Nicola on song thanks to gran
Soprano’s war track marks anniversary
A soprano hopes her stirring new wartime hit will propel her to the big time.
Nicola Cassells has used the harrowing experience of her own gran, Kathleen, to inspire the track.
The song, which features a stunning video shot at Kelburn Castle in Fairlie, marks Nicola’s ten years on the music scene.
The 27- year- old said: “I realised I was spending time researching the war when I could call on amazing experience within my own family.
“My gran had obviously mentioned the evacuations at various times when I was growing up, so it was good to sit down and properly learn about it from her perspective.
“She was evacuated along with her brother and sister and some of what they went through was horrific.
“Hopefully I’ve been able to transfer that emotion into the song.”
The release, called Somewhere in Time, is based on the classical piece ‘ Clair De Lune’ by Claude Debussy.
Lyrics and arrangement were provided by singer- songwriter Sandi Thom and Jake Jefferson Field, with the video shot by Martin Bone.
Nicola, who is set to study a postgrad in secondary music teaching, added: “It’s hard to believe I’ve been performing for ten years now.
“I still remember my f i r s t performance at West of the Moon when I’d won a competition at Queen Maragaret Academy to go on stage.
“I was only 17 and not even old enough to get a drink.”
The track is available to buy on iTunes and Amazon.