“I sang before I spoke,” singer-songwriter Jo Beth Young begins. “Anyone in my family will tell you I preferred singing to speaking. It has been a passion for as long as I can remember.”
Young’s love for her craft is one of the main drivers behind her music. For her, creating and performing isn’t simply about becoming a musician, but accepting that intrinsic part of herself.
“I can’t imagine not being a musician,” she muses. “If I didn’t make records, I’d still be a musician, even if I went and sang to the seals!”
Music is a powerful artform that’s been used throughout the centuries for healing purposes.
“It is one of the biggest healing arts in the world,” she says. “It intrinsically makes us who we are, whether we think we are musical or not.”
In her own life, music has been a refuge and a form of release. Recalling her early years at school, Young reflects on how her experience of physical bullying led her to join the church choir.
“It was the one place I was safe,” she states, “where it felt like I had a place in the world.”
Young’s music teacher encouraged her to explore her musical interests. Later, at secondary school, it was her guitar teacher who prompted her to develop her singing talent following a performance.
“I became a backing singer as a joke just to get out of classes at school,” Young laughs, “but when the lead singer fainted with fear, I ended up taking over. My guitar teacher told me I should focus on singing.”
Two decades later, in 2018, her first album, An Abandoned Orchid House, recorded as Talitha Rise, was released to international acclaim.
“I’d been playing my own music live since I was 17 and I was 40 when Abandoned… happened,” says Young. “That’s a lot of years to be wondering if you really are a musician or not. When the vinyl arrived, it was a lifechanging moment.”
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
JAKKO M JAKSZYK
King Crimson's vocalist and guitarist shares anecdotes from his revealing new autobiography, discusses his lost career as a footballer and reveals what he said when he met the former king of pop.
A Part & Yet Apart
Sheffield-based 80s proggers Haze have returned with a new studio album, The Water's Edge - their third since their 2013 comeback record, The Last Battle. Prog catches up with threequarters of the band to discuss Haze's DIY ethos, the curse of prog and playing to Cumbrian sheep farmers.
CONTROLLED AIRSPACE
He's about to embark on Dream Theater's 40th Anniversary Tour, but keyboard maestro Jordan Rudess has taken time out to discuss his soaring new solo album, Permission To Fly.
On The Wing
Birds, break-ups, big choruses and the Charlie Chaplin effect can all be found on In Murmuration, the ninth album from Finland's Von Hertzen Brothers. But as they embrace their power pop influences, have the Finns cast off their prog wizard cloaks once and for all? Mikko von Hertzen talks about the Seattle influence, songwriting secrets and sax solos.
Fourth Dimension
The stock of melodic Northumberland-based proggers Stuckfish has been rising since they formed six years ago. Their fourth studio album, Stuckfish IV, represents an important watershed in the band's musical evolution. Co-founders Adrian Fisher and Phil Stuckey tell Prog about the diverse influences that have helped to shape it.
Symphly The Best
In the 70s, Barclay James Harvest almost bankrupted themselves by performing with an orchestra, but, several decades on, they’re celebrating last year’s performance with the Slaithwaite Philharmonic, captured on their latest live record, Philharmonic! The Orchestral Concert. John Lees reminisces over the band’s ambitious early years and bassist Craig Fletcher fills Prog in on JLBJH’s upcoming “progtastic” double album.
We've Not Been Expecting You
The unpredictable Frost* are back with Life In The Wires, a bold double concept album that revisits the mood of Milliontown. Bandleader Jem Godfrey tells Prog why he rolled out the solos on a record he describes as the most fun since their dazzling debut.
FAR HORIZONS AND PANORAMIC AMBITIONS
Dutch five-piece Lesoir have been steadily gathering momentum over the last 15 years, and they hope to build on that with their latest release, Push Back The Horizon. Vocalist/ instrumentalist Maartje Meessen and guitarist Ingo Dassen discuss the creation of their sixth album, working with Muse's production team, and their dream of bringing their intricate music to new audiences.
'I mean, what is classical nowadays?'
Tony Banks reflects on his role as a 21st-century classical composer.
There Can Be Only One!
Never meet your heroes, or so the saying goes, but Opeth have had a blast working with Ian Anderson on their latest, The Last Will And Testament. Bandleader Mikael Åkerfeldt and guitarist Fredrik Åkesson discuss the band's proggiest album to date, the return of the growl and why blood isn't always thicker than water.
