Page 16 - BiTS_09_SEPTEMBER_2022

The BiTS Interview: Rebecca Downes

Birmingham-based Rebecca is a fully independent artist creating original blues/rock

music with her co-songwriter Steve Birkett and releasing it on her own label Mad Hat
Records, part of her own company that manages all aspects of the production chain

from creation through manufacture to marketing, promotion and sales. Worldwide
physical and digital distribution is undertaken by Cargo Records.

She usually plays live within a 5-piece band. Rebecca was voted Female Vocalist and

Emerging Artist of the Year at the British Blues Awards 2016 and Female Blues Vocalist

of the Year in the FORM UK Blues Awards 2018.

BiTS: Hello Rebecca, Okay, well, let’s get right into it!. I gather that you started music quite
young – 13 or thereabouts, I’ve read on your
website?

RD: Yes, roughly about 13.

BiTS: What sort of stuff were you doing then?

RD: Original stuff, straight away, basically.
Original stuff straight away and a mixture of
covers as well, but basically, yes. I’d been
writing songs before I could play a guitar, so I
was just sort of learning the guitar at that stage
and it was just, yes. It was great. It was like I
finally realised what I really wanted to do.

BiTS: What sort of music were you listening to
then?

RD: Oh my goodness. I was brought up on
swinging jazz by my parents but by that time, I
was listening to Soundgarden and The

Choirboys. I’ve always been quite eclectic, so
it’s kind of pretty much everything and
everything where it’s like a good song and a
good vocal. Huge amounts of stuff. Still
listening to Ella Fitzgerald because I’ve never
stopped, but yes, just loads – The Rolling
Stones were really big. I was really into the
Stones early on, so just yes, loads of stuff,
really.

BiTS: When you were writing your own music in those days, were you just writing lyrics and
then putting a tune to them? How did it work for you then?

RD: I started learning the guitar about that time, so roughly it was putting the whole thing
together, so it’s always been for me a vocal idea and then put the chords behind it. And then I
was working as well with two of the guys that I was in a band with at the time and I’ve always