A determined nurse who started writing songs to deal with the stresses of Covid is starting to gain a global audience thanks to a chance collaboration with a French musician.
Creative Iona James from Balloch entered her details into a “wheel of collaboration” contest on an online radio station.
And she was picked to work with seasoned artist Clint State, based in France.
Admitting the experience was a bit of a shock at first, nurse Iona told the Lennox Herald: “They put names into the imaginary hat and pick out some names and you have to then write a song in a month and then they play it on the station.
“I didn’t know what I was doing.
“I put my name in and didn’t think anything about it.
“Clint’s a musician from Paris. Our names got drawn and then we had to collaborate and produce a song.
“Initially I was really quite daunted.
“I have not done anything like this. It is all really new to me especially working with someone who is well established, a musician who is in a band and has played in theatre shows.
“When I do my own songs, it’s just me in my back room playing what I like and I can do what I like.”
The Lennox Herald told earlier this year how the mum-of-two who had a lifelong love of music had gone on a songwriting course in 2019 but really immersed herself in music to help cope through lockdown had released her first song. To The Moon is a love song to her family who she had been separated from since the start of the pandemic until very recently.
Now, through the opportunity, she was faced with working with an experienced musician and producing music together.
Iona continued: “He messaged me on Twitter and said ‘this is me, this is what I do’ and this big, long list of things that he has done and I was thinking I am a nurse and I have released two songs and that’s it.
“I did feel very intimidated initially but he was back an forth with ideas and it was actually quite nice.
“The first song that we released, the song for the radio station was pretty much made in a day.
“It was exciting having somebody else’s ideas to bounce off because I have never had that before.
“He has worked on his own producing and writing song so working together was completely different.”
Iona has enjoyed being on YouTube live and appearing on American radio stations thanks to the exposure she has had through the experience and is looking forward to the future.
Their debut EP was released on June 21 and the duo have continued to work together, producing 12 tracks in just three months of collaboration with more to be released.
Iona explained how the partnership has helped her develop as a musician.
She said: “On about the fourth day, we said ‘do you want to keep going and do some more?’
“We have about 12 tracks we have produced in three months and we have released four.
“It’s quite exciting having that collaboration.
“It has made me realise working with other people is the way for me to go.
“He would give me a tune and I would make a melody, a chorus and a verse or maybe a couple of verses and send him that back and he would make me think about my songs differently.
“It has just grown arms and legs and I can’t stop it.
“I have found something I am really happy with.
“I am still quite nervous and anxious about the whole thing but I have found that spark especially working with someone with more musicality than me, playing the bass and guitar. It’s just added to my passion and it has pushed me on.”
The Silent Sea EP showcases Iona and Clint’s work and is available on all platforms.
You can follow Iona James on her social media pages by searching “Iona James”.
