Had a fantastic photoshoot with Neil Ferry, a photographer from my hometown of Newcastle upon Tyne. I stumbled upon his work, especially the recent shoot with Matty Healy from The 1975, and immediately thought, ‘Wow, I need to collaborate with him!’
I got in touch with him, shared a bit about my album and project and he instantly understood what I was doing. We chatted about some ideas for the shoot and started brainstorming locations. We decided to mix studio and on-location shots. I reached out to two wonderful hotels, Hotel Gotham in Newcastle and Lumley Castle in County Durham, and they were so kind as to let us use their properties for the shoot.
It’s always great to team up with fellow Northerners, and the results of the shoot were exactly what I was hoping for. I’m looking forward to working with Neil again in the future.
There’s always something about being in London that feels a bit electric. You step off the train and suddenly everything feels faster, louder and alive with possibility. I’ll always be proud of being from Newcastle upon Tyne, but London definitely has its own kind of buzz and there’s a lot more opportunity than up north unfortunately.
The main reason for the trip was to jump into the studio with Roy Hay of Culture Club and Abbey Road Alumni Oscar Simons, polishing up a few tracks for the album. These sessions are always the fun part, where the songs really start to come alive. It’s less about writing from scratch and more about fine-tuning, adjusting little details, and chasing that moment where everything just clicks into place.
While I was in town we also planned a photo shoot with my social team at 1st Option Digital, which was great fun. The location was incredible with its diverse backdrops perfectly complementing my look, offering more than just a plain background. Sometimes a simple backdrop works just as well though but this place was spot on! To help pull the looks together I teamed up with fellow Geordie Anyanka Style, who absolutely nailed the wardrobe. It’s always nice bringing a bit of the North to London with you.
I met up with a few industry professionals for breakfast at no other than the Ivy… obviously got a full English! You’d think I was made of money because later that day my friend Afton McKeith insisted we go to Nobu. She’s always going on about it, saying I had to try it at least once, so I finally gave in. And I’ll be honest… it was something else. Incredible food, amazing atmosphere, the whole experience. Although I couldn’t help thinking it’s slightly different from grabbing a pasty from Greggs back up North.
All in all it was a brilliant trip. Great music sessions, good food, and even better company. It’s always nice heading down to London for a few days, but there’s nothing quite like being back in Newcastle. 🥰
