Photo: Geena Sharma Singh Photography
This week has been half hard work and half holiday, but with many exciting developments! Both at home and in America I had some amazing weather and took some beautiful photos, which I have included in the blog, along with details on what I’ve been up to!
Monday: On Monday, me and my awesome videographer (and friend), Geena headed to Flamborough in the East Riding of Yorkshire for our first day of filming the video for my song ‘Alive’. We got some beautiful shots of the amazing scenery around there and some performance shots. We got lucky with the weather as it was 26 degrees Celsius and wall to wall sunshine! So excited to finish filming and share this video!
Tuesday: Tuesday was spent practising piano, packing and generally getting ready to go away!
Wednesday: On Wednesday I flew to Florida for the start of my two week holiday in America and the Caribbean. The best part of long haul travel for me is that I have so many uninterrupted hours at my disposal, which I can use to catch up on work! I managed to respond to three sets of interview questions, write all my notes on the mixes for my upcoming album and read and write notes on my book on music marketing. Very productive and relaxing times for me!
Thursday: I had a lovely morning walk to start off the day and then I went to the mall. I’m ashamed to say that a big shopping spree always makes me feel good, and this was definitely one of best shopping trips I’ve ever had! So I left feeling very happy, especially after a great Chinese meal!
I also made my Thursday Twenty playlist and it’s even more varied than usual!
Also, ‘Music, Musings and Such’ did an interview feature on me, which was awesome, so have a read if you are interested in my inspirations, my ambitions and my favourite musicians!
Friday: On Friday I went for another amazing walk, this time along the boardwalks to the lake, which was so relaxing and pretty! I took some gorgeous pictures 🙂 After that I spent the day by the pool reading and catching up on emails, as well as submitting songs for sync placement consideration.
Saturday: After a four hour drive first thing, we made it to Miami around midday to board a cruise bound for the Caribbean! I didn’t get much work done this day as I was too busy drinking cocktails and dancing at the sail away party!
I did upload a teaser video for the live acoustic session of ‘Lead Me Down’ to my YouTube channel though, which I’m really excited about! Check it out below!
I was also featured on the ‘Readers Recommend’s ‘Sounds on Sunday’, playlist, which was lovely!
Sunday: The first day at sea on the cruise so I spent the day exploring the ship, drinking more cocktails and having a lovely massage! Very relaxing times… managed to get some work done too which was nice!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and enjoyed seeing some holiday pictures! I will no doubt have many more next week!
![IMG_6086[1]](https://sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_60861.jpg?w=840)
I’ve been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks due to being on holiday in Portugal! It was great to get away for a while and let off some steam, especially as I saw some great DJs whilst I was there! Although I spent the week not really working, my new video to Deja Vu did premiere this week, which was awesome! Instead of my day by day Rundown I’m just going to go over my highlights of the last two weeks!
Filming Live Lounge videos: Just before I went to Portugal I filmed some live lounge style videos of four of my original songs. We did the loop pedal versions of my songs, which only people who have seen me perform live will have seen before, so I’m very excited to share those soon!
Brunch at Purobeach: One of my favourite days of the holiday… chilled deep house vibes with a daytime pool party! Such a beautiful pool with an amazing DJ and food and drinks! Most of this week’s Thursday Twenty tracks were taken from what I heard at this party!
Seville: I took my best friend to Seville for her (belated) birthday present and it was such a beautiful city! We went to see the Alcazar Palace as it has featured in Game of Thrones and we had such a great tapas lunch in a local restaurant. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city which was lovely but slightly too hot at 45 degrees Celsius!
![IMG_4573[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_45731.jpg?w=276&h=276&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_4573[1]")
Ingrosso at Bliss: Whilst we were in Portugal we went out everyday but this had to be one of the best nights we had. Ingrosso was so good but his support, Salvatore Ganacci, was even better as he was a real character and really entertaining to watch!
![IMG_6107[1]](https://sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_61071.jpg?w=225&h=300)
Deja Vu Premiere: The video for my third song off the Experiments EP dropped on Wednesday on the blog, ‘Musicandotherstories’ and on YouTube… I’m really happy to be able to share it! This is the most dancey and summery song from the EP so it seemed like the perfect time to share the video, when I was on holiday myself! Check it out!
Boat trip to the islands: The second part of my friend’s birthday present was a trip to four of the islands in the Algarve, including Deserta Island. I loved seeing the different islands and doing something I hadn’t done before in Portugal. My favourite island was Farol as we found an amazing beach bar with a party atmosphere and awesome sangria!
![IMG_6269[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_62691.jpg?w=330&h=330&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6269[1]")
![IMG_6270[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_62701.jpg?w=330&h=330&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6270[1]")
Claptone at Lick: Lick is the newest club in Vilamoura and it’s absolutely amazing! It really reminded me of the clubs in Miami but I actually preferred it! The first night we went, we were there to see Claptone, who I have seen before at the Warehouse Project. I knew he was good, but in that unbelievable venue he was even better! Such a fab night!
![IMG_6295[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_62951.jpg?w=836&h=836&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6295[1]")
![IMG_6273[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_62731.jpg?w=416&h=416&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6273[1]")
![IMG_6272[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_62721.jpg?w=416&h=416&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6272[1]")
Dinner at my favourite restaurant and then Black Coffee at Lick: My favourite restaurant in Portugal is called Pequeno Mundo and I have been going since I was a child, so it was so nice to finish the holiday with great food there! Then we headed to Lick for our last night to see Black Coffee, who was awesome too! Made some German friends and spent our final holiday day in great company, which was thr perfect end to a great trip1 Regretted not going to bed slightly the next morning in the aiport though, when I felt like I was from the walking dead!
![IMG_6355[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_63551.jpg?w=276&h=276&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6355[1]")
![IMG_6357[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_63571.jpg?w=276&h=276&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6357[1]")
![IMG_6356[1]](https://i0.wp.com/sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_63561.jpg?w=556&h=556&crop=1&ssl=1 "IMG_6356[1]")
First match of the season at Old Trafford: A trip to Old Trafford for Manchester United’s first game of the season numbed the holiday blues a little bit, especially with a 4-0 win!
![IMG_6367[1]](https://sallycaitlin.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/img_63671.jpg?w=768&h=1024)
2017 marks the release of my new EP, Experiments, so I am aiming to be gigging as much as possible! I’ll be doing acoustic cover gigs as well as original gigs with my guitarist, so there is plenty of choice!
I hope to see some friendly faces at all the gigs and check out my Facebook page for details of open mics and radio appearances!
With my upcoming single release in November, followed by the EP release in early 2017, I am hoping to promote my new material as much as possible by playing it live! I have a few live shows booked for the upcoming months and I will also be playing as many open mics as possible, which I will post about on my Facebook Page.
If you want to catch me performing a live acoustic set, you can catch me at these venues on the following dates:
In April 2016, I was lucky enough to be able to perform at the Fallow Cafe, Fallowfield, as part of the iluvlive Manchester showcase event. This was a really amazing experience for me as it was the first time I had performed my original songs with a a live band. The crowd was so friendly and supportive, so it was the perfect place to debut my newest single at the time, Not Stupid Anymore. I felt extremely privileged to be performing alongside a group of extremely talented artists and to be invited to do such a great event! Below is a video of me performing my first single, Stuck In Limbo, live at the event.
This song is going to be on my upcoming EP and is unique as it’s the only song I have ever written where the lyrics were the component written last. Me and my producers decided we wanted to do a song with a chilled ambient house type feel, so they sent me a backing track to write to and see what I could come up with. It was a bit of an experiment to be honest as I had no idea if I would be able to write a song this way, as I usually write at the piano and sort the lyrics before the melody and accompaniment! However, I actually really enjoyed challenging myself and pushing my writing to a new level!
The subject matter of the song is also unique in relation to my other songs as it is completely fabricated and not based on my own personal experiences. I decided I wanted to write about cheating in a relationship but not condemning it in a black and white way, so I added the complication of a friendship into the mix. The story is about two friends who, whilst both in relationships with other people, cross the line and spend the night together. The song is about the consequences of a flirty friendship going too far and the implications on the relationships they are in. It’s about not being able to forget what happened and not knowing whether the friendship could go back how it was before. Anyway….. I really hope you enjoy the song and stay tuned for the house and garage remixes which will be coming soon…..
Stuck In Limbo is a song that is very close to my heart and also happens to be the song me and my producers have chosen to be my first ever single. There are three versions of the track that have currently been produced: the original song as I wrote it, a house remix and a garage remix. I can be seen performing the original on my YouTube Channel or below, however, it is the house remix that we have selected to be the debut track off the EP, as it’s just so upbeat and catchy.
The song is about a very intense relationship with lots of ups and downs. Like most of my original songs, it is written from a place of personal experience and genuine emotions. At the time of writing the song I felt like I had no idea where a relationship was going and how to resolve all the issues, despite still loving the other person. This led me to feel like we were ‘stuck in limbo’ because I didn’t know whether we would or should break up or stay together. I tried to get across the feelings of confusion and hurt through the lyrics of the song and the awkward position of being trapped in a middle place between being happy together and being happy apart. The song is one of the slowest and most ballad-like that I have written, with a slow, soulful feel to it. Below is a video of me performing the original version of this song in the studio in London…. I hope you like it!
If I’m being honest performing live isn’t something I find particularly easy! The feeling after I have finished singing is impossible to top and just such an amazing buzz…. but the nerves before, for me, are just dreadful. When I was younger I used to get so terrified that I would cry and run away and then have to sing after most of the audience had left! I finally managed to get over this and work my way up to bigger audiences when I was 17, which was great, but then I got nodules and went to uni, so singing took a back seat. Therefore, whilst I have been writing, recording and generally getting my EP and album together over the past few years I have been avoiding performing a little bit, but I know I need to get back in the game! There are just a couple of issues with this though:
1) I’m very scared and out of practice… (who knows if I’ll cry and run away?!)
2) The piano is the least portable instrument for open mic nights, small gigs and busking…. people with the guitar have it so much easier!
This being said I am currently looking for low pressure venues in and around where I live in Manchester to possibly perform a set in. I’m also considering just trying an open mic night or even karaoke just to get my confidence back up. Learning my songs on guitar is another thing on the to do list, in order for me to be able to just go and play a set anywhere, without having to lug my keyboard and pedal everywhere!
So watch this space…. hopefully I’ll soon be brave enough to be performing somewhere soon!
sally caitlin 