I recently shared a press release for alternative rock singer-songwriter Amy Wilde for the release of her latest single All its Bodies. I am so pleased to share my interview with Amy, so that we can get to know her better.
Amy’s music deals with difficult mental health related issues, so if you find this triggering, please proceed with caution.
Read on to learn more about Amy as an artist been what we can expect from her in the future.
Firstly, congratulations on the results of your brand new single All its Bodies. How has the response been so far?
Thank you! The response has been incredible and I’ve had such warming messages and support. It’s my most streamed single already so I’ve felt a bit blown away by it!
The subject behind the single is a rather unusual one and not one we hear a lot of, in today’s music scene. What made you compose a single about a difficult subject?
I feel such a pull towards representing taboo and painful topics through art (a big part of this is probably because they’re not heard of a lot in mainstream music!). A few years ago, I released some videos around anorexia recovery and my experiences with it; the side effects are so painful, scary and aren’t talked about at all, and the responses I have from those videos continue today. The relief and gratitude people have shown in simply hearing from someone who has gone through what they have/are going through too is a constant cycle of humbling and motivation for me. I’m grateful I have no fear in representing mental health, trauma and self h*rm through creativity and music, because I know that it has the power to potentially help someone feel seen, validated, represented, accepted, and hopefully loved, in all that they go through.
Tell us a bit about the song’s music video.
I had such a specific vision for the music video. I wanted it to be a mix of the grotesque and seduction, emptiness and discomfort, and I wanted to use my whole body in movement that I haven’t before with performance. I’ve experienced performance anxiety hugely throughout performing, and this music video felt like an indescribable release; exercise really helps me release self-destructive adrenaline, and allowing myself loud self-expression that takes up room is something I’ve really been working on giving myself recently, so I wanted it to visually narrate the lyrics and themes as much as possible. I was inspired by PJ Harvey’s C’mon Billy music video, and Todd Phillips’ Joker scene where he’s dancing in the bathroom. I can’t really explain my inspiration from the scenes and clips apart from their atmosphere and energy, so watching them is probably the quickest way into the perspective!
How has your journey as an artist been, until the release of All its Bodies?
My journey as an artist has been directly influenced by my journey through understanding my health, my gradual harnessing of self-expression, and the gradual release from self-limitation and the confines of expectation, so it’s been pretty turbulent! I stopped writing and performing altogether after graduating from BIMM, and it took me two years to start again (which is when I wrote and released Past We’ve Made!). I follow my intuition when it comes to creating music, and I think that’s been one of the biggest aids in feeling fulfilled. I’m taking each step as it comes, trusting the process, and I feel so happy.
Which artists do you consider to be your musical influences and why?
That’s such a hard question (I bet you’ve had so many people say that!) – if I was to break it down into groups, my instrumentation and composition influences are largely: Hans Zimmer and cinematic music, Meat Loaf, naughties emo and muscials. I’m fascinated by the power that instrumentation and classical music has over our emotions, and love experimenting with that as much as I can. For lyrical influences: PJ Harvey, Hozier and poetry. I love lyrics with a narrative, and gothic and religious instrumentation (like organs and choirs), but love to absorb as much as I can to learn new ways of writing and composing, so listening to music from people younger than me is a no brainer!
Now that things are slowly returning to normal in the world, do you have any plans for touring/performing?
Absolutely! I live just outside London so am itching to perform more – my IG and Facebook are where I post my updates for releases and announcements, so they’re the place to keep an eye on!
What can we expect from Amy in the future? Please share with us details of your forthcoming projects.
In one respect it’s all getting a lot more uncomfortable and challenging in terms of lyrics and instrumentation, but most recently I’ve had a huge shift into a more positive side of writing as I’ve grown and healed. It’s a race between two songs I’m currently finishing at the moment, and I think the post-punk influenced one is going to be first…
Thank you so much Amy for being so open and honest and sharing so much about yourself with us. You can see the music video for All Its Bodies earlier career in the interview. You can follow Amy on all social media platforms and stay tuned here too, for more news about this upcoming artist.
Jem Girl at the Piano 