Interview: Evie Bamford

Tell us a bit about yourself, has music always been a dream?
‍Music has definitely always been a huge part of who I am – I started learning clarinet when I was seven years old and guitar when I was ten. All through my teens, I was actively trying to explore as many genres as possible with my instruments; classical, rock, indie, pop, jazz! I definitely was interested in songwriting when I was in high school, but honestly really wasn’t good at it for a long time. It wasn’t until my early twenties that I felt I started to uncover the sound I wanted and made some progress towards writing good songs! I’m getting better and learning all the time.

Who have been your music inspirations or people you look up to?
One of the biggest inspirations for my solo project is Alice Phoebe Lou. I absolutely adore the sonic world she creates and how dense her arrangements are. Growing up as an orchestra kid means I really love thick instrumentation! I also really love Faye Webster, Ullah and Andy Shauf.

You have a new single out, Through the Day. Tell us all about it, how it came to be, how you’re hoping people feel listening to it.
‍This song is for anyone that’s just trying to get through the day. I wrote it shortly after finishing music school and starting full time work, and this new routine felt relentless! My life felt very mundane and I was terrified of this being my new normal, but Through the Day really helped inspire me out of this mindset. I hope that when people listen to it they feel less alone. Sometimes there are days that we just want to be over, and that’s okay.

You self-produced this single. What did you learn about yourself stepping fully into that role?
‍I’ve actually never done it any other way for my solo project so I don’t really know anything different! I didn’t realise that I was self-producing it until someone pointed out to me that writing, arranging and recording the parts was indeed self-production. It was a lot of work at the time but I’m so proud of it. It was really fun and rewarding to combine my clarinet, guitar and vocal capabilities into the same track for the first time! Alongside the rest of my amazing band that feature on the track, my dear friend Gemma Henderson plays some cello layers, and it was so fun jamming with her.

Off the back of your debut single, Money Bag, how was the process going into making this song, were you driving from the same inspirations?
‍I wrote Through the Day almost a year before Money Bag funnily enough! But they exist in a very similar world – both reflect on life in my mid-twenties and how things are changing all the time. While Money Bag reflects my jazz background, Through the Day is a lot more reminiscent of my classical roots.

You’ve said this song felt like a turning point, what was it that felt different this time?
‍Through the Day was the first song I ever wrote that finally felt like the kind of music I wanted to make. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was, but I guess I just kept trying to write and eventually got better. I love the chordal harmony. The song actually had entirely different lyrics at first and it took me many months to refine them! This was the first song I’d ever written that was heard by someone other than me – up until that point I had been completely private about my songwriting. Because of that, the song is very special to me.

What do you have coming up that you can share with us?
‍This track marks the beginning of a string of releases leading to my debut EP which is very exciting!

What burger do you Through the Day would be if it were on the BF menu and why?
‍Chook Royale! It’s juicy, tender and rejuvenating.

What would your ideal BF burger contain?
The Bacon BBQ Roadster is my go-to, and this might be controversial, but I’d add pineapple to make it even better!

Sound Check, Vibe Check

What is your go-to song to jam out to in the car? Y by HYUKOH & Sunset Rollercoaster, Affirmation by George Benson

Who is your favourite artist at the moment? EERA, Hohnen Ford and Rufus Wainwright

One thing you can’t perform without? My guitar!

One artist or band you would love to co-lab with? Julia Jacklin

Go to BurgerFuel order? Bacon BBQ Roadster, spud fries and a chocolate thickshake

Fire or Backfire

1. Pickles in burgers – BACKFIRE !!!!

2. Crocs – Fire

3. Karaoke – Fire

4. BurgerFuel Aioli – Fire

5. Acoustic performances – Fire!

6. NZ Music Month – Fire!!

7. Festivals – Fire

8. Singing in the shower – Fire

9. Supermarket in bare feet – Fire
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Check out Evie's newest single HERE and keep up to date with what she's up to HERE.