STEPHANIE Cheape may have been building up a fanbase over the past couple of years now but tomorrow sees the release of her first EP, OK Without You.
Like bold 2018 debut single Blood Sweat And Fear, it features an arena-sized banger co-written and recorded with Twin Atlantic at their studio in Glasgow’s east end.
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“Though they’ve worked with quite a few people now, I was the first person they produced,” says Cheape (above) of Sam McTrusty and Ross McNae, who worked with her on the heart-racing Here I Am.
“They got me to sign their wall of production,” she continues. “It was me and then Danny Jones from McFly.”
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The Hamilton-born singer adds: “Though Twin Atlantic are accomplished artists, they have something special as producers as well. I’m self-taught so a lot of the things I say will make absolutely no sense, but they get exactly what I’m saying. They seem to be able to push me as an artists in a way that’s exciting, there’s no denying it. They bring the best out in you as an artist.”
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Released via her own Bold As The Boys label, the new EP also features contributions from former Prides man Lewis Gardiner, who co-wrote the strident title track and mixed home-recorded pop number Up On My Luck.
Rhythmic and nimble, the latter’s lyrics came to Cheape when a drive around Kirkintilloch broke a spell of writer’s block.
“Though I had the melody, the right lyric wasn’t there,” she says. “But when I went out on a drive, I got it quickly. I had to pull over and do a voice memo. The song is about putting a bit of a face on, on social media. Nowadays, your mind connects to wifi and everyone is faking a lifestyle, faking a smile. I realised I was done with comparing myself and wearing masks and I had to see if other people are feeling this way too.”
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Nailing Up On My Luck gave Cheape a new-found sense of self-belief following the end of a long-term relationship which went back to her teens. Now in her late 20s, Cheape plans to release a companion EP to OK Without You in May. But rather than a maudlin diary of break-up, these tracks are largely about empowerment, independence and learning that it’s absolutely fine to be making your way in the world without a significant other.
“We were born without them and we can live without them,” Cheape says. “Though we split very amicably, the next two years were the hardest of my life. Learning to live again, without someone else, was quite hard. Everywhere I turned, it was messages about needing someone, constantly.
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“OK Without You is probably the saddest of the songs and Here I Am is the most empowering. Doing that with Sam and Ross really brought me out of my shell. We were in the studio till 4-5am working on it. It’s saying: ‘I’m here, I’ve arrived, this is me – and I’m not changing.’”
Stephanie Cheape plays Playground Festival: July 31 to August 2, Rouken Glen Park, Glasgow, £33.25 day ticket, £142.15 weekend ticket. www.playgroundofsound.co.uk
OK Without You (Part 1) is released tomorrow www.iamstephaniecheape.com
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