How did the recording sessions for the new album go? Great! It was a totally different experience second time around, I was 100% involved every step of the way because we didn't have a label paying the bills, choosing the sound and running the show. It was free and uninterrupted! What goals did you set yourself before you started recording? To make the finished songs carry the feeling they have when they first formulated in my head. Johnny Dunne took the time to listen to the stories and he interpreted the feelings into beautiful music. What do you feel are your own limitations when it comes to creating/writing music? I don't play an instrument which could be seen as a drawback, but I love composing melodies. The timing of Butterfly Song is very unstructured and free. Sometimes your weaknesses are your hidden strengths. Tell us 3 of your own favourite songs and the inspiration behind them? After leaving Hut Recordings I wrote 'Show me what you're made of' to kick myself into positive action, so this song makes me feel strong. 'Butterfly Song' because it's light and free. 'Bonds are Broken' I love the music on this! The song is like a spell or prayer saying enough is enough and letting go of what's not real. It's in the clearing out when you see what's what. When you realise you have to let go of something you thought was helping but really was only supporting you in ways that held you back. What do you enjoy most about recording, and in contrast what do you enjoy most about playing live? I enjoy the intimacy of recording. When the atmosphere is right, it's easy to get immersed in the song. I haven't done much live work but my favourite memory is smiling faces and someone singing back at me. What are the your plans for the rest of the year? We're going to play at some radio stations and then get the band together later in the year. Who is currently moving you musically at the moment? K.T. Tunstal and Ron Sexsmith. What album changed your life and why? 'Ladies of the Canyon' Joni Mitchell. It was always on the record player as we were growing up. Her melodies draw patterns reaching from the earth and into the sky. She helped me find a private inner freedom where I could create music. A moment in your life and a song that seem so perfectly intertwined in your memory? Just before I played with the band for the fist time, when the first album was about to be released, I bought the new Cat Stevens compilation. I heard 'Don't be Shy' for the first time and cried so much. My all time favourite of his is 'I can't keep it in" it's so exciting being so into what you're doing that you feel you might just burst! What bands have influenced you the most musically? Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Billy Holiday, Bob Marley, Kate Bush. Your proudest achievement so far? Finishing 'Sunlight on my Soul". If you could erase one single/album from history (your own or someone else's) which would it be and why? I wouldn't erase anything however irritating I find some of it. There's room for everything, it's easy enough to change the station. How do you see yourself altering your sound in the future? is there anything you wish to attempt in the future that's inspiring you right now? The sound of this album is different from the last and will be different from the next but I don't have set plans, it'll unfold naturally as everything keeps changing. What drives you? The inner urge to express myself and do the things I want to do in the time I have. I want to be relaxed and happy and feel like I've done something worthwhile. What are your fears? My fear is giving into fear and suffering the consequences which would be regret, underachievement and unhappiness. The revolution comes, who would you like to be first against the wall (and if you're feeling particularly bitchy, a second, third, fourth and so on...)? No-one. Destroy the weapons. Best piece of advice you'd give to aspiring musicians, or the best piece of advice you were given when you started? The advice I received was negative which made me more determined to prove people wrong but I'd rather tell you what I read on the inside of a margarine carton just before I sent my demos off..."Hide not your talents. They for use were made. What's a sundial in the shade." Benjamin Franklin. All I'd say is to do your best, then whatever the outcome you have no regrets. Clear your pathway of what's holding you back. Believe in yourself and don't give up. People love listening to music so why can't it be yours? By Jeremy Chick

SOUL SEARCH:
Stephanie made her own album after her
debut record label went out of business.

“I had a five-album deal, which would have lasted me
for the rest of my life. I was disappointed when it
all ended but now I think it was a good thing.”

Following a string of setbacks, Lancashire
singer/songwriter Stephanie Kirkham is set to release
her second album, Sunlight On My Soul. She spoke to
Laura Kennerley.

STEPH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Two years ago it looked like Stephanie Kirkham’s
career was set. She had a five-album record deal, her
debut offering had received great critical acclaim,
and her first single had won airplay on BBC Radio 2
and Virgin FM.
But just as she was about to release her second – and
in her opinion, even stronger single – everything went
wrong.
Hut, the record label she had recently signed to, went
out of business, her second single was not released,
and she was basically back at square one.
“To see it all end so abruptly was a real shock,” says
the singer/songwriter from Chipping, near Preston.
“All I could think is: ‘Where do I go from here?’ I
knew I could not just go away and do something else. I
believe this is what I am here to do.”
After much deliberation Stephanie decided the answer
was not to find another record deal, but to make her
follow-up album herself.



“I was worried that if I found another record company,
the same thing would happen again and my second album,
which I had already started writing, would never reach
the shops. “I thought it was safer to make the record
myself, and then either approach a company once it was
made or sort out it’s distribution myself.” Once she
had made this decision, Stephanie established her own
record label, SLK Music, and began a journey into the
unknown.
She had previously been involved in the creation of
her debut album, That Girl, but Hut had taken care of
the mechanics of getting it from the studio to the
shops.
Now she had to get to grips not only with the process
of recording and producing her own work, but with
practicalities like purchasing barcodes, creating the
artwork for the sleeve, and arranging marketing and
distribution. Stephanie found she was at the bottom of
a very steep learning curve, which at times looked
insurmountable, but luckily she was not tackling it
alone.
While promoting That Girl she had become friends with
musician, producer and engineer Johnny Dunne, who
agreed to work on her second album, Sunlight On My
Soul, with her. “Even with Johnny’s help there were
times when it felt like a mammoth task. I didn’t know
if I could do it,” says Stephanie. “It was difficult
to find out which channels to go down to get things
like the barcode and licence to manufacture the CDs,
but we got there in the end.”
“There is nothing record companies can do that you
can’t do for yourself. In a record company there are
so many people working on an album that it all looks
very mysterious. But it’s not.”
One benefit of working with a record company, which
she has not been able to replicate, involves money.
Hut gave her a wage while she worked on That Girl,
allowing her to concentrate on it exclusively, but she
could not afford that luxury and has had to work.
“I’ve had a few jobs over the last couple of years to
keep me going, but I don’t mind. At the moment I am
supporting my dream, so that it will eventually
support me.”
These jobs have still allowed her plenty of time to be
creative and to invest a great deal of time and effort
in Sunlight On My Soul.
The album is due to hit the shops on February 6.
Stephanie has managed to strike a deal with leading
independent distributor, Proper, who will ensure it is
available in retailers nationwide, including HMV.
When it reaches the shops, listeners will discover a
beautiful, enchanting album, which is easily as good
quality as most albums produced by record companies.
On listening, there is no suggestion that it is an
independent production; Stephanie’s singing and
Johnny’s instrumentation are stunning. Sunlight On My
Soul is just how Stephanie had hoped it would be. She
has had a level of freedom she would not have been
allowed by a record company, and made the most of it,
using the instruments and arrangements she prefers.
Now the album is ready, Stephanie is in many ways
thankful things ended as they did with Hut. “I had a
five-album deal, which would have lasted me for the
rest of my life. It was great, and I was disappointed
when it all ended. But now I think it was a good
thing. Working with Hut gave me the opportunity to see
how things work, to see how a song can come out of my
head in a really simple form and end up a finished
version on a CD. I have been able to draw on that
knowledge to help make this record.
“For me, it is all about the songs – and songwriting,
working independently has meant I can focus on this.”
Stephanie did not have any concerns about following
her own instincts as far as the songs were concerned.
“If I make music personal to me, what can go wrong? My
music has never been far away, and I think that is the
safest place to be. It means you are not going to end
up going in the wrong direction, or as a one-hit
wonder.”
Sunlight On My Soul reflects her gentle nature and
quiet intelligence. It has also received one of the
best compliments she could have hoped for – her
nieces, who are both under 10 years old, love it.
“they will happily sing along to it – that
is the best compliment to me, hearing them sing along.
They put on a little dancing show for me the other day
– they had made a dance for each song on the album. I
felt so brilliant that day.”