In Conversation With #239 - Connie Campsie
One of London brightest rising stars - singer songwriter Connie Campsie has just released her debut EP ‘I’m Still Talking To Myself’.
A collection of four introspective tracks, focussing on deft songwriting and beautiful melodies, it evidences by the bucket load why Connie Campsie is one of the capital's most impressive emerging singer-songwriters.
She took a moment to talk to us about how the EP came together.
So your EP is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
A relief. I’ve wanted to get a body of work out for years but I kept getting cold feet an changing course before I could finish. I’m so glad this one saw the light of day.
It is called ‘I’m Still Talking To Myself’ - what is the meaning behind that?
I have a constant inner monologue. I supposed it’s hard to compare to anyone else, maybe everyone’s like this and I’m just trying to be special, but it can feel relentless. Saying “I’m still talking to myself” is the poignant part for me, because it gives a sense of repetition, frustration and exhaustion.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
I recorded a lot of it at home with Oscar Lang. Uneasy is the original writing demo of the song recorded on a really cheap mic in my untreated work space. Having it sound a bit janky was just how the song should be. I had a tequila hangover for that session and thought the day might be a write off, but it’s one of my favourite songs I’ve written. I Wish I Never Met You was also my writing demo that Oscar helped to finish at home. Sucker and It’s My Birthday were recorded a minutes walk from the beach down in Shoreham in Jack Wilson’s attic.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
It’s all about my relationship with myself. In its lighter moments it’s about self love, my sense of humour and euphoria. But I’d say it’s mostly about my response to hard stuff, which is almost always fear.
If this EP could be the sound track to any film, which one would it be and why?
Anything where the main character is overly reflective and self indulgent. Is that Twilight? I would love that - the soundtracks to those films are so great.
Do you have a favourite lyric on the EP, if so which one and why?
I love the lyrics in I Wish I Never Met You. It’s about wanting to be the person you were before you met someone who kind of fucked you up. I really lost myself in a relationship and thought I’d ‘done the work’ or whatever but I was still really affected by it all years later. The last line ‘I wanna feel my heart again, if I concentrate I hear it soft somewhere’ is a favourite of mine. I was really trying to convince myself that it was all going to be okay when I wrote that.
Now the EP is out there what next?
Play some live shows and do it all again.
