The London-born Singer Reveals Her Most Memorable Destinations
17 August 2022
Matchstick Piehouse, London
“London is the best city in the world, honestly, and this is my local spot. It’s a tiny, community-built archway down a random car park, and a couple of my mates work behind the bar, so we always know we’re going to have fun. They do cabaret, theatre, you name it – and every Wednesday there’s an amazing jazz night by this band, Steam Down, and you can get up and sing with them. It’s where I’ve had the most inspiring conversations with total strangers.”
Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire
“I was one of those people who thought British beaches were all just cobbles and horrible, then I came here after playing The Jazz Café – and it was like Barbados. I had no idea there was anything like this in the UK. We camped, made a fire, cooked fish, went surfing. It was the perfect escape from the intensity of shows. You go from that weird thing – loads of humans looking at you singing about your most personal thoughts – to the calm of the waves. It was dreamy, the perfect memory of summer.”
Feira da Ladra, Lisbon
“One of my favourite things to do in a new city is just to walk around aimlessly, with absolutely no direction or plan. You either find something interesting or a stranger will point you towards something cool. In Lisbon, I found the biggest flea market I’ve ever seen. It took us two-and-a-half hours to walk around, looking at other people’s treasures, which I love. I bought a super-lovely peach shirt for three euros, which is now my favourite. I feel I have a piece of that market with me all the time.”
The Record Collector, Los Angeles
“I recently went to Los Angeles for the first time, and on my first day I found this tiny record store. I don’t want to judge LA too harshly because I haven’t seen enough of it yet; however, I missed London’s unique vibe, and this store felt real. It demonstrated that there were actual humans here who weren’t only obsessed with being influencers. There were two little old guys who just wanted to talk about music and show me cool stuff, and we hung out for ages. I walked away with a really cool bossa nova record by Charlie Byrd.”
Sabrina’s Treehouse Concerts, Grenada
“I went to Grenada at Christmas, and it was the holiday of a lifetime – it was like, wow, paradise exists. A local artist, Sabrina Francis, had seen my yellow truck lockdown tour and ran a similar thing, the Treehouse Concert. She invited me and I sang with her band. London can be melancholy, which is beautiful, but there’s such jubilation in Grenada’s music. It was also special because my family is Guyanese and Jamaican. I’d always felt connected to the Caribbean, but I’d never been.”
