Dublin-based singer songwriter Ellen Arthur Blyth is set to release the title track of her upcoming debut album ‘Nine’ this March.
“Nine is about self doubt, the ongoing internal dialogue in your head that can keep you stuck. For me it’s about realising it’s always there and I need to live my life alongside it. I think in doing that there’s real freedom.”
Ellen shares
The track was recorded as part of her upcoming debut album ‘Nine’ in Hell Fire Studios, Dublin and produced by Alex Borwick, head engineer at the famed Grouse Lodge studios in Ireland. The music video for the track is a Hitchcock-inspired video and was shot in The Sally Gap in Co. Wicklow on a beautiful day in February. Directed by Rob Blyth, shot by Martin Osborne and starring Alexandra Moloney and Ellen Arthur Blyth.
What’s your story as an artist?
My love for singing and creativity started at a very young age. Being the youngest in a family of nine means you figure out what you’re good at quickly so that you can stand out from the crowd. I found traditional schooling a challenge and was unmotivated about schoolwork. When I went to BIMM in Brighton to study Vocals I realised I’d just been in the wrong place. I had so much energy, I was always at the top of the class eager to learn. I just felt at home.
What do you want your music to communicate?
Hope. I got very lost in my late teens and early 20’s and developed some unhealthy ways of coping. My music is about following your creativity and forgiving yourself.
What are some sources of inspiration for your storytelling?
My life. Everything I experience, love that’s gone wrong, love that’s gone right, getting sober, growing up and mental health.
What’s the record or artist that made you realize you wanted to be an artist?
I love female jazz singers.. I grew up listening to all the greats, Ella, Sarah, Peggy, Nina.. I would try and learn from their phrasing and just loved the magic that was present in their voices.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Nine is all about self-doubt. Its about trying to let go of the negative voices inside your head that you may have carried with you from childhood. I was riddled with self-doubt throughout the whole process of making the album which is also called Nine. It’s a nod to my childhood and being the youngest of Nine.
What inspires your sound?
Growing up in a house with 8 older siblings I was exposed to lots of different genres. My Dad loved jazz and musicals and my brothers were more into indie, punk and rock so have found I am inspired by many different sounds.
What’s your favourite tune of yours?
‘Keep Dreaming’ is one of the songs on my upcoming album Nine. It was the first song I wrote for the album and I wrote it to myself as a reminder not to give up. To keep dreaming, keep creating, keep believing in the magic of making art regardless of what other people think.
Where are some things you really want to accomplish as an artist?
I have a huge desire to connect with other people and I thinking music and song-writing is a beautiful way to achieve this.
On a practical level, I’d love to go on tour with the album and travel to different parts of the world meeting new people and sharing my music with them.
Favourite lyric you ever wrote?
“They might say you’ve no ambition, but you’re just travelling a different road they’ve not seen”
Was there ever a moment when you felt like giving up?
To be honest I feel like giving up regularly but I’m learning not to listen to what my head tells me.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
In the Artists Way Julia Cameron writes “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it’.
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
I’m the wrong person to ask. I find the industry as it currently is quite overwhelming and unpredictable. If I start second guessing what I’m ‘supposed’ to be doing I lose all my peace of mind.
