Get To Know Get To Know… Brooke Combe

What was the first gig you ever went to? Where was it, and who did you go with? Set the scene…
I’m pretty sure the first gig I attended was JLS at the SECC in Glasgow when I was around nine. I went with one of my best friends at the time and my mum, and I remember us staying in a hotel across from the arena. I sat on top of the hotel sink (don’t know why) and completely ripped it off the wall accidentally. I was a wee bit chubby back then, but didn’t think [I was] by that much!

You hail from Edinburgh - what do you think of the music scene there at the moment? Are there any other artists emerging at the same time you take inspiration from?
Growing up, I didn’t really feel like there was much of a music presence in Edinburgh, which is why I don’t think I got into live music or festivals until I was a little older. Most artists miss us out when they’re doing a tour too, so we used to always travel through to Glasgow to see any of the big acts. As for nowadays, I still don’t think there’s a scene really.

Do you feel that Scotland has a distinct musical identity? If so, what do you think are some of its defining characteristics?
Yeah, I would say it does if we’re going down the more traditional route, but there’s different levels to it: when you hear bagpipes, you’re probably gonna think of Scotland nine times out of ten. If we’re talking about more contemporary music though, I’d say there are a lot of artists and bands you wouldn’t necessarily think are Scottish on first listen, which I think is always a nice surprise.

You’ve recently announced your debut album ‘Dancing At The Edge Of The World’ - congrats! Ahead of recording, you spent some time exploring different styles before ultimately returning to your soul and Motown roots. Can you tell us a bit about why you felt drawn back to this sound? Why do you think this album is your “most authentic piece of work” yet?
I think exploring different sounds was a good way for me to begin my career in music. It quickly eliminated genres and styles that I wasn’t into or felt somebody else could pull off more authentically. There were a few factors into my thought process that ultimately led me back to my roots.

I think one of the real turning points was when James showed me a chord progression which later turned into ‘Black is the New Gold’. It opened up new melodies for me to sing over, and I then started to dig into my heritage, which connected me more to the African-American soul sound. Being signed to a major label and being put through the speed dating of songwriting sessions with loads of credible producers and writers sort of knocked a lot of confidence out of me, as I felt I no longer had any input in my music and that there must have been something wrong with the types of songs I was writing.

What makes it authentic is that it was so organically created. I worked with people that I wanted to work with and that I knew respected me as much as I respect them. All the songs came from experiences I was going through. I had a go at writing through someone else’s perspective for this album, which I hadn’t done before, and we demoed the full thing in the spare bedroom in my house. The album also has many references to some of my soul heroes, and I think you can hear that throughout - in the way we recorded it, in the chord progressions, the instrument sounds, and the live band.

What has collaborating with the likes of James Skelly taught you about your own creative process? Do you feel like you’ve evolved or learnt anything about yourself since working on ‘Black Is The New Gold’?
I definitely feel like I’ve evolved and developed as an artist over the last few years and needless to say, James is a big part of that. One of the first things he taught me was not to be too precious over certain lyrics or demos, as you can end up hung up on an old idea and box yourself in. He sends me a lot of songs, which has really expanded my music library.

James is a good mentor because he gives you all the tools, but it’s sort of up to you to utilise them or learn from them in some way or another. I’ve learned a lot over the last four years, but coming into the industry with no knowledge of anything, it was good having James to tell me how fickle the music industry can be.

If you could work with any musician from the past two decades, who would it be and why?
I’d love to do a saucy number with Bootsy Collins or maybe someone like Tame Impala would be cool. It’s a no brainer as to why…

Finally, DIY are coming round for dinner - what are you making? 
Pulled chicken tacos. Shoes off at the door please x 

‘Dancing At The Edge Of The World’ is out on 31st January 2025 via Modern Sky Records. 

Tags: Get to Know, Neu, Brooke Combe