Josephine Josephine… Doing just phine

Interview: Josephine

Published on April 24th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

Rocksucker was quite taken with “Portrait” by Manchester singer/songwriter Josephine during this recent singles roundup, and a summer’s worth of high-profile festival appearances lie in wait as reward for the success of last year’s acclaimed debut album of the same name. We fired her over some questions to find out a little bit more about her…

How would you describe your music, if pushed?

Folk in essence and Mancunian in lyricism and character.

What is your recording setup like?

I live in Manchester but don’t really spend a lot of time there because I gig a lot. Recording is a very varied process. It generally starts with me and a guitar. Then once me and my producer Leo Abrahams get started on production it can be anything from zithers to glass marimbas (and I can’t remember what those are actually called).

How did you come to the attention of Ark Recordings/Rubyworks?

Jamie from Ark Recordings came to a gig I did about eight years ago. I was in a very weird place label wise then as I was used to doing everything myself. After a brief stint on Island records, Jamie (who had continued to stay in touch) signed me to his label Ark and that, as they say, was that.

Which have been your most exciting gigs and/or overall moments so far?

My first headline tour has just finished and it was fantastic to play to audiences who knew the songs and had bought tickets to see me play. Dublin’s Sugar Club and AB Theatre, Brussels were particularly memorable.

Got any more coming up? (Gigs, that is…)

Cheltenham Jazz festival, Brighton Dome, Glastonbury, Lawnfest, T in the Park, the list goes on…

Are there any obscure and/or up-and-coming acts that you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?

Kieran Leonard, who supported me on tour is really great. Also, Lady like Lilly and Gideon Conn, all worth a listen.

Finally, if you were forced to spend the rest of your days in solitary confinement, but were allowed to bring the entire works of five different artists along to tide you over, whose would you choose?

Iron & Wine, Bob Dylan, Shakespeare, Milan Kundera and Charles Dickens.

Josephine, thank you.

Josephine - Portrait

Portrait, the debut album from Josephine, is out now on Ark Recordings/Rubyworks. You can buy Portrait from Amazon and from iTunes. For more information, please visit the official Josephine Oniyama website or her Facebook page.

Artists:

About the Author

Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.


2 Responses to Interview: Josephine

  1. Pingback: Interview: Ed Harcourt - Rocksucker

  2. Pingback: Rocksucker: Interview: Ed Harcourt | moonblogsfromsyb

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *