Stephanie Kirkham
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| Stephanie Kirkham | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England |
| Genre(s) | Pop/Folk |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Label(s) | SLK Music |
Stephanie Kirkham is an English singer-songwriter.
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[edit] Biography
Stephanie grew up in the Ribble Valley in Lancashire with two brothers and two sisters listening to Joni Mitchell, 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 London and is working on new material.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- That Girl (Hut/Virgin) - 29 September 2003
- Sunlight On My Soul (SLK Music) - 6 February 2006
