“At some point during lockdown the weeks just started disappearing, it was weird how quick they were going even when it felt like you weren't doing much. Went for a lot more walks, enjoyed the little things and just slowed right down.”
— Lucy Mason
“We had a huge trip to Peru planned in May, and then it was pushed to August and then cancelled again.
I had trips cancelled to LA, Peru, Lake Como, Paris, Marrakech and Spain. I'm left with a whole lot of vouchers…”
— Lucy Mason
“I was going to start writing but lockdown threw me off. I found it really hard to be creative in lockdown, and annoyed that there was this pressure surrounding 'all the free time' to be creative and make music. It was impossible. I've started to think about it all now...now that lockdown is easing.”
— Lucy Mason
“I did work on a cover for my friends new musical project during lockdown called 'A Part' we each recorded and filmed our own parts in our homes and then it was all edited together and released on Youtube and Spotify. That was pretty amazing because we never would've done that process before, but now I think we could all benefit from doing things like that more.”
— Lucy Mason
“Live music …
needs an audience”
“Covid has actually pushed me to get better at stuff! I recorded the vocals to one of my upcoming tracks. I’ve recorded myself before but not to the point where they could be used within a track so that’s been exciting.”
— Hedara
“I’ve found that my anxiety (usually towards my career) has really chilled the f out.
I’ve discovered an inner confidence, and that I can rely on myself way more than I thought. I’m not afraid to try things, and possibly fail, but learn from them.”
— Hedara
“I’ve mainly chatted to other songwriters, but also sound engineers, lighting designers etc who really are at a loss. Although the music industry has come to a stand still I still feel extremely fortunate that I can be releasing music and keeping my fans engaged, but for the technical crew life really is just so different.”
— Hedara
“I found it hard working from home to some extent, I liked not travelling, but being stuck inside and keeping a house clean and tidy was hard, and my whole day being confined to 4 walls.”
— Hedara
“Having played my first live show with the new band LEAP just before lockdown being unable to keep the momentum going was deeply frustrating.”
— Jack Scott
“Missing out on watching gigs has been a real drain on the serotonin.
That and not being able to see my family in Scotland, I guess they’re kinda cool.”
— Jack Scott
“To be honest I have been finding it very difficult to find that original spark of inspiration during these lockdown times. The added free time should be a bonus but there’s something about going straight doing laundry to rockstar mode that can be hellishly uninspiring.”
— Jack Scott
“Being forced to take a step back and reevaluate the things in life that really make us happy I think will do a lot of people some good.”
— Jack Scott
“Finding a routine has been really difficult, without the daily commute to the studio I really felt like a lost a lot of structure. There's also a weird pressure to come out of lockdown with a full on album so I've tried to not be too hard on myself if I don't get hit by a huge amount of inspiration every day.”
— Sophie Ackroyd
“I've had to find ways to try and work remotely - but there are some things that I just don't think can be achieved to the same level that way, especially when it comes to the initial creative process of writing and producing a song”
— Sophie Ackroyd
“I've really appreciated the chance to take stock and slow down. I was running close to burnout before and spent sometimes 16 hours a day in the studio and I think it's given me a bit more of a healthy work/life balance.”
— Sophie Ackroyd
“So my partner Sam is also a songwriter/producer, we haven't created a masterpiece together in lockdown or anything but music is obviously a huge part of both our lives. It's nice being with someone that gets it and is in the same boat as you - though figuring out how to pay the rent between us has been interesting.”
— Sophie Ackroyd
“I was getting sent a load more vocals that had been recorded in people's houses when I'd usually record them at my studio, which sometimes was a bit challenging. I also moved all my studio stuff back home so the mixing process wasn't as straightforward as the room isn't ideal for mixing in.”
— Sam Cramer
“I do feel like it was a bit of a reset button too, it boosted my passion for music even more when I realised how excited I was to get back into the studio.”
— Sam Cramer
“I feel like a lot of people have had realisations and epiphanies during lockdown, I'm still waiting on mine!”
— Sam Cramer
“As a massive extrovert, I love being out and around my friends and their friends... I've missed going out to other places too like the studio making music, the library studying and crawling around Soho at 2am on a Friday!”
— Expilcare
“it didn't stop me from making music. I downloaded Ableton and got to work when I had creative bursts of energy. I ended up producing 'roses' at home which I wrote for a friend during the lockdown, and that will be released in August. I didn't expect to make it so it was unexpected and exciting!”
— Expilcare
“It's important right now to be adaptable, and versatile. If you can't do one thing like gigging, spend your time reaching inside of yourself to find new elements of creativity... if you can't do that, practice perfecting your material,”
— Expilcare
“People say everything is temporary but music isn't. That thought's real beautiful, because no matter what will happen there will always be music … and music and art will be the thing that draws people together as a collective.”
— Expilcare
“Having a lot more time to think has been a blessing and a curse. Everything feels super intense right now. In some ways I feel this time will spark change, in other ways I feel like a lot of us have struggled with everything just being A LOT right now.”
— Ellie Hall
“I know that first gig after all this will just be amazing, I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
— Ellie Hall
“I love to be alone and have time to write, but I also LOVE connecting with people through music.”
— Ellie Hall
“I’ve also had a little reassess of my priorities and have thought about how I’d like ‘life after lockdown’ to look for me, and which things I’m not willing to let go of when life craziness starts up again. I’ve also had some good rest.”
— Ellie Hall
“I hope and believe there will be even more appreciation and love for the grass roots music scene, for the ‘upcoming’ artists, for the music venues who champion unsigned musicians, treat them fairly and give them a platform to showcase their art.”
— Ellie Hall