A Scottish singer-songwriter living in Liverpool has spoken about how she organised a live UK tour off her own back.
Emilie Leslie is a student at Liverpool Music Academy in the Metquarter and has released three songs so far. She moved to the city from East Kilbride, near Glasgow, almost two years ago.
She had formed musical connections in Liverpool, but was finding it hard to get noticed elsewhere. That was until she by chance saw a post on HMV Instagram's page.
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Emilie told the ECHO: "They said they were doing live sets and wanted local artists. I volunteered for that, then said I could perform at Liverpool too.
"And then I just thought, if I reach out, maybe people would be happy with me performing there too." One gig in Glasgow has now expanded into a full tour after she contacted HMV shops across the country.
Now dates have been added in Inverness, Warrington, Belfast, Leeds, Aberdeen and Liverpool. Emilie said the tour feels like a "breakthrough" moment for her.
She added: "In different settings, it's been a little bit difficult to get gigs because people don't necessarily know who I am there. So I've just tried to branch out a little bit. I think it's gonna help me massively."
This is part of #hmvLiveAndLocal, which encourages upcoming artists to perform at their stores. Emilie is incredibly grateful for the opportunity.
She said: "The response has been amazing. Everybody is so willing to let me perform." The ECHO spoke to Emilie in the HMV store in Williamson Square where she will perform live in a few months.
Liverpool has been an important place for her. During her time at LMA, she has fallen in love in the city, becoming "submerged" in its music culture past and present. After completing her studies, she hopes to stay in the city too. However, there have been difficult moments since she moved.
Her upcoming single Two Worlds delves into a time where she felt deep homesickness. Emilie said: "During my first year here, I found it all so exciting. Because it was a new place, I felt like I was in a dream.
"Then one day in second year, my sister rang me and she was really upset. It was a moment where I realised that I loved being here, but at the same time I was desperate to be back home to see my family when things are difficult."
Thankfully, Emilie's homesickness has been alleviated by Glasgow's similarities to Liverpool. She said: "Everyone's so friendly here. People will stop me and say hi in the street, just like in Glasgow."
The clear, powerful narrative in Emilie's songs is a key part of how she views her music. She said: "I would say my music always tells a story. I like just the storytelling element of it because I know that people relate to it."
She cited one of her songs, Dangerous Game, as an example. This is because it focuses on uncertain events during a night out.
With a melancholic, soulful style, it's no wonder that Adele and Emeli Sande are inspirations to Emilie. A hero even closer to home is Lewis Capaldi, who used to perform in a pub around the corner from her house.
She said: "I never saw him perform at that point, but he's great. I look up to him so much." The odes to Scotland don't stop here.
Emilie has also released a cover of I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) which "gets the audience going" at gigs. This will hopefully be part of a wider catalogue of songs soon, with an EP or full album possibly on the way later this year.
Emilie's new single Two Worlds will be released on March 10. This can be pre-saved on Spotify and Apple Music here. Her tour will begin in HMV Glasgow on March 11, with a performance at HMV Liverpool on June 17.
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