Sorry to say, dear friends, that we’re not going to answer this question here. However, we’ve teamed up with Country In The UK to pose this question to a few UK acts in the week that the Americana Music Association UK hosts its annual festival and awards ceremony, this year, by necessity, an online event.
First up is the winner of AUK’s Best UK Act of 2020 and a nominee for the AMA-UK’s UK Artist Of The Year, Robert Vincent.
“To me, Americana is the grit under the fingernails, the dirt in-between the pages of songs that feel like they have always been there. Its Folk, Blues, Country and Soul. It sings the truth that some music in these times won’t dare to sing and most of all it gives a home to the most lost of musical souls. A broad church of diverse musicians and people, that continue to keep alive the proud traditions of the past, but always having a positive eye on the future.
Over the past 6 years, The Americana Music Association here in the UK and the US has provided me with a platform to play my songs to other like-minded friends within the genre. It has been a real pleasure to be involved, to be a part of its huge growth in that short time. I look forward to seeing where it continues to takes us all.”
Elles Bailey won the AMA-UK’s UK Song Of The Year award in 2020 for ‘Little Bit Of Heaven’.
“There are many artists, like myself who have been inspired by American roots music but because we sit on the fringes of genres, for years we have fallen through the cracks and never really had a ‘place’ or ‘scene’ for want of a better description. We are the wonderful misfits, the square pegs not willing to try and fit in the round holes! However, with the rise and interest in Americana, and the hard work of The Americana Association and The AMA-UK – we finally have a home.
For me, Americana is way more than a genre or a description. It’s a community of creatives, industry & music lovers who savour the art of storytelling entwined in beautiful melodies, and the thing that binds us together is not common sounds and instruments, as Americana is so incredibly broad, but by creating a sense of authenticity, of truth, and of honesty for the listener.
For solo artists like me, navigating the music industry can be a very lonely road but to be a part of the vibrant Americana Community here in the UK is such an incredible honour and I look forward to seeing how it grows.”
The AMA-UK Festival takes place on the 26th, 27th, and 28th January and you can buy tickets here.
