“A Wonderful Woman, A Wonderful Voice”
— Jools Holland
A soulful, raw, and powerful storyteller, Amy Mayes has become a powerhouse of a voice who will reach into your soul and take you on a journey akin to her own. Creating a sound and perfecting her art, Amy has been making waves on the music scene, driving her steady rise to notable recognition.
Amy’s sound is not something that can be easily defined. Amy has created a sound which can be described as both powerful and subtle, strong but soulful. Calling on artists like Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, Stevie Wonder and BB King to name a few, spanning across the genres and taking away the unique nuances of each, Amy has blended this with her own truly heartfelt emotion to encapsulate her audiences and deliver performances that stay with you.
Amy’s past experience and prowess in performing as a classically trained singer has built an unbreakable foundation in which to build upon, losing the precision of classical singing and opting instead for a raw, free style that is continuously evolving.
Graciously balancing fluidity and freeness with an adept vocal control, Amy has been able to push her music beyond her own belief and truly discover her potential.
Growing up in a house filled with her father’s eclectic and extensive vinyl collection ranging from Abba to Vivaldi, Elton John to ELO, Dolly Parton, The Beatles to name but a few, it was no surprise Amy grew up to be an artist with true passion and soul. The genre of music was not what she was taught to understand but instead, how it made you feel.
With humble beginnings in a local amateur dramatic group performing choral and small parts in musicals, Amy knew her heart wasn’t in acting. It was Janis Joplin’s Take Another Little Piece of My Heart on a grainy old tape player to inspire Amy to build upon what she had and begin hone in on what was to become her distinct sound and to sculpt herself as an artist.
Graduating from the prestigious Leeds College of Music in 99, studying under the renowned jazz vocalist Tina May, this opened the doors for Amy to enter the world of song writing, pulling together the pieces of her life thus far to begin really finding her voice through story/song writing.
“People ask me what makes a good singer. Of course, it’s having good pitch and tone, but to me what makes a good singer exceptional is their passion, and passion for music is something which Amy Mayes has in abundance”.
— Maria Greenwood, Dorset Magazine
It was upon her return to Dorset that things began to really fall into place for Amy. Working in the middle of nowhere, Ben Waters had been recommended to see Amy perform. It was at this moment that Ben invited Amy to perform alongside him and his band, the beginning of a wonderful musical journey that would bring Amy on stage with Jools Holland and his band, as well as Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones.
Once this door had opened, Amy stepped through and onto iconic stages like Shepherds Bush Empire, Manchester Opera House, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and Ronnie Scott’s. And she wasn’t alone, Amy has had the privilege and honour of sharing the stage with Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, Imelda May, Lulu, and Johnny Depp as well as touring alongside Ronnie Wood for his ‘Mad Lad’ album.
Having signed to WHM music, ‘An Introduction’ was released and showcased to a sell-out at Ronnie Scott’s. A debut E.P that features the brilliant guitarist Robbie McIntosh and the equally brilliant pianist Ben Waters, Amy’s journey has come a long way and doesn’t look to be slowing down.