From Australia to the West End of London, singer Ebony Buckle shares a message of hope in trying times.
Ebony Buckle is a London-based singer/songwriter, originally from the seaside town of Townsville, Australia. Taking listeners on a whimsical pop journey with her complex harmonies and imaginative storytelling lyricism, Buckle sings about universal themes of romance and broken hearts to more poetic themes of disgruntled mermaids, lonely whales and joyous, hypothetical alien invasions.
The singer come actress has performed in The West End and on screen for the BBC. Her role in George Gently as a Geordie folk singer gave her the platform to perform her vocal talents and her music from the show reached #1 in the iTunes World Music Charts. Buckle continues to have her original music receive extensive airplay from BBC stations across the nation.
Reminiscent of Regina Spektor and Kate Bush, Buckle is inspired by strong female artists who have forged their own path into the music industry. She writes and performs with her husband, musician Nick Burns, who also produces her music. Every day, through her lyricism, music and poetry, Buckle continues to feed our imagination with her beautifully kaleidoscopic music.
“I am a naturally shy person and sometimes find it hard to be myself in front of other people, but music has really helped me connect to my true self. I feel like the songs I write come straight from my inner dialogue and they are a true expression of who I am”.
The singer confides
Her latest single “Ghost” explores the difficult experience that Buckle and her English husband Nick endured during their fight to renew her visa after their marriage. Despite her specific experience, Ghost is a universal song of love, loss, commitment and pain of feeling utterly helpless. The song was written over Skype between her and her husband, as they were kept apart for nearly two years.
As for the video of Ghost, the visuals showcase the debilitating feeling of being completely alone and empty of anything except heartache.
“It’s a very raw video and for a while, I felt too embarrassed to put it out. We do not talk openly about mental health issues in society, and it made me feel very vulnerable. I have come to believe that having these conversations and allowing yourself to be vulnerable only makes you stronger in the long run. I think it shows a different side of me. We are all made up of light and dark and I think perhaps we need to know that everyone has their own unique dark moments, worth expressing.”
reveals Buckle
Ebony can be found on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Spotify and YouTube.
Welcome Ebony! To begin, how have you been doing social distancing? Have you found inspiration in unexpected places?
I have been at home. We have our own studio here so we have been doing lots of recording for the album and writing some new songs too. I am also really lucky to have a garden and have started planting veges and whispering words of encouragement to the carrots! It’s become a little haven and I’ve started recognising different birdsong. I don’t think I really listened to them before now and they are so comforting. It’s like, if the birds are still singing, we are ok.
I love that – I am too recognizing different birds calls. I can officially say I now know what a cardinal sounds like! Your mew single Ghost explores such a deeply personal and difficult situation you and your husband experienced, and so many other couples experience. What kept you going during that hard time? What advice do you have for other couples experiencing that?
Ghost was written about a really hard situation and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I also know that we were lucky compared to some. Being in a long-distance relationship is hard, especially when you have no end in sight. It’s hard to find hope. You run out of things to say to each other but you need to talk because that’s your only contact. Nick and I read books to each other over Skype and played board games. It got rid of the small talk. I was also surrounded by so many beautiful friends and family members and they really kept me going. And when you finally get to be in the same place, just take your time getting to know each other again. Because you will have changed and grown in different ways.
What do you find to be the most empowering and/or freeing part of songwriting for you?
I feel like my music is the truest version of myself. When my visa was refused, my independence and control over my life were taken away. Writing music has been a way for me to get it back. <3
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