Artist description Wilby - aka singer/songwriter and sometime journalist Rosie Wilby - releases her debut single 'You Were Loved' through Catflap Recordings on February 14th, as an alternative Valentine's Day song. 'You Were Loved' is a poignant recollection of a missed chance and the subsequent realisation of the significance of that person. Combining vocal harmonies and acoustic guitars with summery percussive grooves, it puts a new spin on Wilby's trademark sound. Meanwhile, 'This Love' - already getting play on GLR - is a darker look at a doomed and destructive relationship, complete with glacial backing vocals and Portishead-style chords. · Rosie Wilby's songs have been featured on an Amnesty International CD, the Talent Scout A&R compilation and in the soundtrack for short film 'See You Next Monday' which has been screened at festivals throughout Europe. 'Dreams' has just won 3rd prize in the Songworks International Songwriting Competition.· She has built up a fanbase in London through regular performances at Ronnie Scotts, the12 Bar Club, Islington International Festival and many other venues. While she has been featured on Carlton Kids TV and Sky News. Set to tour Spain in November and December, she'll be back in the UK in 2000 to launch the single and her own new label…

Music Style Singer/songwriter

Artist History Rosie Wilby grew up in Ormskirk, Lancashire. A quiet Northern English market town, it wasn't the most exciting place to be a teenager. So she occupied herself by forming bands with other local kids, and organising gigs in the street. Her parents both played piano, yet Rosie longed for an instrument she could own and play in the privacy of her bedroom. She soon fell in love with the guitar, and experimented with writing songs after learning those of then heroines Tracy Chapman and Kate Bush.Through school and university Rosie rebelled against the pressures to conform to a middle class ideal. She says "I felt trapped in an existence I desperately wanted to reject". Songs that she wrote at this time expressed disillusionment with the insincerity and dishonesty she felt was all around her. Later, her lyrics would take a more hopeful turn - sensing that there was a possibility of escape. "At that time, freedom was represented by London" she recalls. As soon as she had scraped through her degree, she made her way to the capital city."I took a place on a film and TV course, but my true passion was still music" she says. Spending hours in record shops standing at listening posts, she discovered Tom Waits, Al Green and Portishead - all artists who had some real emotion to express. And she started to write more songs of her own. "I wasn't confident of my own voice then", says Rosie looking back, "and then I found my lifeline! - a women's voice workshop held on Saturdays at the Drill Hall was my refuge". Singing in an a cappella group, she found inspiration that was to become an integral part of her own music - vocal harmony.Under the name 'Wilby', her music has evolved through working with a whole string of talented musicians. Expressive, romantic and lyrical, her style has been honed over months of playing live around the UK. Yet, one thing has remained constant - Rosie Wilby and her songs. With a new focus on these essential elements Wilby launches herself as a solo artist. 'You Were Loved' / 'This Love' is released on Catflap Recordings on February 14th 2000

Group Members Rosie Wilby - guitar & vocalsDave Weightman - BassPhillipa Baulch - Keyboards

Albums 'Precious Hours' Available at Virgin/HMV

Press Reviews '…there is little that's lo-fi about Wilby's sound, instead there's a rare warmth. This ain't indie music for indie people, it's the seeds of ambitious pop.'- Laura Lee Davies, Time Out.'Wilby's half an hour slot showed they have a command of pop dynamics, bright up-tempo music underpinned by some caustic lyrics. The strength of the band is undoubtably Rosie's resonant vocals…'- Ruth Morris, Top Magazine.'Rosie Wilby is a lover of sunny side-up pop sounds involving lovely guitar melodies.' - Maddy Costa, Evening Standard

Location London, England - United Kingdom

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