The Short Story

I’m a singer-songwriter & guitarist from Plymouth and have been writing, performing and producing ever since I could. I work as a music tutor/leader across the city, working with all abilities, the youngest being 2 and the eldest being in their 80s. 

I live with fibromyalgia, and living with this disability has changed a lot of things, none more than how I approach music; whether that’s my music teaching, leading music workshops or how I create music; mainly writing, playing, programming and producing all my music at home in the spare bedroom. 

I love music and feel lucky I get to work as creatively as possible; my work, whether teaching or creating, focuses on accessibility, joy and authenticity. 

The Long(er) Story

I’ve been singing and creating ever since I could, and began to play the guitar at 12, as soon as I knew a few chords, I was writing original songs. At 14, I was playing on stage in bands and by the time I was 16, I was performing solo acoustic shows across Plymouth and Devon.

I was a participant at Plymouth Music Zone (PMZ) and South West Music School (SWMS), where I received music tuition and got to attend music residential weekends to develop my music skills. I released my debut EP Colour Me In, in 2010, and performed to a sell-out crowd at the Barbican Theatre in Plymouth. I trained as a music leader with PMZ and was part of a project with Sing Up where I wrote songs with 6 primary schools across Devon and Cornwall.

In late 2012, after years of tests, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (a chronic pain and fatigue condition) and it changed all my creative plans. I had to find alternative ways to make the guitar work for me again, I wasn’t able to book as many gigs as I had previously been doing, and needed to figure out how I could continue to be creative.

My path led me to Bristol and in 2016, I graduated from BIMM Bristol with a BA (Hons) degree in Professional Musicianship in Songwriting, something that was a challenge and an incredible experience. In my three years of studying in Bristol, I got to play some great venues, one standout being the Thekla as I’ve watched several of my favourite artists (Lights, Little Simz and Nerina Pallot) play there too!

When I returned to Plymouth, my health required more support and patience, so I chose to focus more on how I could share music with others to support them on their musical journeys. My teaching quickly evolved from focused primarily on the instrument to supporting people creatively with their mental and physical health, as well as supporting any musical goals they wish to achieve. 

Over the past 9 years, I have worked in primary schools teaching guitar (small groups) and ukulele (whole class) as well as private 1-to-1 music tuition focusing on guitar, singing and songwriting with individuals in primary school, secondary school, people with disabilities/ additional needs and adults of all ages! I’m also currently working with PMZ as a music leader, working with nursery groups, Sing Out (a friendly singing group for adults with brain injury or neurological conditions such as stroke and multiple sclerosis, and for people living with Parkinson’s) and Sensory Sounds (a music making workshop for children aged 6-18 with PMLD, ASD or SEN). 

I have always loved sharing music with others, whether that’s performing my own songs, facilitating music sessions to help others develop their own skills or making music together.

As a creator, I focused on writing and producing my own music, at home, when I could. In 2021, I released an EP called ‘Take Care’, including six songs all written, performed, programmed and produced by me. The following year, I released a sister EP, ‘New Plans‘  which included another six songs all written, performed, programmed and produced by me. 

In 2024, I released several demos and felt something change; I wanted to be creative again, so by the end of the year, I was reworking the songs as well as writing more, and slowly, but surely, my debut album came together.

I released ‘A Permanent Reminder‘ in October 2025, an album that I had written, performed, programmed and produced in the studio set up in the spare bedroom. The album explored all the pain, grief, joy and hope that I live through because of, and in spite of, my disability. 

I’m grateful that I get to be creative on my own terms, albeit the barriers I face are pretty tough. I love writing, performing and supporting others to do the same, so although the journey has been very different to what I envisioned as a starry eyed 16 year old, I’m proud of it.