Hey Tay, introduce yourself to our campers.

So my name is Tay and I’m from a little seaside town in the North East but moved to Manchester at 16 to study song writing and pursue my music career. Hands down this has been the best decision I’ve made in my life, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and play with so many talented musicians that have pushed me to grow as a musician and an individual.

You just released your debut EP Painfully Aware, what can you tell me about it?

Painfully Aware is a collection of songs that really introduce what my music is about and what I want to achieve with it. Music is such a powerful tool in our society and I truly believe that it should be used to empower people and also criticised taboos within today's society - the tracks ‘Ladybird’ and ‘Screens’ are the best examples of that.

What can you tell me about the song ‘South’?

‘South’ is actually one of the oldest songs on the EP, I wrote it when I was around 17. Within our society we are so obsessed with love and relationships and I believe that this narrative causes people, including myself at times, to crave that intimacy with someone which is unhealthy. 

Give me an insight into recording the EP, how was that?

It's a funny one because it was actually recorded over a two years span. We did two of the tracks back in December 2019 and then recorded the other three in December in 2020. Like with every musician, the pandemic really messed up a lot of my plans. Originally the EP was planned to come out much earlier but I wanted to showcase it with a launch gig so I held onto it for a while so it could have the moment it deserved.

You’re from Manchester, what’s your best fact about the city?

That it is the greenest city in Britain. Coming from a small seaside town, I grew up around greenery and nature so I love that Manchester has so many spots of land that you can just enjoy - plus Sale water park is just a 10 minute tram ride away from the centre and it's a gorgeous park to walk round.

What are you up to for the rest of 2021?

Now that the EP is out and I’ve done the headline show I’m taking a step back to recoup, regroup and get everything in order for 2022 as we have a lot of new material I’m working on.

Social media; love it or hate it?

It’s weird but I’d say both. I see social media as a tool for my business to promote and engage with my followers but I have also discovered loads of my favourite artists through social media. Then on the other hand it can sometimes take over in the fact that I feel the need to always be active and struggle to turn off. I think it's the same with anything, balance is key.

If you could work with anyone, who would it be?

Oooof that is a hard one. I’d LOVE to write a song with Stevie Nicks, like oh my god I would dieeeeeee of happiness but then I’d really like to work with YONAKA or Wolf Alice.

What’s the most embarrassing song/album on your favourite playlist?

I wouldn’t say I had anything embarrassing but I would say ‘I Love It’ by Iconca Pop is a guilty pleasure of mine that always comes on at pre drinks. 

If you could recommend one artist to hear this week, who would it be?

Wet Leg - I saw them supporting Inhaler the other week at the O2 Ritz and they just blew me away - the lead singer has an insane voice and her guitar was beautiful too. 

What’s the question we should have asked you today but haven’t?

What's my favourite meal - answer Teesside delicacy Chicken Parmo (laughs). You can actually watch me make it on my YouTube channel, it was a right laugh!

Finally, how do you take your coffee?

My go-to is a latte with caramel pecan syrup - but I’ll also settle for milky instant with a spoon of sugar.

To see what Tay is up to you can check out her Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can buy Tay’s music on Bandcamp.