SILVI | NEW RELEASE – POSSESSED | INTERVIEW

Brand new on the release radar today is Scottish songstress Silvi with her much anticipated fiery new single Possessed. Having been tipped by the likes of BBC Introducing and Wide Days as one to watch, Silvi actually only played her first gig at Glasgow’s infamous King Tuts last year. Since then, events have continued to propel in an uphill trajectory for the singer. Her last single, the passionate rock ballad Don’t Wanna Love Again was acclaimed by fans and critics alike. Subsequently the single was then selected as BBC Radio Scotland’s track of the week on their popular afternoon show.

Also known on the 9-5 as Jodi Findlay, Silvi is one of the most exciting young artists to be emerging from the popular West Lothian music scene today. We had the opportunity to chat to Silvi ahead of her brand new single Possessed which you can listen to now!

For those who haven’t come across you yet can you tell us a bit about Silvi?

Hi I’m Silvi and I’m a singer and songwriter from Scotland. I make alternative pop/rock/soul music and have been lucky to sing at some great venues and festivals around the UK.

What was the inspiration for the stage name Silvi?

My granny on my mums side’s maiden name is Silvester and my granny on my dad’s side lived in a street called Wood Place my entire life. Silvi translates to “woman of the wood” in Latin so Silvester shortened to Silvi for my granny Evelyn and Silvi meaning lady of the wood for my wee granny Georgia.

What’s your musical background like? How long have you been singing professionally?

My family are big music lovers but aren’t musical themselves. I’ve not had any lessons so I’m self-taught but was in a lot of theatre growing up and realised song writing was the best way for me to process what I’m going through at any given time so I just worked away at it myself until I was confident enough to get on a stage and sing the songs I wrote. It took a LONG time to get to the level of comfort I have on stage now and it’s a constant battle with performance anxiety but I love it so once I’m lost in the music I’m fine. I had my first Silvi gig in February 2022 so a little over a year now! There’s been lots of ups and downs but I wouldn’t change anything.

You found yourself the face of a BBC Scotland short about the West Lothian music scene last year, for those who haven’t seen it, why do you think West Lothian has such a successful pool of new talent emerging?

I think compared to a city, the lack of resources in West Lothian meant people relied quite heavily on the local scene and poured a lot into it and as a result it’s produced some really successful acts, once one has broken through you see the people attached to them start to get opportunities too and the wave has just kind of caught this area where a lot of really hard working determined artists are pushing themselves to make it too.

Your new single Possessed is full of energy and you can feel the passion in your voice with every note. Can you tell us about the song? What does it mean to you?

Thank you! I wrote the track at a really low point last year where I felt out of control and wondered if I’d ever regain the same self-assurance I used to have. Through writing the song I realised I wasn’t going to bow down to this feeling and I’d fight to maintain my mental fortitude after feeling like it was stolen from me. I didn’t want to be possessed by my own insecurities or someone else attempting to disrupt my inner peace. The lyrics explore taking back the power despite feeling intimidated to do so.

How do you feel your sound and musical style has changed over the past couple of year?

At the beginning I was really open to exploring all musical styles and would bring out a new sound with every release whereas now I’m keen to sit in a specific style for a while to develop my sound within a smaller niche to give more cohesion to what I’m making. I’ve found I really enjoy making cinematic, striking songs and I think I’m going to stick at this for a while.

What is your writing process like? Do you feel your writing process has changed at all?

My writing process has always been the same since I started, I just feel a feeling and write it down. I have a lot of songwriter friends who have specific techniques or concept strategies but I tend to just write what I feel at the time. Something that might be unusual about my specific process is I always write with the intention it’s never going to be heard by anyone else. I feel that gives me the best results because I’m not second guessing myself of disrupting the flow of the way it’s going. If I get to the end and decide something fundamentally doesn’t work then I’ll change it but I rarely do that, it’s often just whatever I wrote at the time.

What are you most excited for this year? Gig plans, new music?

I am hoping to get either one or 2 more singles out before the end of the year. That’s pretty ambitious for me as I’ve only ever released a maximum of 2 per year and this would take me up to 3 or 4 songs for 2023. I am doing a BBC introducing live session at the end of July, which I’m so excited about, then will probably record in august then in September I’m headlining a festival called The Sessions in Manchester and the week after I’ve got a headline Glasgow show which is sold out so I’m looking forward to that. I have secured a slot at a really cool unannounced festival as well! I’m eager to get my new digital live set up sorted for 2024 so I’ll probably spend the latter months of the year developing and rehearsing with the new equipment.

If you could work with any other artist (dead or alive) in the world – who would it be?

I’ll go for Stevie Wonder!

A very busy rest of the year for Silvi coming up! You can catch her in the act headlining The Sessions at Manchester’s Eagle Inn on Saturday 9^th September alongside the likes of Tilly Louise, Cobain Jones and many more. Being held in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and Safe Gigs for Women tickets are priced at just £12 and can be found here.