40 Quotes by Freya Ridings

At the age of 11 I did my first open mic show, and it was one of those lightning-bolt moments where I suddenly found what I wanted to do.

Selfies are one of those things I generally take but never post. It's more to remember the moment or what I'm doing.

I remember in 2016 when I got signed to my record label Good Soldier, which is a very small indie label. They took a big risk on me because ballads were the furthest thing from cool at the time.

I think, definitely, I was hugely influenced by - obviously like Adele and Florence the Machine. They were my complete idols growing up. But also, there were a lot of influences from my dad, like singer-songwriters of the '70s like Carole King and James Taylor.

I'm on a group chat with my dad which he named 'Dearest Daughter'. It's so sweet because I don't think he really understands that a group chat normally has more than two people but I love chatting with him in it anyway.

Songwriting really anchored me.

When I first started, I'd play to a few people. My mum would invite everyone she knew and the venue was filled.

Every time I do something new, it makes me a bit stronger. Playing huge shows, being invited to play with Nile Rodgers after the Brits - all are mindblowing and I have a great team around me who are empowering. It makes all the difference.

I followed my gut and my subconscious told me the kind of music I wanted to create. But it wasn't easy.