Teenage singer Hollie Stephenson offers a 21st-century take on classic soul
Born 1998, North London. The smoky-voiced singer-songwriter is being compared to Amy Winehouse and has been signed by Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. (Not that the 17-year-old had heard of the award-winning producer, but her mum Shirley was a huge fan.)
Lightbulb moment Aged three, Hollie found a Billie Holiday album among her grandmother’s CDs. ‘I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It was my key to everything,’ she says. ‘But my mum was worried that I was listening to “Strange Fruit” on repeat, because it was so depressing.’ Shirley introduced her to happier Motown classics, which would become her driving influence.
Big break At 12, Hollie wrote her first song (‘Stone Tears’, about the death of her uncle) and taught herself to play guitar. A video of her performing in Camden found its way to Dave Stewart, who asked to meet the family. ‘She had that gift,’ says Stewart, ‘but she needed experience.’ He told her to take her time and write 16-20 more songs from the heart.
Next step By 16 Hollie had enough material and went to LA and Jamaica to record it with Stewart. The Jamaica sessions were filmed for an upcoming TV documentary, Studio 17: The Lost Archive. Hollie’s album, ‘a mix of reggae, Motown, soul and jazz’, will be released on 28 August.
What does she think of her mentor? Her first impression of Stewart was that he was an ‘old man’. But now? ‘He’s cool – like he’s never grown up.’
- Hollie’s debut single ‘Pointless Rebellion’ is available on iTunes
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