Stephanie Kirkham
Encyclopedia
Stephanie Kirkham is an English
singer-songwriter
.
, The Beatles
and Johnny Cash
, secretly dreaming of being a songwriter. She went to Blackpool Art College, modelled in Japan
and worked at various arts and crafts, stained glass, floristry and painting. With pockets of notes, a stack of songs on paper and melodies running around in her head she eventually sang her songs onto tape and put them in the post. Jamie Nelson at Parlophone
organised the early recordings that became the basis of her debut album.
She signed a five album deal with Hut (part of Virgin Records
) in 2002 on the strength of her a cappella
demos. Her debut album That Girl was released in 2003 and received praise from both the rock and mainstream press. However, six months later EMI
closed the label. Stephanie was already busy writing her second album with a fresh new sound in mind. As she said “When my deal ended so abruptly it made me realise if I were to survive in this business I had to wise up and do it my own way. The new album would have to be how I hear the songs in my head, I wanted it to be magical.”.
Stephanie teamed up with fellow musician Johnny Dunne and went home to Lancashire
to set about making her follow-up album.
“I loved being 100% involved with the sound of the new record, I sang the songs to Johnny and he played music that weaves around my voice. There was no outside pressure on us. The goal was to make an album that we loved.” This resulted in her second album, Sunlight On My Soul released on her own SLK Music label in 2006 . Receiving four and five-star reviews throughout the UK, critics have praised her bold progression on an album that encompasses Tudor madrigals, Celtic folk, country and jazzy pop. From the gentle harps of "Butterfly Song" to the strutting, jazzy-pop of "Show Me What You're Made Of", through to the country-soul lament of "Wash Away The Ashes" and the Eastern mantra of "Bonds Are Broken" it's clear that Sunlight On My Soul is a special album that was completely unexpected and is packed with the kind of joyously reflective songs that make an immediate impact.
Stephanie is currently based in Preston working on new material.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer-songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Biography
Stephanie grew up in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire with two brothers and two sisters listening to Joni MitchellJoni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, secretly dreaming of being a songwriter. She went to Blackpool Art College, modelled in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and worked at various arts and crafts, stained glass, floristry and painting. With pockets of notes, a stack of songs on paper and melodies running around in her head she eventually sang her songs onto tape and put them in the post. Jamie Nelson at Parlophone
Parlophone
Parlophone is a record label that was founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch was formed in 1923 as "Parlophone" which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a leading jazz label. It was acquired in 1927 by the Columbia Graphophone Company which...
organised the early recordings that became the basis of her debut album.
She signed a five album deal with Hut (part of Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
) in 2002 on the strength of her a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
demos. Her debut album That Girl was released in 2003 and received praise from both the rock and mainstream press. However, six months later EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
closed the label. Stephanie was already busy writing her second album with a fresh new sound in mind. As she said “When my deal ended so abruptly it made me realise if I were to survive in this business I had to wise up and do it my own way. The new album would have to be how I hear the songs in my head, I wanted it to be magical.”.
Stephanie teamed up with fellow musician Johnny Dunne and went home to Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
to set about making her follow-up album.
“I loved being 100% involved with the sound of the new record, I sang the songs to Johnny and he played music that weaves around my voice. There was no outside pressure on us. The goal was to make an album that we loved.” This resulted in her second album, Sunlight On My Soul released on her own SLK Music label in 2006 . Receiving four and five-star reviews throughout the UK, critics have praised her bold progression on an album that encompasses Tudor madrigals, Celtic folk, country and jazzy pop. From the gentle harps of "Butterfly Song" to the strutting, jazzy-pop of "Show Me What You're Made Of", through to the country-soul lament of "Wash Away The Ashes" and the Eastern mantra of "Bonds Are Broken" it's clear that Sunlight On My Soul is a special album that was completely unexpected and is packed with the kind of joyously reflective songs that make an immediate impact.
Stephanie is currently based in Preston working on new material.
Albums
- That Girl (Hut/Virgin) - 29 September 2003
- Sunlight On My Soul (SLK Music) - 6 February 2006
External links
- StephanieKirkham.com - Official Website
- [ Review of That Girl at allmusic]