Beth Sherburn is a 24-year-old piano playing, singer/songwriter from the West Midlands.
The young rising star has just released a single called ‘Snow Angels’ which is raising money for the Make A Wish Foundation charity.
We had a chat with the singer about her new music, her charity single, and what she hopes to achieve in the future.
What are your earliest memories of music?
From an early age, music has always been my passion! I joined my school choir which built my confidence immensely, leading me to take singing lessons. I entered lots of competitions nationwide and joined a gospel choir. With them, I got the opportunity to sing at a number of world-class venues, including The Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham NIA, Manchester MEN arena to name but a few. I got involved in many workshops, inspiring me and helping me to develop my songwriting skills!
How old were you when you first performed in front of an audience?
I was 7 years old when I performed my first solo performance.
When did you realize you wanted to pursue music as a career?
I knew from a very early age that music was what I wanted to do, I was chosen to sing a solo at my Primary School, it was a Celine Dion song and I absolutely loved performing on stage! Music definitely brought me out of my shell, from that day music has always been in my life!
Your new single ‘Snow Angels’ is in aid of Make A Wish Foundation, what made you choose that particular charity?
I wanted to work with a charity for my ‘Snow Angels’ Christmas song so I have chosen ‘Make A Wish Foundation’. This fantastic charity grants magical wishes to enrich the lives of children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions. These children are going through a lot so I would like to grant a child a wish for Christmas. If I can help in any way I am more than happy to do so. Make a Wish work so hard to grant magical wishes for children and young adults fighting life-threatening illnesses, they help create magical memories for many families, I want to help by raising money and supporting this magical cause. I want to raise as much money as I can, therefore, every download of ‘Snow Angels’ from iTunes, will see 100% of the profits go straight to ‘Make A Wish’.
Would you ever consider auditioning for The X Factor?
I would never say never. It (X Factor) has enabled many artists to break into the industry but at the moment I am enjoying working on my album and writing my own songs.
Describe your sound in 3 words?
Fun. Edgy with Attitude.
If you could change one thing about the industry what would you change?
Because it is such a hard industry to get into and for your music to be played on National Radio, it would be amazing if more musicians could get their music heard on an international scale because there’s so much amazing talent out there who are undiscovered!
Do you think free music streaming is damaging the music industry?
In some cases music streaming is a good thing, it is a discovery tool allowing people to help broaden their own music reach and to help discover new artists, therefore it could be really positive exposure. However on the other hand, free streaming can be unfair to artists as they aren’t getting paid for providing their service in the first place. This is really hard for any artist/songwriter who is trying to earn a wage to live and to develop their skills within the music industry. It’s so expensive to record music, I think it is really unfair and degrading for the artist who has worked hard on their art. This is why I really respect Taylor Swift who withdrew her music from Spotify recently as she believes ‘ free songs are at odds with what music really means’.
Do you think women have a tougher time than men in the public eye?
I do believe female artists have a lot more pressure. Female artists always get judged by reinventing themselves with their music and image. It can make many young girls, feel very insecure about themselves, which is terribly sad and wrong. I agree that today for a lot of artists sexuality is a key source for marketing female artists to the masses in the music Industry. I don’t mind if artists want to flaunt their sexiness, but I think there is a fine line. I do personally believe the prime source should be from the core talent, the voice.
I completely believe 100% that women are a strong presence. When I think of the amazingly strong women artists, for example, Madonna and Beyonce, they really have influenced me over the years, by creating their own image/sound as well as writing/recording/producing the songs that they believed in. They have full control in every song/ performance aspect. This is why they have a hit after hit. They are smart businesswomen! This is why these types of artists have had long careers in the music industry.
If you could collaborate with any artist who would you choose?
I would love to work with Ed Sheeran, I think he is an amazing songwriter!! I love his music and he seems so genuine. I also love Beyonce, she’s the ultimate diva! The energy she creates on stage is incredible! And Jay-Z is amazing! I was lucky enough to see them perform together at the 02 Arena and for me, seeing them sing together was the highlight of the Mrs Carter Show.
What is your favourite song at the moment?
I’m loving Justin Bieber’s album ‘Purpose’ at the moment. His music has so many catchy hooks going on! I applaud him for reinventing himself and for changing his music direction!
What would be your dream venue to perform at?
It would be amazing to perform at the 02 Arena because it would be a fantastic feeling to be singing at one of the biggest arenas in the UK. I have also always wanted to perform at Wembley Arena, and I made that dream come true!
What do you hope to achieve in the next ten years?
I hope I will have a successful music career, both as a performer and songwriter! I would love to work with high profile artists/producers and have the opportunity for my own music to be heard worldwide.
You can watch the official video for ‘Snow Angels’ here:
You can download the track from iTunes now.
You can follow Beth on Twitter @TheBethSherburn
For more information on the work of the ‘Make A Wish Foundation’ you can visit their official website.
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