Emeli Sande King Tuts 15th November 2010

Emeli describes her sound as 'soul with a rockier edge'.  Emeli commands the centre stage with a powerhouse vocal and songs that cover every emotion. She mixes rock, folk and soul influences to produce her own very unique sound. Her gig King Tuts was the last show of her mini-Scottish tour that included Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow, and they were her first gigs in a while.

She sang her new album songs, as well as her hit singles. I enjoyed the atmosphere of 'Stop the Clock' the moodiness on 'Vegas' and the upbeat vibes of 'Lifted'. Her set also included a medley of her hit songs, including 'Never be Your Woman' (with Wiley 2010) and 'Diamond Rings' (with Chipmunk 2009). She sang songs from the expected release of her first album - 'Kill the Boy' and 'Daddy.'

I first saw Emeli perform at her CD launch Oran Mor in 2007, and back then her influences were mainly soul, and singer songwriters such a singer Nina Simone. Her new songs have more character and rhythm, structure and vibe around them, and a broader range of influences. Emeli describes her sound as 'soul with a rockier edge'.

Emeli is from Aberdeen, and she plays piano and clarinet, and was previously a student at Glasgow Medical school. After attaining her inter-collated degree, she decided to pursue her dream in music and signed a publishing deal in 2009.

Since then she has been writing and working with artists in both London and America over the past few years, and has co-written Alicia Keys next single. She states her musical influences from a diverse range of artists such as rock bands Massive Attack and Portishead, as well as folk singer songwriter Joni Mitchell. Emeli has substance and heart and a big future ahead of her. Emeli was well supported by fresh sounding young Glasgow band 100paperboats, who I took some shots for too.
I first took shots of Emeli at the Oran Mor 2007 - she was attracting attention then for her big soul voice. Since then she has had several chart hit singles - and worked with artists both in London and the US. She states her music as soul and rock with an edge. It was nice to meet her and have a chat at her King Tuts rehearsal in November 2010.

Emeli Sande at her sound check King Tuts