go and Under My Skin albums, I used to scream them in my room at the
top off my lungs! I studied music at college and since then I've been working with bands, gigging and really focusing on my music.
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Are you currently working on anything exciting?
"Yes! My first EP launch for my original songs, which is super exciting! It was released on the 13th May on Soundcloud (you can download it here!) This was a huge step for me, writing and putting my own music out there and I'm excited for everyone to hear my stuff."
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What are your future plans for your music career?
"At this point? I'm not too sure. Spending this year dedicating my time to writing and releasing my music was a huge thing for me, building a fanbase and an online presence was all new to me, I've always hidden away from it! I hope to release an album in the future."
Who are your biggest influences and inspirations?
"I'm hugely influenced by 90's pop music, I'm pretty sure I'm actually stuck int he 90's! I'm really in to Gabrielle Aplin, Birdie, Lauren Aquilina, Adele, Daughter, London Grammar, Foxes and then R'nB stuff, like Ella Eyre & Rihanna."
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Cats or Dogs? Dogs
Favourite Food? Italian
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Australia
Favourite TV Show? One Tree Hill!!
All-time favourite song? Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
If your friends could describe you in five words, what would they be? Witty, Supportive, Honest, Reliable, Organised.
Must have beauty item? Tweezers (Eyebrows are my obsession!)
A quote you live by is... 'Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.'
Dream Holiday? Italy
Fun Fact About Yourself? I have a blankie, I've had it since I was a baby and I can't sleep without it!
Hannah's EP was released on the 13th, so be sure to go and check it out.
CLICK TO LISTEN TO HANNAH'S EP!
Make sure you LIKE Hannah's Facebook page so you can stay up to date with new releases, updates and gigs!
I got the chance to chat to The Jesse Tree about his new EP, Hypnotised.
Find out about his music, influences and more about Jesse in the video below and make sure you go and download his EP 'Hypnotised' for FREE from BandCamp!
Find The Jesse Tree elsewhere ::
To listen to The Jesse Tree & download Hypnotised for FREE ::
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel for more videos with some up & coming artists & for weekly lifestyle and fashion videos!
Hello!
Today I thought I'd address the issue of picking universities. I know UCAS etc. means people have already made their choices for next September, but this is something I have wanted to write about for a long time. You'll know if you read my blog, I go to a music college, not a 'standard' university and making this decision wasn't easy at first!*
*This blog post will probably help those of you looking to do a similar thing to me, but may help in other circumstances too :) These are all my own opinions.
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| (I do not own this photo. Source: weheartit.com) |
I was worried if I studied music, I would lose my passion for it and that it would become my subject and no longer a hobby. I was also worried that I hadn't taken GCSE or A-level music and didn't know any theory, and the length of Year 13 (my last year of sixth form, when I had to make these decisions) wasn't long enough to learn it all. When I did a little research, I realised that I didn't actually have to know music theory for quite a few of the places I looked at, as it was going to be taught to me there.
It dawned on me one day when I realised I would have studied drama for three years, to come out of university still wanting to sing, that maybe there wasn't much point in studying drama! When I could of spent that time studying how to be the best at what I really want to do, learning the ins and outs of the industry and learning the best vocal techniques.
I study Professional Musicianship (I study Vocals, but this course is also in guitar, bass and drums!) at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music (BIMM) and I can honestly say it was the best decision I ever made. I looked at a few institutes in London and one in Liverpool, but Brighton was 100% the place for me. They started teaching theory from scratch and I realised I wasn't the only one that didn't know any. They have taught me what I need to work on and where my areas of weakness are. They have taught me what is great about my voice and performance and how to make that shine even more. They have taught me how to sing in different styles and what ones suit me best. They have also given me some amazing opportunities, masterclasses with incredible musicians and I got the chance to perform at their End Of Term gig, which was insane!
I don't want people to think taking a Music Degree is a doss. This course is not easy, and it's only going to get harder as I reach the end of my first year. It's part of Sussex university, so we do have to write essays and do presentations, it's not just singing and playing guitars on the beach all day! We do have to put the work in and although it's not a 'university' as such, we do get a full degree at the end of it!
I'm in no way saying everyone should do what I did, I'm just saying what I did and how it worked for me. This was just something I wanted to write, because if I'd of read something like this when making my decision, it probably really would of helped.
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Hello!
This is my February Favourites video!
If you like the video please give it a THUMBS UP and SUBSCRIBE to my channel!
I hope you like it!
What are your favourites this month?
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