My dad used to say to me as a kid, ‘There’s no point doing a job if you leave it half done.’ I’ve always stuck by that.
When Aimée Gillingwater was 18, London-based alternative modelling agency Anti-Agency signed her after spotting her in a collection of skaters’ portraits for Hero Magazine. Since then, she’s worked with labels such as Chanel, Converse, and Dickies. With skateboarding and modelling under her belt, her next venture looks to her first love: music. She speaks to Oscar Lane about her journey so far and the release of her first single in mid-March.
Hey Aimée, nice to meet you! What are you working on at the moment?
I’m about to release my first single, ‘East to West’. It’s all been a long process and I want it to be done properly. It’s so intimate! You’re giving people a little part of your soul! I’ve never wanted to be a singer that gets handed some songs and told to sing, I’m very involved in writing and producing the music, the lyrics and I love getting to work with other people.
I don’t want to release something that wouldn’t make me feel like I’ve done it justice and I’m definitely not trying to cut corners, or sacrifice any artistic integrity. I’ve always been really quite adamant about that, which is not always the easiest route. But it’s important to me. I’m really excited to release the whole thing, I’ve been working on it for a long time. There’s been challenges with it, especially with COVID, and some things have gone great but others, I’ve really had to work at to get them to where they are. I had to learn how to write flute music and improvise.
ArrayWas the flute your first instrument?
No, my first instrument was the recorder! I then went on to the flute, which I think the recorder geared me up for. And then, when I was 12, I taught myself ukulele before moving on to the piano. I didn’t really have people that I clicked with in secondary school, which, looking back, was one of the best things that could have happened. I spent my lunches playing piano alone in the school hall and got good at it because that’s what I did every lunch break. I loved it and it brought me a lot of comfort – I’d print guitar chords off the internet, play through them and figure out the notes on the piano by ear.
I really taught myself so much in that time, not just musically – but how a situation can be positive without immediately realising. From there I just kept picking up new ones. For my next challenge I’ve bought a violin! I’m basically trying to teach myself all the instruments to a minimum of mediocre level! I can play ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ rather dismally. But, I picked up the violin because I wanted to put real violin sounds on this EP. Same with the flute, I picked that back up again so I could put it into my pieces. There are a lot of different instruments I’ve actually played in my songs.
So, when did you first pick up the guitar?
I started guitar only like two years ago. I picked it up super quick. I took my brother’s old acoustic Yamaha. Because it was so worn in from 10 years of him playing it, I think it really helped me and my small fingers and the ukulele definitely helped. I just really enjoy performing and so I thought Instagram would be a good way to show that. I posted a cover of ‘Jolene’ and that’s how my manager found me. That’s how it started and why I’ve been in the studio for the past year! I feel very blessed. My manager Kev has connected me with some really talented people and producers to work with.
Can you pin the music and its influences down to a style or genre?
It’s jazz and soul inspired contemporary. Everything from soul to punk and in between has influenced me. I remember I used to love Led Zeppelin and their variety of sound when I was young, and I have a big love for the 60s – Nancy Sinatra, The Supremes etc. I learnt a lot through the church music and singing soprano in different choirs at school. I also love bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat and went to my first hardcore punk show when I was 14. I just remember it moving my mind and thinking, “This is it! Their energy is insane!” I can’t even remember the band that played that night! Recently, I’ve been listening to a lot of Jazz, like John Coltrane, Ella & Louis and Ahmad Jamal.
What’s your writing process and go-to instrument when you write a song?
It really depends! I love writing on guitar and I love writing on piano. Whatever feels more natural at the time, I roll with. I’ve been trying to incorporate different instruments as I think different instruments and their sounds encompass different moods. That’s been really fun to explore.
So, from projecting these different moods, what sort of themes do you sing about in your songs? Are they drawn from personal experience?
I mainly write from personal experience. I’ve always wanted it to feel like it really relates to me, and is a part of my soul. If it didn’t feel like that, I wouldn’t feel content. I personally think it’s hard to get people to relate if the music’s not about something that has actually affected you. I feel so connected to all the music that’s spoken to me the most in my life, and the artists that have influenced me the most. I love the storyteller songwriters like Bobby Gentry! I think she’s one of the best storytellers ever.
You were speaking about your first gig earlier…
It was an open mic night at Mau Mau Bar in Portobello where I grew up. I was probably one of the youngest people there, everyone else was around two decades older than me and singing a variety of ska or reggae, but it was just so uplifting and everyone was cheering each other on. It was a really positive place to be. I just felt really welcome.
Were you singing covers or your own songs?
Both actually, mainly covers but I did my one of my own. It was never about getting an audience for my own songs, I just wanted to sing publicly and get used to it because I knew it was something I wanted to do but I just didn’t know how to do it. I remember as I started playing looking up and suddenly seeing people go, “huh?” and walk towards the stage to come and listen. I thought it was crazy! When get older they care less about pleasing people and their opinions are rawer. So, to have this 70-year-old tell me afterwards, “That was amazing!” felt really genuine. It got me really excited and I thought, “Oh my god! I make music that, people actually want to listen to!”
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Did you pick up any new hobbies during lockdown?
I’ve really gotten into cycling ever since the first. It’s been so nice cycling alone at night. The other day I played Ghost Town by The Specials and it felt very, very apt! It’s been funny going around the city and no one being around. It’s normally one of the busiest places you can be and now everything is so quiet. I’ve been working out too because I can’t ice-skate and I want to keep up my flexibility. I’ve also really gotten into sampling, I’m quite new to it but I find it really fun. I’ve tried to sample a track from every genre, and just play around with sound a lot more. I want to expand my musical mind and get more creative with it and not do the same thing all the time.
Once we’re over these lockdowns and some form of normalcy and activity can start up again, what are the plans and hopes for 2021? For the music, skating and modelling?
I think just to continue to be as authentic as I can try to be with it all. To continue learning and continue experimenting and make things I’m really proud of. I definitely hope to do more personal projects within modelling and expand on that. And I’m excited for all the music to come out and properly begin that process and hopefully, who knows, maybe a gig or two! That’s really the ambition for this year, try to play live and share some music! If the COVID decides to kindly f*** off!
