Interview with Bailey Tomkinson

Hello! It is Adam. Welcome back to bringing it backwards. A podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode, we had a chance to hang out with Bailey Tomkinson over zoom video, Bailey lived all over, growing up. She was born in Darby area where our dear friends, the stressor from, and then she moved around quite a bit due to her dad's job. She ended in St. Ives, which is south in the UK, very beachy town. It looks beautiful from the pictures and she talks about how she got into music. Her mom was in a band growing up. She's a classically trained singer. So she taught Bailey how to sing. 3 (2m 6s): She started playing guitar around nine and at 11, she wrote her first song and she said she got inspired by a movie or, or a film of some sort, because she said, she wrote the song about a boyfriend that she didn't have and a car accident that happens very dramatic song. And she ended up playing it at her school's assembly. So she plays this very heavy song to like 400 people and people are very encouraging, but they're asking questions about what the song is about. She continues to build her craft and she ends up attending school to learn about music management and the music industry. At 19, she releases a song called I wish it didn't end this way. 3 (2m 46s): And the music video for the song goes, number one, on the iTunes charts, she talks about that. Getting a phone call from a random journalist. She does this interview with them. And then the next day, there's all these articles about she's in the daily mail and a bunch of massive, massive outlets in the UK. So she talks about that experience, where she was when COVID happened and how that affected kind of the momentum she had going with that song. I wish it didn't end like this. She talked about her new song, deja VU, and all about her brand new EAP coming out called California fire. You can watch the interview with Bailey on her Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing it backwards. It would be awesome if you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and tick-tock at bringing back pod. 3 (3m 33s): And if you're listening to this on Spotify, apple music, Google podcasts, it would be rad if you follow us there as well, and hook us up with a five star review, 4 (3m 42s): We'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcasts, wherever you listen to podcasts, 3 (3m 48s): We're bringing it backwards with Bailey Tomkinson. 5 (3m 52s): Hi, I do this every time. My screen is always flipped the wrong way. 3 (3m 58s): It's all good. Sometimes it doesn't even flip. Like if you flip it, it'll just flip you also. So I thought it was able to work out 5 (4m 6s): How 3 (4m 7s): Nice to meet you. I'm doing well. How are you? 5 (4m 9s): Thank you. Yeah. Nice to meet you too. 3 (4m 11s): I'm Adam. And this is about you and your journey and music. We'll talk about the EAP and your new song, deja boot as well. 5 (4m 19s): Awesome. Thank you. Yeah, very exciting. 3 (4m 21s): Very cool. So, first off, where were you born and raised? 5 (4m 26s): So I was born in Derbyshire and I then moved to Italy for a bit and then back to Darby, then to Brussels and then to tonight's or with my dad's job. Oh, 3 (4m 40s): Wow. Okay. 5 (4m 41s): Yeah. So I was kind of everywhere. Yeah. I lived in Darby. It's like this little estate would have it in for a few years growing up once, like primary school there, but I did most of my grades up and said I, so that's where I went to like secondary school and all my friends now are in so knives and stuff. 3 (4m 58s): Oh, interesting. I only asked cause do you know the band? The stress? 5 (5m 4s): Yes. 3 (5m 5s): Okay. They're from Darby. Yeah. Those are good friends of mine. Yeah. It was not random. 5 (5m 11s): I say maybe then I went to the school, I went to a, something I was at school could send a code and I was little over community school. And I was there for like a few months before I moved abroad. So it was like a big one in Darby. So there might have even gone to that school 3 (5m 23s): And it probably went there. Yeah. I don't really know what school they went to, but that's so funny. 5 (5m 29s): Small world. 3 (5m 29s): Yeah. Okay. So you, you said you moved abroad at what age? 5 (5m 35s): So I moved abroad when I was about 11. 3 (5m 37s): Okay. You moved to Italy? Is that what you said? 5 (5m 39s): Oh, I moved to Italy when I was about three or four, so I was only there about a year. So I only took a little bit of, 3 (5m 46s): Yeah. Tell me where you, how you bounced around. Cause it sounds like you lived a lot of places. 5 (5m 51s): Yeah. So my dad's job, he worked for international business, so we had to move around a bit with that and it was challenging, but you know, I opened my eyes to a lot of the world and I'm very grateful that I got to experience his, all those cultures and stuff and learn new languages. And I was like 13, you know, having to speak French in the city and stuff like that, which is really unusual for me. You know, I, I was not someone that grew up in environments like that, so it was challenging, but I, I really looked at it and it's made me definitely love traveling now. Like I'm always thinking about where to go next and where's play with gigs and stuff, so. 3 (6m 33s): Wow. So you, can you still speak French or is that something that you just knew as a kid? 5 (6m 37s): A little bit. I can speak a little bit of French enough to get me by. Like, I went to Spain weirdly. I went to Spain in October and some man, like some guy was speaking to me in Spanish. I only know a tiny bit of Spanish. And I was like, oh, you know, like I can't really speak. And then he was saying French and I was like, yeah, I can see like this he's going to say. And I was like speaking a little bit to him. And, but that was like the only time I've done it in years. So that was really like, how did I remember that? 3 (7m 7s): That's awesome though. That's so when did you get into music or like when did you start playing music? 5 (7m 12s): So I was, I've been doing music my whole life, so I was always singing. My mum used to sing in a band when she was growing up and she's out like <inaudible> and stuff. So my mum is classically trained, hard things. So she taught me how to sing. And I picked a guitar up when I was about nine, just cause I was like obsessed with like Hannah Montana and Misa has live music. So I dunno a guitar at nine. And then I started writing songs at 11 and I was about, probably about nine when I knew that's what I wanted to do. I kind of was always known though. It's weird. Like I remember being like four or five and understanding that I wanted to do music, but yeah. 5 (7m 53s): So I was, I was 11. I wrote a song. I, it was complete fiction. I was, I watched a lot of films. So I wrote a song about like this, like boyfriends who obviously didn't have a boyfriend, but he's like boyfriend figure. And he was like in a car crash and it was really dramatic. And I like got on stage and sang this song to like 400 people. And everyone was like, whoa, is she doing, 3 (8m 18s): Oh my gosh, how did you get a show of plane to 400 people? 5 (8m 22s): It was a school that was saying, we had this massive by auditorium, which was really great. We did a lot of like concerts and stuff. And this was in Brussels at school called BFA and yeah, it was 3 (8m 33s): Like a talent show or something. 5 (8m 34s): It was like a rock show. So I actually had to convince the teachers to let me do it cause I was too young and I did. And then I started doing them all, but I was like the youngest by like three years, pretty much 3 (8m 46s): The other kids that were, that played music at the school. And they would put together like a concert of all the bands for, from the school 5 (8m 55s): Of just did like all the concerts that they had going though. Like even the jazz ones, like I'd have to, I just find a way in to performing. Can I just be like, oh God heard you got this one going on. Can I do this one? And they just kind of let me do all of them. The teachers are like, there was a couple that were like really took me under their wing and just kind of let me play on anything I wanted to do. So it was really great. Just like build my stage confidence and stuff, just performing regularly. That was, that definitely helps and got me used to being on stage. 3 (9m 23s): So when you sang the song about this boyfriend in his car accident and all that, you were, you said 11 when that had, 5 (9m 30s): I have like 11. Yeah. I don't know why I came up with that. I think I just watched some, I dunno like the time travelers, wife or something, something really dramatic. And I just went and wrote a fairly dramatic song about, I genuinely don't even know. I just want a bit of a wild imagination, but yeah, I think parents are confused. 3 (9m 48s): Right. But you did this, was that your first show you ever, ever played. And was that the first time you ever played that song? Really in front of people? 5 (9m 56s): Yeah, it was the first song I ever like played of my own. I sang on stage like songs, like when a Houston songs and stuff growing up at like school assemblies and things, but I'd never played a song of my own. And that was like my first experience of being on stage, like with my guitar, just like by myself with my own song and just like watching everyone's faces, like how people react to it. Cause that was something that scared me so much was like, is everyone going to laugh at me? Cause I was like an 11 year old girl and I like, I don't know. I just felt like a fish out of water. Like completely like all the other kids at the concert were like a lot older and there were a lot of them were like had I levered jackets on and there were like quite rock and roll. 5 (10m 37s): And I was like, I was like just that with my acoustic guitar. And I didn't really know how I was going to be perceived, but, but I just, you know, it went well, I did it again. 3 (10m 48s): Yeah. Like how did you get the confidence to get up there? It was just like, you know what, I'm going to do it. Who cares? 5 (10m 53s): Yeah, it was completely like, I don't know. I just, I, I was always like never phased by being on stage. Like I was actually in some ways more confident on stage than off stage because I was quite shy growing up and it's almost like sometimes like you're putting on an alter ego, like a more exaggerated version of yourself. So I just kind of did it and then just kept doing it. And I, I looked down, I learned, I learned to, you know, it became a very safe space for me. 3 (11m 24s): Wow. Wow. What was the reaction when you got upstage to the song that you'd played at 11 that didn't have any sort of like, you know, first off, like what, you know, what was that song about that so crazy. And then that like getting that reaction, did that, you know, affect you as far as like getting up and doing it again or not at all? Or the like, or running your song maybe by someone, I dunno. Did that deter you at all? 5 (11m 49s): Well, everyone was like really supportive and everyone's coming up to me after the show. I was the youngest one there by quite a lot. And just being really, I was about 11. Everyone's just being really, really nice and supportive. Like I love that and this about it. And having that definitely gave him the confidence to get up and do it again. And there was one teacher called Neil and he was like really cool. And he used to like me to Joni Mitchell when I was younger. Cause I like the long hair with my guitar. And then I got into Joni Mitchell and I fall, that's a really cool compliment if he thinks my writing's like that, then he must think I'm like that. And that's like a really big thing for me. And that kind of gave me a bit of confidence as well. If people for that, I was good enough to go up again. 5 (12m 31s): So, so yeah, just kind of naturally, but just kept doing it. 3 (12m 36s): And then when do you like S and that's just kinda how you continue to, to just build your, your, your following and then you have what, another song that it was number one on the iTunes charts. Is that what I read 5 (12m 51s): So 3 (12m 51s): Much later? 5 (12m 52s): Yeah, so that happened when I was 19 and it was a song called I wish it didn't end. Like there, it was a music video it's number one. And it went like really crazy. So I woke up in the morning. They, I did an interview with, with a guy and he sold the interview without me knowing to some major press. So I woke up one Monday morning and I was in the Metro and I like my picture in the Metro. And I was in like the daily mail and I was getting like major labels emailing me and managers and like the top agents. And like, it went absolutely crazy. And I was like, in London, like straight away when that happened, it will happen really fast. 5 (13m 38s): And yeah, so this song, I, I wished in the, like this, I wrote it in like 20 minutes, my bathroom floor line. I was like heartbroken and I went and recorded it and it was a really special one for me. And yeah, just put it out. I did a music video and it went, went to number one. I definitely like changed my life. Like I went on like radio for women's hour and I was getting interviews from like, I was in a hello mark, and I was getting like, Levi's having over to their office and they kicking me out and Levi's cloves. And I just all went like really crazy, crazy, like really fast. It was a very exciting point in my life. 5 (14m 19s): Definitely. 3 (14m 20s): Wow. Okay. Well, let's get to that part. So before that you were just, it was, it just continued to write and, and put music out and like, like when did it, like, what were you doing prior to that moment when that song really blew up? 5 (14m 34s): Yes. So I've been releasing music since I was about 17. I've been kind of just writing and performing and independently growing up, just cause I knew also I wanted to build like a following and kind of get my, I guess like, I'm trying to think of the word. I completely forgotten the word, but I was really wanted to, I guess the ballot myself get comfortable on stage and understand what I was doing and understand the industry. And I did it in a level course at college, which like focused on the industry and different like deals and different, like doing it independently versus with a label versus independent labels. 5 (15m 28s): And what happens when you have a manager or an agent on board? So I was getting myself like clued up for it. I wanted to understand it properly before I like went into the industry. And then I was releasing music from about 17 and then uni came about and I never went to uni. I decided to just go for it with music and then reapply, if, if it all went wrong, you know, uni is always an option there, some with me, but I kind of, I didn't, I knew it wasn't my, my route, so yeah. So I just went through it and started doing music full time since I was about 18. 3 (16m 11s): Wow. Okay. So you, you went to, do you feel like that class and that schooling prepared you for that moment when you're 19 in that video just went nuts. 5 (16m 21s): Yeah. In a lot of ways it did. Cause I, I understood the music industry in a way that I wouldn't have, if I didn't do it, there's a lot more though that you don't anticipate and that you can learn because one of the funny things about the music industry is that like things happen randomly when you don't expect it. And pretty much everything that's happened to me with music has happened when I'm not expected it or, you know, you can't prepare yourself. So you kind of just have to, when you, you know, go into, go into it, just know that you could get a call from this guy to do an interview or you could play a show and there's a lot more people there than you think, or, you know, you just never know what's going to happen or what's around the corner. 5 (17m 7s): So I think just learning as much as you can from an early age and preparing yourself, I guess it's the best thing you can do, but nothing did really prepare me for when everything went crazy with that. 3 (17m 20s): So yeah. Tell me about that song again. Okay. So you put the song out and the music video and you've uploaded it onto iTunes, not thinking it, just do it independently. Like you would any other song independent or just put it out there to see what it's going to do. And then how quickly does it go to number one and tell me like, w w like that whole piece of it, like, how did that all happen? 5 (17m 43s): So the song was out first and then I released the music video and that went to number one. Like, I think it was like overnight or something. Like, it was pretty much straight, like pretty much straight away people would have probably pre-saved it as well and pre downloaded it. And that, you know, before it's released and it goes straight into the charts, if people are defining it beforehand, 3 (18m 8s): Just based off of what the success of the song originally going out, like, how did like, do you know how that all happened? Like the pre-sales and, and all that. 5 (18m 18s): So we've like the song itself? No, the song was actually featured on a Spotify playlist, which was really of like an editorial. So it starts, so that started to generate some streams and stuff through being, things like that. And that's like a Spotify editorial page. This is like a really big thing for an artist, because you never know if you're going to get on one. And when you do, it's like really, really lucky. And so that probably would have helped, but the music video, yeah. That when that, I wasn't really expecting that. If I'm honest, it was like, you just kind of hope people are going to like it and people download it. But then it went to number one and I was like, right next to <inaudible> Miley Cyrus and people like that. 5 (19m 3s): And I was like, oh, Hey, 3 (19m 4s): That's so crazy. So at that point, like you w you woke up in the morning, you look over or you check the charts or whatever. And you're like, oh my gosh, I'm at number one. Like what? And then that later that day you start seeing press about you. 5 (19m 20s): So, no. So what happened was a couple of press wrote about it. So my local press, and then some guy saw that I was number one, the iTunes charts, and he like music video. And he messaged me like, you wanna do an interview? And he didn't really say like who he was, but I was just like, yeah, sure. That's cool. So he gave me a Wrangler, just had a chat about the song about how it came about and what actually happened was he, he said to me, so what's it like being next to the pussycat dolls? And I was like, oh my God, it's amazing. I had a happy meal toy of them when I was a kid. Anyway, you want to be a health store? 5 (20m 1s): Yeah. Like, like a ringing, like a ringing phone thing of like one of their songs. Yeah. And so I said that, and he was like, would you like 3 (20m 9s): Cooler toys, cooler McDonald's than we do here. 5 (20m 14s): I had some really like, class McDonald's toys, but yeah, it was, it was funny. Cause he was like, would you like to be a happy meal toy? And I was like, it's the dream? I said it sarcastically. And that's what the Metro put is a headline, but the meal deal. So that must have been like the thing that sold catch. Yeah. Yeah. So then that happens literally like a few days after the interview. And I had no idea. I thought it was just gonna go to some like local paper or something. And then it went in the press, like in the like pretty much everywhere. I was like everywhere in the UK. So, so yeah, that's, that's what, 3 (20m 54s): Then you get all these calls, then people are just like, Hey, like, you know, what are you up to? Like we're blah, blah, blah label. And then what, what are you thinking at this point? Like, oh my gosh, this is so overwhelming. Like how do you navigate now having all this attention really quickly? 5 (21m 8s): Well, I was like, I thought I'd been on like punk. So I asked him, could just pull into some of the things. It was like, I was like, it was like, my mom came in and she was like, Hey, you're in the Metro. And I'm like, whoa, like I don't remember doing that. And I was like, oh my God, that's the interview I did. But it was very overwhelming because I was like, that was like 19. And I didn't, you know, it's not really something. I know people have gone for like people I know I've gone through. So it was like, I couldn't see, you know, my friends and stuff hadn't gone through it. So it was like, it was quite unusual, but was like, I was so excited by it. I was like, this is such a rare opportunity. 5 (21m 51s): I'm just gonna try and make the most of this opportunity. And I spent quite a bit of time in London, like going to meetings and stuff, and then COVID happened and it holds 3 (22m 0s): That whole wave. Oh my God. 5 (22m 2s): Yeah. It was like, unfortunately COVID happened. But at the same time, I'm very lucky that it happened before COVID because it might not have happened at all if like the press might not have happened if COVID came sooner. 3 (22m 15s): Sure, sure. So that happens. And then you, okay. You have all this momentum and then COVID happens. And then how do you deal with that? And, and, and do you, is that when you start working on the CP or are you concerned with, okay, like now this is going on. Like, is that gonna, you know, put the fire out on my song and my, you know, music? 5 (22m 37s): Well, the, it was like really, really hard, like being in the industry when, by independently, when COVID happened. I'm very, very lucky that, you know, I got this call with my parents and you know, that, that stability, but for an independent artist, I know lots of artists that really, really struggled, you know, just getting like food on the table. Like I've got friends like artists who have kids and their whole income is from gigs. And it's like, you know, they're like, how are we meant to make money in this situation? And it was really hard. I was very lucky that I have the stability of being at home with my parents. So I just spend the whole time making the most out of being at home, writing a lot of music. 5 (23m 20s): I wrote like pretty much mostly EAP. I think maybe even all the pay in lockdown there was there's one. I think it's just one song on the EPA. One song on the EAP is a co-write and I did that in lockdown on Skype or zoom or something. So that was cool. And then I did like sessions. I did like a sessions for board masters and for DC shoes. And I'm with like select, which is like a model module management in the UK, like in London, but when that talent roster. So I did a few things like DC shoes through them. That's cool. Yeah, really cool. 5 (24m 0s): So I was keeping myself busy and just writing and just kind of like, I guess there's two ways you can go about it. Like with lots only, can I be in the house and be really bored and like cry in, or you can be like, you know what, I'm going to get off my off and work and just do as much as I can. So that's what I did, even though we're like, we're only allowed out of the house like once a day at that point, which is really hard, really hard. Yeah. It was busy. 3 (24m 29s): So your new song is deja VU. That's the newest one. Tell me about the song. And then is there a music video? I couldn't find a music video. And if there is a music video, does it have to do with the, the photographs she posts on Instagram and the cover of it? 5 (24m 45s): Yeah. No. So it's not related to the artwork, but I'm actually filming the music video tomorrow, 3 (24m 51s): Which 5 (24m 51s): Is funny timing. Yeah. So I'm going to do tomorrow, but yeah. So deja VU, we, the band deny. So all the songs on the that's coming out, chubby DJ, who'd be one of them and the band and I worked really hard on together and I kind of wrote that one inspired by like Mazzy star and like that shoe gaze, the nineties holiday, summer kind of feeling, and there's like fading to you by Mazi style was really influential in that one. And the cardigans have been very influential now, like the AP as well. So, so yeah, when I was writing that one, it, it came about really quick. 5 (25m 37s): That one actually I wrote that one really fast. I think sometimes when they get into like a flow of a song, it just happens. Like it just pulls out on me in like an hour max. Like I don't tend to spend more than an hour writing the song originally and then I'll go back and edit it and make it better. 3 (25m 52s): Oh, interesting. Wow. That's quick an ally. 5 (25m 55s): Yeah. Yeah. It's really far. It's a really weird like process there. Like it just happens really fast. And then I'm kind of a little bit like confused, like where all that come from. I've used words here that like, I don't use an usual like modern day language. Like why do I ride my right slightly? But, but no, it's, it's one of my favorites from the P definitely. It's like, it gives me like some vibes and I think it'd be nice to like this in the time. So, so yeah. Really excited about that one. 3 (26m 23s): Very cool. Yeah. So nothing to do with FaceTime. This is not part of the, the, the music video at all. Cause it took the diff the artworks from it. It looks similar to like fast times, right? It's not where you, is that where you got it from? Like the pool scene? 5 (26m 37s): Oh no, no. The artwork is actually from last summer and it wasn't originally going to be the artwork. Why did this shoot with my friend, Megan Hemsworth? And she's like an awesome photographer. She does like portraits and surf and stuff. And we did it at my friend's pool. So one of my friends has a pool and I was like, can we do a shoot in the pool? And we did, we were in the pool for like two hours. I got like really cold at the end of it. But yeah, at the end of last summer, and I had like some of these photos, like in the bank and I was kind of looking for it and I was like, oh my God, these songs fit really well with the song. And so I ended up using that artwork as a yeah. 5 (27m 17s): But those pictures that's the artwork and like the pictures to like promote it and stuff. 3 (27m 21s): Oh, interesting. Okay. So I thought you were okay. Nevermind. Have you seen the movies best times? Original high. Watch it and you'll know exactly what I'm doing. That's funny. Cool. Okay. That's awesome. What can you tell me what the idea of the video is going to be? Are you going to save that? 5 (27m 42s): So we're going to be like quite beachy. Something I wanted for this song was to like, I kind of like this like super idea, I guess it depends how it turns out in the end, but the idea I had for it was very like dreamy, very beachy, very summery. Hopefully the weather is good tomorrow, but like quite surfy, I think very on-brand for me. Cause like, you know, something that's important to me is like my circle unity, but I've grown up in and I really tried to capture that in my music and my imagery and like my visual, because that's like me and, and yeah, something that we tried really hard with the EAP was like that surf rock field. 5 (28m 27s): Cause that's something that's so important to us as a band because I mean, my, my boys from the band are from Cornwall and you know, all of his life and stuff. So yeah. So it was really important. 3 (28m 40s): Yeah. I didn't, I didn't know exactly where you were from. So I looked it up before and then, cause I was like, oh, the record's called California fire. I'm from Southern California. So like I read that and I was like, oh, that's interesting. And then I looked at it and it, it looks very similar to San Diego where I grew up. 5 (28m 56s): Oh yeah. Oh amazing. I really want to go to California. Never actually been to California. So I feel like a fraud put in the CP out core color. 3 (29m 5s): No, no, but it makes sense. It all makes sense. But the U S so there's yeah. It looks like you can surf and everything where, where you're from, where you live, I guess. 5 (29m 15s): Yeah. So I'm in St. Ives, which is, yeah. It's like right at the bottom of Cornwall, we actually had like Donovan used to come down here and write a lot of his music down here. And it's like very much a help for music. Like, there's lots of people who are passionate about music here and, you know, growing up, like when I was like early teens, I go to like these writers rounds with like these old men in pulps, we'd sit in a circle and just sit and play music together for like hours and, and yeah, it's got great, great music, great music hooked down here. Definitely 3 (29m 48s): Amazing. Amazing. Well, Bailey, thank you so much for taking time to hang out with me today. I appreciate it. 5 (29m 54s): Thank you so much for having me 3 (29m 55s): Horse. One more quick question. I want to know if you have any advice for aspiring artists, 5 (30m 1s): I think it's just kind of like finding your niche and like really pushing that it's like finding what makes you, you and interesting and different to other people. And just really focusing on that, because I think something that makes artists so interesting and unique is like, Stevie, next Jamie, like she's got like that voice. And she really hones in on that voice and her style. And I think, you know, if you've got like a unique thing, really don't be afraid to share it like really exaggerated to, to all you can, you know, it says, what makes you, you? And I think just really stick with it and just believe in yourself.