EXCLUSIVE: Bailey Tomkinson Talks Music Feeds Festival and New Music Plans

On-the-rise country music talent Bailey Tomkinson has had a hugely impressive couple of years resulting in major press coverage and industry insiders dubbing her the Uk’s answer to Taylor Swit – an incredible compliment for an artist still in the early infrastructure of her career.

And as she continues to push for global chart success, Tomkinson has recently been confirmed for the virtual Music Feeds Festival line-up alongside pop superstars Liam Gallagher, Sam Smith, and many more with the event taking place on Thursday, January 28th. The showcase is brought to you by CoOp UK and Everybody Belongs Herem with all proceeds going Fareshare (the charity supported by Marcus Rashford) and Help Musicians UK.

Here we chat exclusively with Bailey Tomkinson to talk more about her involvement with the festival, new music plans, and more:

First of all, congratulations on all the success you had last year, how did that make you feel during such a turbulent year?

Thank you! Definitely a game of two halves! Last year was like an insane rollercoaster. I started 2020 with a full house at the O2 Academy Islington headline show in London and not long after that my single “I Wish (it didn’t end like this)” blew up in the charts and then the media. In the space of a few days I was featured in places like The Metro, The Times, The Daily Mail, Hello! Mag and Radio 4’s Women’s Hour. I gained attention from major labels and had a very exciting year ahead of me. Unfortunately, COVID hit and all the awful stuff that came along with it. All the festivals and shows that were booked throughout summer were canceled which was an awful feeling. By the same token, there were a lot of people who lost family and loved ones so I consider myself fortunate to have not suffered in that way. I worked hard at staying busy right through lockdown and did some stay at home sessions for awesome brands like Levi’s and DC Shoes, I also released “Silent Suffering” which hit #1 in the video and country charts. I think in times like these you need to keep going and do everything you can. The music industry has been hit hard by the pandemic, I just can’t wait until we can get back to some normality.

You’re going into 2021 on the back of some major media and radio support, how are you looking to build on that foundation?

Just before Christmas, I went into the famous Sawmills Studios with my band to work on some new material with the legendary John Cornfield! So 2021 should see some new music that I’m very proud of. I’ve recently signed onto Select Model London’s talent roster and with booking agents Midnight Mango. I feel like I’ve got a great team of people around me and I’m really excited about this year.

You’re bringing a fresh new young image to the UK country scene, how much are you looking to blaze a trail across the genre?

As an artist who’s been releasing music from a young age, I’ve definitely matured into my sound and writing style, my first EP has a very different sound to where I am now. I wouldn’t necessarily describe myself as purely a country artist. My sound is a hybrid of styles and influences, one of which is Country. I also love artists/bands like Carole King, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, and Billy Joel who are incredible writers, they’re also very unique and distinctive with their own sound. I don’t like the idea of putting yourself in a genre box and saying you’re only one thing. Most of all, I think if you bring your own thing to the table people are going to be more intrigued so that’s what we’re going to be doing!

As your star continues to rise so does your musical reach, and that has led to being offered a place on the Music Feeds Festival, how did that offer come about?
My manager booked this event for me and the band, we’re so excited to share our performance with everyone. When I was booked for the event it was such a hard secret to keep because I was so excited about it.

I’m very honoured to be supporting such an important cause. It shames us all that in a so-called civilized society people especially children are going hungry. We can eradicate food poverty, it’s within our means today. If I can help remind people of that then I’m privileged to be able to do so.

You’re also on the bill alongside some major names such as Sam Smith, and Liam Gallagher, how excited are you about that?

I’m stoked, Sam Smith and Liam Gallagher are legends and I’m also a fan of The Blossoms so it’s really cool to see my name alongside the lineup with theirs.

What can fans expect from your live set during the virtual festival?
I won’t give too much away but the performances are diverse and very raw, they’re very different from each other. A lot of people won’t have had the chance to see me appear live with my awesome band yet so I can’t wait to share that.

How are you finding the process of performing and booking different kinds of events during the lockdown?

From doing live sessions for brands over lockdown I’ve found them to be a lot more interactive than I imagined. It’s not the same kind of energy you find at a gig though and nothing can beat that full house feeling when you’re performing with the band and everyone is having a great time.

Do you have any gigs lined up for when restrictions are lifted?
I’ve got some really exciting things in the pipeline for this year with festivals and gigs, I’m just hoping everything goes back to normal soon so we can have a summer full of music again.

Looking ahead, what else can we expect from you this year?
The thing I’m most excited about this year is my new music. It’s an authentic sound I’m really proud of and I can’t wait to finally share it with everyone.

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