Album Focus: Imogen Clark

Rising alt-country singer/songwriter Imogen Clark has released her debut album, Love And Lovely Lies. Tim Mayne reports.

Imogen Clark says the past six months have been some of the craziest of her life so far and she is only 21.

Since the age of 15, Clark has produced three successful EPs - most notably 2013's Stories From A Porcelain City which was nominated for the Vanda And Young Songwriting Competition. The album was also a finalist in one of the world's most prestigious contests, The International Songwriting Competition in Nashville Tennessee, competing against nearly 20,000 entries.

Clark's story has humble beginnings, listening to her father's album collection and watching him perform.

"I actually started playing around the pubs when I was 13 and unexpectedly my favourite band of all time is Led Zeppelin and my dad used to listen to it a lot," Clark says.

"My dad has been in rock and punk bands all of his life, so I never really listened to country or folk music until I grew up."

When asked the question of why she chose alt-country music as her own personal style, Clark says it was simply a matter of being exposed to it.

"It is really funny because I had never heard the word 'alt-country' or 'Americana' before I went to Nashville and I really didn't know what it was, but when I got over there, everyone was playing it and I really liked it.

"I never knew whether I was country, folk or a bit of rock or pop and then when I saw people play Americana/alt-country I knew that was my genre.

"I discovered Joni Mitchell and Ryan Adams and all these influences and I guess that led me in a new direction, because that was music that impacted me a lot more than any other style.

Clark says the early reception to Love And Lovely Lies has lifted her confidence to new levels and there will be no stopping what could be one of the country's next up-and-coming stars.

"I am very excited about this record," she says. "I know this is going to be a really big step for me putting my first album out and touring for the rest of the year and also a few left of centre plans for touring.

"I have already written more songs than can fit on the next album, so I will get into that eventually and want to go over to the US and establish my presence over there."

Originally published in X-Press Magazine