She lives on a narrowboat that travels back and forth between Northants and Bucks. She creates bluesy Americana. She has a fabulous new EP out. She is Jasmine Burns, and New Boots had a chat with her.
How did you get into music, and then begin to play an instrument and write?
I grew up in a family where no one was a musician or could sing, but my folks were lovers of music. From a very young age I could hold a tune. I vividly remember my Mum playing Blondie and David Bowie tapes in the car and I would sing along on the way to nursery. During primary school I took trumpet lessons, which I absolutely hated at the time. But there was a fellow student that could play guitar and I was instantly inspired. I begged my folks to pay for tuition, but they could only afford to buy me a guitar. So I took it upon myself and took out a book from the local library and sat down each afternoon after school and practiced simple chords until I could just about play a song. I still have said book at home! I’m scared that a librarian is going to find me one day at one of my upcoming gigs with a massive fine! From practicing simple chords I started learning favourite songs, and soon enough wrote my first song at the age of 13. It was god awful, but you’ve got to start somewhere.