FEATURE: Spotlight: Holysseus Fly — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Holysseus Fly

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THIS is an artist that I am quite new to…

but I have seen recommended and spotlighted by some pretty big sources. According to her Bandcamp biography, she is “Vocalist, co-writer and pianist with critically acclaimed collective Ishmael Ensemble, Holysseus Fly has already made a powerful impression as a solo artist. The EP’s singles, Marigold, Bloom, and Teach Me have caught the attention of everyone from BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins to Annie Mac, Craig Charles, Jamz Supernova, and ITV News. Holysseus Fly’s star is very much in the ascendant”. The tremendous Holysseus Fly is someone who should be on your radar. You may know Ishmael Ensemble’s Holly Wellington in that role. A sensational talent, I am going to bring some more attention to her. There are interviews and a review that I want to bring in. Last year’s E.P., Birthpool, is a work that I would urge everyone to listen to. It is stunning. When she was performing live last year, there were some wonderful review of her shows. When she played The Exchange last year, this is what The Fix observed:

“When she emerges onto the stage at to the sound of a low drone at The Exchange, Holysseus Fly is obscured by a net curtain. She begins with her back to the rapt audience, enigmatic through the shroud as she begins to sing Bloom – “Don’t expect me to sing / I’ll bloom / When I choose to.” In a simple but hugely effective piece of stagecraft that is indicative of the entire show, she turns to pull down the curtain, revealing herself. And if this hometown launch of her EP Birthpool is about anything, it is about Holysseus Fly revealing herself, exposing her art as well as her soul.

The performance tessellates around two themes. Firstly, there is the breast cancer she was diagnosed with and treated for four years ago, when about to go on tour with surging Bristol band Ishmael Ensemble. She recovered enough to join them at Glastonbury in 2019, and made a triumphant return this year, to the West Holts stage. Holysseus Fly is candid about her treatment, her recovery and mental struggles. It was her diagnosis that sparked this solo venture – her first reaction to being given the news was “but I haven’t made a solo album yet.” The strength is clear in her voice during her first single Marigold, the flowers on her chest seen by her mother and aunt.

The second theme is water, and the show is full of imaginings of the sea. During Anchors, written after she saw the Little Mermaid, she sings “the anchors on my chest rest on the seabed of my heart.” If forced to choose between living in the clouds or under the sea, she explains, there is only one place she would go – down to the depths, among the shipwrecks and seaweed. From the ethereal singing of Within the Water, to the name of the EP, to the way her long train is billowed behind her like waves, the show is blue and deep and watery.

Describing her style as a mixture of James Blake and Lady Gaga, Holysseus Fly is unafraid to mix downbeat melodic electronica with flashes of pop exuberance. She covers Moses Sumney’s version of Björk’s Come to Me with reverberation, before Brook Tate and Bethany Kyle join her onstage for a joyful version of the aforementioned Lady Gaga’s Telephone. Teach Me, meanwhile, takes a danceable but piercing stab at the world of mansplaining.

Holysseus Fly showcases the kind of voice and stagecraft that could envelop and enthral much larger venues and audiences. This is an emotionally raw, beautifully sculpted show, which reaches a fitting finale with an evocative take on Swan Lake and the emergence of a fully-formed being. It is clear that Holysseus Fly is destined for great things”.

I do not normally bring in features and spotlights from other sites. However, as The Guardian have highlighted and championed Holysseus Fly, it is clear that this stunning artist should be embraced fully. She has a great fanbase already, though more and more people need to check her out. I guess another E.P. or album will come along fairly soon. Go and check out what music there is online:

“While London has been celebrated for a jazz scene that fuses improvisational traditions with the lively sound of the city’s diaspora, other areas of the UK have been fostering fresh talent. In Leeds, saxophonist Jasmine Myra channels meditative melodies, while Glaswegian trombonist Corto Alto was nominated for the Mercury prize for his high-energy ensemble work. In Bristol, meanwhile, jazz has melded with electronics, hip-hop and soulful songwriting to produce groups such as Ishmael Ensemble, Waldo’s Gift and Snazzback.

Ishmael Ensemble singer and keyboardist Holly Wellington, AKA Holysseus Fly, has spent the past two years since the release of her debut single Marigold creating her own blend of Bristolian jazz-soul. Going solo after her diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer in 2019, Wellington’s ensuing releases have journeyed through introspective, piano-laden balladry on Marigold to expansive soul on 2023’s debut EP Birthpool.

Accompanied on stage by a crew of backup dancers cum vocalists, Wellington’s recent performances at Glastonbury and Bristol’s Forwards festival have made reference to improvisatory freedom as much as Self Esteem’s bombastic theatricality. “I’m doing my own thing in my own way, being bold and not being afraid to say how I feel,” she has said. With her latest single, Out of This World, Wellington pushes this striking sound further via rumbling synth-bass and electronic drum programming, proving that the Bristol sound is as diverse as it is enticing”.

I want to look back at an interview from last year that Picky Bastards published. James Spearing chatted with the amazing Holysseus Fly. Someone who has been given kudos by among others BBC Radio 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins, it is a clear sign that her wonderful music is hitting ears and minds. I think that next year in particular is going to be a phenomenal one for her. In terms of the shows she plays and the way her fanbase will rise and expand:

“JS: So for my generation it was Robbie leaving Take That and Geri leaving the Spice Girls. Obviously there’s nothing that dramatic going on here, but I’m interested to know about the dynamic with being in a band and being a solo artist.

HF: Haha, great question. It’s like Geri staying in the Spice Girls…but both Geri and the Spice Girls can support one another…but Geri also knowing she can use her own voice and has her own ideas.

JS: Do you identify with Geri?

HF: I hadn’t until now but maybe I do. Which Spice Girl do you identify with?

JS: I’m not sure I identify with any of them but I think Mel C was always secretly the best. She’s got a great voice. Getting back your music, I wanted to ask next about your writing process? Did you set out to be a solo artist or was it the normal writing you’d do for Ishmael but it felt like something different?

HF: I have always written for myself but never had the confidence. I didn’t push it that far and I didn’t see the value of it for a long time. Being with Ishmael lifted my confidence. Then in lockdown spring 2021 I realised I had to do it; I was going to sit down and write for me and how I wanted to. I was not going to let critical self-doubt drag me down. And I’m so glad I finally did because it turned out to be the best music I’ve ever written.

JS: Was it a product of lockdown or did something else motivate you?

HF: Well I received a grant for young people with cancer from an amazing charity called Young Lives vs Cancer so I needed to do it to use that. At the time I was feeling low so having the direction to do it helped massively. And as it was lockdown there was nothing happening and I set myself the task to write five songs in a month…and I did it.

JS: Have you kept up that rate of writing?

HF: No!

JS: Fair enough, it’s hard work! Ok, so you’ve written the songs, the next stage is the playing and recording them. One of the standouts of your sound in your music so far, and one of the things that really caught my attention the first time I heard it on the radio is the lush production with the layers of strings and backing vocals. How did you go about building this sound?

HF: So the song you would have heard was ‘Within the Water’. The strings aren’t real, they’re synth strings – I love synth sounds – there’s a boy choir sound in there too. But thinking about production for the whole EP – I wrote on piano first. Then I worked in layers, building one at a time. For me the piano and vocal are the most important. The sound I wanted to make is inspired by James Blake’s ‘Retrograde’. It’s both minimal and bold, that’s what I’m trying to achieve and you’ll see when EP comes out. All the layers are all considered to bring out what’s there. I’m obsessed with one sound on my Nord keyboard, not a synth but a keyboard. It’s called farfisa and it’s on nearly every song, so there’s lots of that in there. I didn’t know what my production identity would be before we started work on this EP. I worked with Rob Pemberton in Stroud and James Vine who also plays drums in my live band. So yeah as I said a bold minimal sound and hope we’ve achieved it. Also there loads of backing vocals because they’re my absolute favourite.

JS: I read somewhere that you’ve got “main character energy” now. What does being the main character in your music and as a solo artist mean for you?

HF: Yes! Main character energy! A publicist I’m working with wrote that for me and loved it. For me it means stepping into my creativity. It’s kind of Tik Tok language which I find funny. I’m doing my own thing in my own way, being bold and not being afraid to say how I feel. And dancing! I’ve got a dance routine in my new video and I never thought i would be doing that. I guess I am a spice girl now. The dancing is inspired by Self Esteem, love her.

JS: Ah you said ‘her’ because I was going to ask is that Self Esteem with a capital S and E, the artist, not self esteem the concept.

HF: Oh it’s absolutely both, Self Esteem and self esteem.

JS: There’s a tour on the way and I’m excited to see you at the Carlton Club in Manchester. What can we expect from a Hollyseus Fly gig?

HF: James [Vine] is playing bass synth with his left hand and drumming with his right hand. He has a lot of jobs. I’ll be playing keys and piano and sometimes getting up from the piano. I’ve got two amazing backing singers/dancers. Basically I’m making my Wembley show now. I’m being ambitious and I don’t want to wait any longer. But I also want to create intimate moments…and dance routines…and wear an outrageous 20ft cape. There’s going to be some genuine drama.

JS: That sounds great, I’m looking forward to it even more now.

HF: And the support act looks really cool too, Chia Kali, check her out.

JS: Among the editors on the site we’ve collectively thought that 2023 hasn’t been a great year for music. Who would you recommend I listen to to change my mind?

HF: yeah of course, I’ve got a few that come to mind. A Bristol producer T L K, she has a song called ‘Lioness’ that will break your heart. China Bowls is one my my backing vocalists and dancers and she is amazing, check out her song ‘Night Owl’. Today – so today I’ve been Obsessed all day with Divorce – ‘Scratch Your Metal’ is a 6music dad song for you. Also Tiberius B who is a non-binary artist from Wales and they have an song ‘Jet Ski’”.

I would recommend people also check out this earlier interview with “Fifteen” Questions. She spoke about her music and finding light and hope when she was receiving treatment for cancer. It is a very inspiring and moving read. I think that my favourite Holysseus Fly track is Out of This World. Back in May, PAPER spoke with Holysseus Fly about this remarkable track and how the visuals for it came together. Some interesting insight into the creative process:

“Holly Wellington (aka Holysseus Fly) had one take, live vocals and a dream, all culminating in the ambitious, blue-hued video for her latest single, “Out Of This World.” The song was written about dreaming of a big, delicious future and being open to all that future can hold. The singer pushed her boundaries with her creative team for the visuals, highlighting the “team that has been with me on the journey.”

“Shooting the video in one take and singing a live vocal [was the most challenging part],” she tells PAPER. “We had to rehearse and rehearse. If one small thing was out of place we’d have to start again.” Still, the final product showcases an artist with no intention of backing down from a creative challenge. “I’ve always had strong visual expression,” she says. “I love to paint and put myself in a visual world within my music.”

The track, which starts with Wellington singing clearly over sonics that mimic a heartbeat, follows the release of her debut EP, last year’s Birthpool. Below, she shares how the song and video came to be as well as exclusive BTS photos with PAPER.

What was the inspiration behind "Out Of This World"?

I wrote "Out Of This World" right after I went on my first writing camp. I had all these chords and melody ideas running through my head when I sat back at the piano at home. I was feeling inspired and really hopeful for what the future could hold. It’s really a love song. It's my mantra to manifest good things to go "out of this world." But also understanding that there are things I can’t control. The repeating line "the blue" is the mystery of it all. I’m always inspired by nature in my lyrics; the ocean as a metaphor for life is something I often come back to. The vastness of the ocean, the vastness of life.

How did you convey that in the music video?

The video is like a behind-the-scenes video that turns into my dream gig. I wanted to shine a light on the team that has been with me on the journey and given me hope (though there are many more not in the video!). A blue light is cast over all of us and everyone is dressed in blue, like we’re submerged in the ocean. There are little nuggets of references to previous work, too. It was amazing to work with my sister Amy Wellington, who came up with the concept, and long-time collaborator Jack Lilley as co-directors. This video was made possible by Sound and Music. Together, I think we conveyed the sentiment of the song together in quite a unique way.

What was the most challenging aspect of bringing the visuals to life?

We shot the video in one take and sang a live vocal. We had to rehearse and rehearse — if one small thing was out of place, we’d have to start again. It took patience and a lot of energy! James Vine was the drummer, sound engineer, and also co-producer with me on the track. Jack Lilley had the idea that we could put everyone in silent disco headphones so we could record my voice. It worked really well! The take we took was the penultimate one from the day and I feel we really nailed it. I’d just finished a support tour with Nick Mulvey, so I’d sung the song every night for a week, so vocally I was feeling okay but technically there was a lot to arrange.

What inspires you when it comes to visual art?

I want to feel free to express myself in ways that feel honest and true to the sentiment of my music. Visually I want to put myself within the metaphors of the song’s meanings. For the gig scene backdrop, I painted this calico material with Brook Tate — it’s the material I used in my music video for “Bloom.” We put the song on repeat and let loose painting abstract oceanic brush strokes. I love to create abstract paintings to music; it’s another one of my outlets. I’ve always had strong visual expression, I love to paint and put myself in a visual world within my music”.

I am going to wrap it up there. This remarkable and original artist that I am fairly new to, I can thoroughly recommend Holysseus Fly. I hope to go and see her play live one day. It must be a moving experience hearing her on the stage. I feel next year is going to be a very big one for her. It is clear that this amazing artist…