Sometimes talent is all you need. Take Bonnie Kemplay – just six months ago the Edinburgh born musician was virtually unknown, studying jazz guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music and writing music in her spare time. Spool forwards a matter of weeks, and she’s won a chance to play BBC’s vital Live Lounge, with Dirty Hit – home to The 1975, Beabadoobee, and more – seeking out her signature.
So, she’s come a long way in a short time, but Bonnie seems able to take it all in her stride. Out now, new single ’19’ emphasises both her subtlety and control, a sighing piece of alt-pop blessed with a sense of precocious innocence.
Penned during lockdown, ’19’ is about being young and penned in, trying to get by amid a world of routine. She comments: “I wrote 19 on and off over the span of six months. As my life shifted throughout that period of time, the lyrical content took shape in parallel to my experiences – so it ended up being about many things. There are common themes of time passing, ritual, hopelessness.”
A divine listen, ’19’ comes equipped with visuals from Katie Burdon, a kaleidoscopic glimpse into the strangeness of pandemic life. Tune in below.
