Banks’ music is a bit of everything, a lovely Woolworth’s sweet aisle full of soul, jazz, pop, heck just about anything. Genres schmenres, it’s all the same here and that’s the beauty of it all. It’s boundary-less, free and floating. Wonderful. Check the music out and check this interview out. Peace.
First song you ever wrote?
The first song I ever wrote was when I was about nine. I can’t remember if it had a title, but it was about how much I loved Spongebob SquarePants. I had my Dad’s little recording box and played bass, guitar and keys, and did the backing vocals too. I took my love of Spongebob incredibly seriously.
First instrument you played?
The first instrument I ever played was the piano.
First band you ever saw live?
The first band I ever saw live was McFly. It was a day festival where lots of acts played, and I remember being fascinated at how all the singers sounded live!
I remember telling some family when I was around 11 that music was going to be my life.
First gig you ever played?
The first gig I ever did was probably around age six. My mum used to do concerts for her pupils to get performance experience and I would just jump in somewhere and sing ‘Bobby’s Girl’ – probably horrendously.
You attended two extremely prestigious music schools, how early on did you realise that music was your calling?
I remember telling some family when I was around 11 that music was going to be my life. They all thought it was hilarious that I had just decided that!
Was the initial decision to embark on a solo career a daunting one? What inspired you to go for it?
I wasn’t too worried about embarking on a solo career – I had been making a comfortable living as a jazz musician and knew I could always fall back on that if I needed to. My friend Gareth Malone was actually the reason I went for it. It was his idea for me to start writing and recording my own music and he helped me get going with everything.
Most of the ideas I have are when I’m on the train or walking around.
How do you go about writing a new song? Is it a lengthy process?
Sometimes I sit at the piano or with a guitar and just record myself improvising, then take whatever I like from it until there’s enough for a song. Other times my producer sends me tracks and I just write the top line over it. But most of the ideas I have are when I’m on the train or walking around: I just record a voice memo on my phone and turn it into a song later.
Can you pinpoint any musicians who have directly inspired your own work?
There are lots of incredible musicians I admire, but I couldn’t pinpoint any individual artist!
With ‘Hearts’
being a somewhat autobiographical song, do you feel that sharing your personal
experiences with fans is important?
I guess it makes them feel closer to you,
but I don’t know if it’s always important to share your experiences with
fans. I just do because it’s good therapy for me to write about things
that happen in my life!
Your music is heavily jazz-influenced – do you feel it’s important to keep the genre alive and relevant for new generations?
It will always stay alive in a sense as it has had such a massive influence on so many artists and other genres. My love of jazz came from people like Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald – I find the way they tell such emotive stories so incredibly captivating to listen to. This is the jazz I’m passionate about, and I think it’s really important people keep hearing this.
Listen to Naomi Banks on Spotify and Apple Music.
