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Introducing York's Hayley Hutchinson - surely the only recent UK singer songwriter to fund her album by soldering circuit boards...

Independently Blue by Hayley Hutchinson

Much has been made of the various routes that the current crop of singer/songwriters take in order to realise their dreams and release a record but York's Hayley Hutchinson is, surely, the first artist to fund an album by soldering circuit boards...

“If acoustic angels are your bag, baby, then Hayley Hutchinson might just be your Prada hold all...” - Sandman Magazine.

Born into a musical family, Hayley spent much of her childhood watching her dad John Hutchinson, an accomplished guitarist and ex David Bowie veteran, play in various local bands, allowing Hayley - at the age when most kids would be playing with Lego - to meet all kinds of musicians and enjoy the exciting experience of going to gigs. Listening to her parent's enormous stacks of vinyl records (featuring everything from Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell), the bands her brothers were into - such as The Cure, The Smiths and Elastica - and her own discoveries – the likes of more recent newbies: Ryan Adams, Wilco, Travis, Radiohead, Carol King, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley - gave Hayley a genuine passion for, and understanding of, song-writing and musicianship.

At the tender age of 14 Hayley joined her first band, and when that split, after a 'Battle of the Band' successes, she started to teach herself to play guitar. Her first demo drew the attention and support of Radio 2's ‘Whispering’ Bob Harris and several like-minded York musicians including Chris Helme and Stuart Fletcher of The Seahorses and Shed Seven's Alan Leach and Fraser Smith.

Soldering Factory

With Hayley's job in the soldering factory funding the project and Fraser Smith in the producer's chair, the Independently Blue album was recorded in York's Studio Seven in seven days. The album is a collection of hook-laden roots, country folk and bluesy pop with a clever balance of pace and melody. Guest musicians include Helme, Fletcher, Leach and Smith as well as her father, but this calibre of support is used as backup rather than a crutch to lean on.

There are gorgeous melodies here – such as Fall Down, Hands - a few structural surprises – notably, but not only; Wicked Thoughts - and the full range of emotions from resignation (Independently Blue) to pure joy (former single Here's The Love) and various points in between (I Have to Say I Love You). Very much in the folk tradition the listener can’t help but agree that this very young voice falls somewhere between the likes of Joni Mitchell and Mary Hopkin.

Independently Blue attracted the attention of Terry Wogan, who played tracks from the album, and of Gut Records, who offered Hayley a record contract. A full scale album release is now planned with the country-influenced ballad Here's The Love leading the way. So how does it feel to finally have someone else backing her and, perhaps crucially, funding a full-on release? "It's not in my nature to just sit back and let everyone simply take over but it is a relief to know that other people believe in me and the album. Who knows what is next, I just want to enjoy myself as much as possible in the process!"

Independently Blue is out now, on Gut Recordings.

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